Competition Details

09.00 - 4 Year Old Class
11.30 approx - Final Judging & Prize Giving in the Main Arena

12.30 approx - 5 Year Old Class
17.00 approx - Final Judging & Prize Giving in the Main Arena

The Burghley Young Event Horse Series has been an exciting part of Burghley Horse Trials for nearly 20 years and quickly developed into a most useful tool for predicting potential ?four star? horses at an early age.

Open to four and five year old horses, the aim of the Series is to encourage breeders and trainers to produce and present the correct type of young horse which is considered to be the best material to make a world class three day event horse.

The judges look for an athletic, loose moving horse with a promising jumping technique who, with correct training, will develop physically and mentally into a strong three day eventer.

The winner is that with the highest overall marks from four sections:

SECTION I Dressage Test Marked out of 35

SECTION II Jumping 6/7 fences Marked out of 40
(Height - up to 0.90m for 4 year olds and up to 1.05m for 5 year olds)

SECTION III Conformation & Type Marked out of 15

SECTION IV Final Judging (Suitability & Potential) 1-5 marks

Horses must exceed 148cm without shoes. Tack as per BE Rules for Novice Dressage. Fetlock boots only behind (no weighted boots). All other boots and martingale are optional but no boots to be worn for Section III and no time is allowed between sections to change tack.

DRESSAGE: each horse performs a simple dressage test to show its paces and to demonstrate that it is obedient, supple and has correct, elastic and regular gaits. Individual movements are not judged.

JUMPING: this follows immediately after the dressage. Judges are looking for a bold athletic horse with good technique and a horse with these qualities should not necessarily be penalised for knocking down one fence (or even a four year old having one refusal), providing he learns from his mistake.

CONFORMATION AND TYPE: horses are assessed in hand by the conformation judge. Their build and type should enable them to withstand the demands of the sport in terms of soundness, speed and stamina.

FINAL JUDGING - SUITABILITY & POTENTIAL - only the top ten highest scoring horses from sections I ? III are required to come forward to show their paces (including gallop) and are assessed on presence or ?star quality?. The horses are brought into line in the order that the judge sees their potential. Five marks will be awarded to the horse placed first, 4 to the second, 3 to the third, 2 to the fourth and 1 to the fifth horse. These marks will then be added to those from the previous 3 sections to find the winner. Sixth to tenth will remain on their previous score.

One horse in every 15 starters qualifies for the Burghley Young Event Horse Finals which take place at The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials on Friday, 31 August. For advanced bookings and further information on The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials see www.burghley-horse.co.uk.