Horse rider from Rutland labels Burghley Horse Trials the ‘best show in the world’
A horse rider has branded Burghley Horse Trials the ‘best show in the world’ as he returns to his home turf.
Matthew Heath, 40, moved to a new yard at Rutland Water two years ago after being based in Northamptonshire for 15 years.
His six previous appearances at the horse trials near Stamford have been with The Lion, but this year newcomer Askari made a composed start on his top-level debut, with a score of 32.1 placing him ninth after the first day of dressage yesterday (Thursday, August 31).
“I’m really pleased with him,” said Matthew. “He made a couple of very small mistakes but on the whole he did a really good job.”
Matthew may not have always called the Stamford area home, but he now feels at ease in his new surroundings.
He says the honour of riding a horse at one of the most prestigious eventing competitions in the world will always rank among his greatest triumphs.
“It’s nice to have your local show as the best in the world. It’s pretty special,” he said.
“All the riders love to be here, the cross-country has always been so influential over the years.”
Matthew added: “It’s a big deal to get here.
“To get a horse to this level you have to have a lot of horses.
“Sometimes you get lucky and one comes along and you get the horse of a lifetime very quickly, but on the whole you have to wait a long time to come to shows like this.”
With the dressage completed for Matthew and Askari, they can now look forward to tomorrow’s cross-country.
“It’s always quite daunting,” he added.
“Especially for me the dressage phase is something I get quite anxious about so it’s always quite daunting for me to go into the arena and I’m sure lots of other riders feel the same way.”
Defender Burghley Horse Trials (August 31 to September 3) has been a major international sporting and social event for over 50 years. It attracts the world’s top equestrians and more than 170,000 visitors.
For more information visit www.burghley-horse.co.uk.
Have you got a story? Email smeditor@stamfordmercury.co.uk.
