Gemma Stevens left to stew on disappointing end to Defender Burghley Horse Trials

By Ben Hart

Event rider Gemma Stevens bemoaned a bittersweet ending to her first Defender Burghley Horse Trials in five years.

Stevens, 39, finished ninth aboard Chilli Knight at the 5* event in Lincolnshire, as Paris 2024 gold medallist Ros Canter claimed the top prize.

It was a frustrating end, though, for Stevens who would have finished fifth had it not been for a marginal fence fault during Sunday’s showjumping finale.

“I had one down, so I’m gutted, absolutely gutted,” she said.

“I’m really disappointed, but absolutely not disappointed with the horse. He tried his little heart out, we made one mistake which is really frustrating because it’s so costly.

“But the margins are so tight, the ground was soft, and we just touched a back rail off so absolutely gutted but really pleased with the horse.”

Both Chilli Knight and Stevens have endured injury struggles in recent years but they made their return to the top-level at Badminton earlier in 2024, finishing 14th.

Their performance at Burghley, arguably the toughest eventing challenge in the world, marked another step forward for the pair, which should leave Stevens full of optimism ahead of a return to Gloucester next spring.

“It’s been tough, but a fantastic week,” she added. I’ve really enjoyed it. I felt like I got a good buzz out of it.

“I’ve had a quiet time at the top level just through injury and then retiring horses but it feels really good to be back.

“That’s the way it goes but it’s fantastic to be back here at the top level and to come out with a really happy sound horse at the end of it. Hopefully he’ll be good to go to Badminton next year and we’ll look forward to that.”

Canter, meanwhile, added her third 5* title to the team eventing gold she won in Paris with a record-breaking Burghley score.

She led from the end of the first round courtesy of Izilot DHI but it was Lordships Graffalo, lovingly nicknamed ‘Walter’, who took control in the cross-country phase before coming through Sunday’s nerve-shredding showjumping finale to take glory.

“It means everything,” Canter told Burghley TV. “I’ve achieved a lot, I’ve been lucky, I’ve achieved some great things and going into this year, the Olympics was this one big box tick and in some ways it's made me a bit flat.

“So I came into this week and I thought:' I don’t need this, but I really want it.' I had a good feeling all week but I didn’t tell anyone.

“I felt really confident, ready to go out there and be more and I’ve stuck to my system and haven’t asked questions about anyone else about how to ride or what strides they're going on. I said to myself: 'you know what you’re doing, believe in yourself', and it’s paid off.”

Defender Burghley Horse Trials (5-8 September 2024) has been a major international sporting and social event for over 50 years. It attracts the world's top equestrians and is attended by vast and enthusiastic crowds. For more information visit www.burghley-horse.co.uk