McEwen backing Defender Burghley to propel eventing to greater heights

By Ben Hart, Sportsbeat

Tom McEwen is backing the Defender Burghley Horse Trials to capitalise on a memorable Olympic summer and bolster eventing’s growing popularity.

The Gloucestershire-based star, 33, won team eventing gold in Paris alongside Rosalind Canter and Laura Collett, bringing the feel-good factor back to the sport after the Charlotte Dujardin welfare scandal.

On the day of the cross-country event, there were more spectators watching the action at the Palace of Versailles than anywhere else across the entire Olympics and McEwen hopes Burghley can continue on the same path and attract a wider demographic of fans.

“Burghley is already spectated very heavily but I do think it can increase more and the Olympics showed a wider, broader spectrum of people coming to watch and how much people love it even if they’ve never watched horses before,” said Swindon-born McEwen.

“I really do think it's something that if a family tries for a day out or if some non-horsey people come, they will absolutely love it.

“Hopefully Burghley will help increase that following and bring it to a wider platform. I’m super excited. The weather's looking perfect, so hopefully the ground will be amazing.

“It's always unbelievably exciting to go back to Burghley and you feel very lucky as a rider to have a horse to compete there, so to be able to have CHF Cooliser go back for a second go is super exciting.”

McEwen describes Burghley as the ‘Iron Man of eventing’ with horse and rider put through their paces across dressage, cross country and show jumping.

It comes towards the tail-end of on an unforgettable season which saw McEwen and co defend the team eventing gold they won in Tokyo.

“I wouldn't call it a rollercoaster year, but you do feel like you're on a train track, and steamrolling through,” he said.

“It's felt quite a long year already, Paris was a huge target and it's unbelievably difficult just getting onto a team if you're from Great Britain.

“The French crowd are so passionate and the noise at the Olympics was amazing with so many British flags flying everywhere.”

McEwen heads to Burghley next week (5-8 September) with Vicky Bates and David Myers’ CHF Cooliser, who was second in the CCI5* at Luhmühlen, following up a runner-up spot at that level at Pau in 2021.

The chestnut mare was 12th at Burghley in 2022, her only previous ride, and McEwen believes she has what it takes to challenge this time.

“Our hopes are really positive, she had a great run in the Open Championship, and had a great, clear, nice and easy run, run round there,” he added.

“She’s had her last piece of hard canter work and she felt amazing. As we know, you've got to be there or thereabouts after the dressage.

“She feels in great form – I know the field this year, which is also another very exciting thing, is very strong, but I would like to think that she's somewhere up there.”

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