The finishing touches are being put to the cross country courses, tentage has been erected and show jumps are moving in to place ahead of this week's Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International horse trials. Cross country designer Alec Lochore and builder Mark Watler have produced another great set of courses for competitors ranging from BE100 level to CIC3*, running anti-clockwise for the first time in the event's history.
The big question is, will Oliver Townend again defend his succession of wins in Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International's headline class, the CIC3 Star? Townend, from Shropshire, has claimed victory a remarkable 10 times since 2007 and has this year entered his Burghley winner, Ballaghmor Class. With Burnham Market the opening leg of the Tri-Star Grand Slam with its £50,000 'winner takes all' bonus he will undoubtedly be aiming for an early lead in the series.
However, with 140 combinations listed in this class, competition will be fierce. Piggy French and Vanir Kamira, who finished second behind Ballaghmor Class at last autumn's Burghley, are entered, as are Burghley third placed Gemma Tattersall and Arctic Soul and European bronze medal winners Nicola Wilson and Bulana.
Ones to watch are Laura Collett and Mr Bass, who bagged two CIC***s last season including the penultimate leg of the 2017 Grand Slam, and Kitty King with Vendredi Biats who claimed the final leg last year. Crowd favourite Pippa Funnell has three horses in this class as well as two Advanced class runners.
Tina Cook and Billy The Red could claim a win in the Advanced – this pair finished fourth individually at last summer's European Championships. Leading the New Zealand charge will be Sir Mark Todd's Leonidas II and reigning Badminton champion Andrew Nicholson's Swallow Springs.
As ever, Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International has attracted riders from across the globe. Eighteen nationalities will be represented, from as far afield as Hong Kong, Brazil, South Africa and Russia, with 800 horses due to compete over the three days.
Of course, the horse trials isn't just about horses. New for this year, the Exotic Animal Encounter will be on site on the Friday and Saturday, with their meerkats, skunks, snakes and coatimundi – they will be running handling sessions and educational talks. Fens Falconry will also be attending, with a variety of birds of prey. Add in bungee trampolines, bouncy castles, a climbing wall and Razz & Pearl's circus workshops, plus over 40 shops, and Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International really does offer a fantastic day out for all the family.
Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International takes place from 29th - 31st March at Sussex Farm, PE31 8AG.
