DESIGNER Derek di Grazia is testing everything that makes a true all-round cross-country horse on his 2023 Burghley track.
Horses need to be brave, to have stamina, to be scopey and accurate. They have to listen, to be able to stay on a line or a curve, and to be manoeuvrable absolutely everything that riders should be training into their horses. You cannot have missed anything in your building blocks of preparation to come here.
It's a real course for horsemanship. The terrain is what elevates Burghley, and can come as a shock to some horses the first time they experience it. It's an intense track, even without considering the jumps. Even when the gradient is flat, there are still lumps and bumps to negotiate - and even though the fences here are no bigger than the dimensions set out for five-star, they always look more imposing because of the way they are built and designed.
Riders are going to have to be on their A game the whole way. I think problems will be well-spread, there's not just one fence that stands out. Competitors will have to read the feeling their horse is giving them and ride what's underneath them.
The early part of the course is slightly less intense than last year, which rode like a short-format. This year, Derek has reversed the direction of the Cottesmore Leap loop in the latter stages, with questions at the Dairy Mound and Boodles Raindance making the course a little more intense towards the end.
Defender Valley (5abcd) is the first proper
