Entries for over nine hundred horses and riders have been received for this year’s St James’s Place Wealth management Barbury International Horse trials which start on Thursday (June 28) and run through the weekend. The event’s climax comes on Sunday (July 1) with the CIC three star competition.
The horse trials will welcome the world’s leading riders, with some nations making the event the final competitive practice for their eventing team horses and riders prior to the London Olympics in Greenwich Park just four weeks later.
The five members of the British Eventing team for this summers’ Olympics – William Fox-Pitt, Kristina Cook, Mary King, Piggy French and Zara Phillips – have multiple entries across the Barbury weekend. Spectators will be able to see the team’s named horses: Lionheart, Miners Frolic, Imperial Cavalier, DHI Trooper W and High Kingdom.
Entries fromTeam GB horses and riders and other international riders with Olympic hopes, feature in an additional dressage test on the Friday, giving riders the opportunity to ride through the Olympic dressage test, with the show jumping phase taking place next.
Across the four days international entries include Mark Todd (NZ), Andrew Nicholson (NZ), Clayton Fredericks (AUS), Chris Burton (AUS), Lucinda Fredericks (AUS), Paul Tapner (Aus), Catherine Burrell (AUS) and Elizabeth Power (IRE). The American team have entered twelve riders, under their Chef D’Equipe Captain Mark Phillips, the original designer of the Barbury cross country course.
The Barbury International Horse Trials kick off on Thursday with the three star and two star dressage. The Burghley Young Event Horse competition is a further highlight on day 1 featuring the equine stars of tomorrow. On day 2, Olympic riders – including the British team – will compete in unaffiliated dressage, riding the test set for this summer’s games.
The two star showjumping begins Saturday’s proceedings, then horses and riders will negotiate Barbury’s famous cross country course run across nearly two and half miles of stunning Marlborough Downs country which gives visitors excellent views. The three star showjumping phase, as well as unaffiliated showjumping featuring Olympic hopefuls, will be a further Saturday highlight.
On Sunday all eyes will turn to the prestigious three star cross country, with riders going in reverse order of placing. Pippa Funnell on Billy Landretti landed the spoils at last year’s event in a nail biting finish. This year’s winner will get £5,000 in prize money, generously sponsored by St James’s Place Wealth Management. The day will begin with Retraining of Racehorses Championship jump off.
A further highlight in the main arena on the Saturday and Sunday is the first leg of the Hit Air Pro Bull Rider series with an Eventers V Jockeys rodeo on a mechanical bull! Jump jockey Robert “Choc” Thornton will captain the Jockeys, alongside team members Timmy Murphy and Richard Johnson. Australian rider Paul Tapner will head the Eventers and will be joined by Oliver Townend and Laura Collett. Funds raised will be in aid of the ABF – The Soldiers Charity, Injured Jockeys Fund and Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
The Wiltshire County Show – Saturday, June 30 & Sunday, July,1: In addition to the equestrian spectacle, the Wiltshire County Show offers a packed celebration of rural life on the Saturday and Sunday. Among the attractions there will be pedigree livestock, agricultural machinery, specialist cars, military vehicles, an assault course, a parade of hounds, sheep shearing and sheep dog trials, bird of prey demo’s as well as ferret and llama racing.
The inaugural CGA Festival of Food will transform the show into a food lovers’ paradise. A series of cookery demonstrations from celebrity chefs in the AGA Rangemaster Cookery theatre will be the highlight alongside a food bonanza of hand and home-made produce and innovative cookery ideas. Confirmed chefs include; Brian Turner CBE of Ready Steady Cook fame, BBC Masterchef finalists Annie Assheton (2011) and Andrew Kojima (2012), Peter Vaughan of The Bistro & Cookery School and Lucknam Park’s Michelin starred chef Hywel Jones and Hrishikesh ‘Kesh’ Desai.
The official charity across the four days is the ABF – The Soldiers Charity, which provides support and help to serving and retired soldiers and their families. The It’s A Knockout Competition in aid of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance is on Saturday, June 30, when teams of local businesses will be taking part in a version of the popular 80’s television show!
Tickets are £15 on the gate on Saturday and Sunday, with under-12s going free. Thursday and Friday is free entry. Further information from www.barburyhorsetrials.co.uk
Thames launches £3.45m treatment project to improve the water in your tap
