Three members of Britain's silver-medal Olympic eventing team will be competing at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials on August 30 to September 2, which is expected to attract a bumper crowd after so many rural events were cancelled this summer. William Fox-Pitt will defend his title on Parklane Hawk, the horse he won on last year, plus Seacookie six-time Olympian Mary King (above) will ride her home-bred mare, Kings Temptress, and Kristina Cook has a new horse, De Novo News. Burghley is also the finale of the HSBC FEI Classics series, and Fox-Pitt and Andrew Nicholson, current world number one in eventing and an Olympic bronze medallist for New Zealand, will go head to head for the prize of $150,000 (about £95,000).
As part of the Olympic legacy, three of the beautifully crafted crosscountry fences seen at Greenwich-the Planet, Sundials and Olympic Games Horses -will feature as a complex in the main arena. Burghley is also expected to attract thousands of spectators desperate for a shopping fix. COUNTRY LIFE has the ideal Christmas present on its stand (H6): discounts of up to 40% plus a bottle of Moët & Chandon Champagne or Glengoyne whisky if you take out a subscription. Visit www.burghley-horse.co.uk
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