Burghley Horse Trials 2010

Every year I look forward to Burghley Horse Trials and this year was no exception. I decided to attend the cross country on Saturday to enjoy the exciting thrills and spills of eventing. Anyone who has attended Burghley Horse Trials will instantly remember the huge amounts of shops there are to peruse! However on arrival we decided to walk the course (there was no way I was going to be able to carry all my shopping around the cross country!). The weather was beautiful and we set off around the course stopping for various food stuffs along the way! If you have never attended, here is a great map of the course to give you an idea of the route. Throughout the day I wanted to get some equestrian action shots but this was a little harder than I first thought! I didn’t have my own camera and the one I borrowed had more than a slight delay...as you can see I did have a little trouble even getting a horse in the shot!
Whoops!Too close!

However my photography skills did start to improve, although it was still safer to try and get a galloping shot!

I really enjoyed being near the start/ finish and seeing the riders ready to go and everyone cooling the horses off once they completed the course.

Here is William Fox-Pitt setting off...

And finishing...And a delighted Mary King completing the course...
After walking the course I moved on to my next favourite past time; shopping! And after a glass or two of Champagne I did get rather carried away. In fact I even had to send my boyfriend back to the car (which he couldn’t find for ages!) with all my bags. Towards the end of the day we saw the very lovely Clare Balding in the Rural Crafts tent and she very kindly signed the wellies my boyfriend bought me for my birthday! I’m not sure if I can wear them now?! Big thanks to Clare for the signature!

I have still yet to find time to watch the television coverage but I have recorded it and I see it is also available on BBC iplayer. If you’ve never attended the event I suggest you watch the footage – it may well inspire you to give it a try next year. Big congratulations to Caroline Powell on her fantastic win! I’m looking forward to watching the winning round this evening. And next year I’ve decided i’m going for two days! There’s just not enough time for me to cram such an amazing event in to one day.