The two lucky winners of British Eventing’s inaugural cross country Course Design Scholarship have been announced following a nail biting day of interviews and practical field assessments.
The Course Design Scholarship, which is supported by the Bill Thomson Bursary, was introduced to help promising Course Designers who might not have the support, openings or financial backing to progress within this important role.
After an outstanding day’s Cross Country yesterday, Fox-Pitt was in the rarefied position of holding the top three places. However, his triple winning chance began to shrink alarmingly when Neuf des Coeurs, third at that stage and jumping out of order, hit five rails and plummeted to eventual 15th place.
The series went right to the wire at the final event, Boekelo (NED), at which Germany scored an emphatic team victory, but the British have run a well-orchestrated campaign with a pool of up-and-coming younger riders and, with the best five results to count, they just secured the win.
Current Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing prize contender, Jonathan Paget (NZL) riding Clifton Promise held his nerve in the final show jumping phase to win the 2013 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. Andrew Nicholson (NZL) finished in both 2nd place riding Avebury and 3rd place riding Nereo.
Here the riders give their thoughts on the course and what it takes to ride the big Burghley fences.
Cross Country Course Designer Captain Mark Phillips and Event Director Elizabeth Inman give their thoughts on The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trial 2013. From defending champion, Andrew Nicholson’s chances – to how riders like William Fox-Pitt, Jock Padget, Pippa Funnell and Oliver Townend will tackle the testing new Cross Country course.
Lucinda and her famous mare Headley Britannia will be showcasing their talent over the two days. The phenomenal pair have together won three of the world’s total six CCI4* FEI events, these being Burghley, Badminton and Kentucky. Headley Britannia is the only mare to have ever won all three events.
Mary and Emily King have added Rodney Powell Body Protectors to their list of sponsors. The mother and daughter duo have been kitted out with new Elite X2ESP body protectors customised in their respective team colours. Conforming to the latest safety standards, the Elite X2ESP is designed to be lightweight, flexible and breathable for maximum comfort.