‘The terrain makes this a real five-star’
IT’S rather amazing to have a CCI5* in my home county of Devon, after all these years of travelling miles to Burghley and Badminton. When I was a child, the South Western Showjumping Club held fantastic shows in the main arena here at Bicton, and I always dreamt of cantering around there on a lap of honour. I did manage it once – as inner of the best-turned-out prize, which was a teddy bear!
Of course, many successful horse trials have taken place here over the decades, but it is only this year that Bicton has upgraded to stage first four-star classes, in June, and now a CCI5*. Course-designer Mark Phillips has reversed the track from the June four-star.
It’s definitely a softer five-star course. I wouldn’t say there are many combinations of the difficulty of Burghley or Badminton, and the let-up fences aren’t as gigantic in size, but it is Bicton’s terrain – which is even more demanding than that of Burghley – that makes this track a real five-star track.
A lot of
