Zara Tindall determined to complete Burghley 21 years after debut appearance

By Lucy Wilde at Burghley

There’s not much that Zara Tindall hasn’t achieved when it comes to equestrian eventing.

The 42-year-old is one of Britain’s most acclaimed riders, with a World Championship gold and Olympic medal to her name, but stepping out at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials remains a firm favourite in her annual sporting calendar.

Having first competed at the prestigious Stamford venue in 2003 - the very start of her career - simply completing the event would be a full circle moment, particularly astride her sometimes unpredictable cheeky-chappy companion.

“I think you need a big sense of humour with that horse [Class Affair],” Tindall said reflecting on her dressage performance, the first outing of the three-day event in Lincolnshire.

“He's very frustrating because he does beautiful stuff, but he does get tense and he does get anxious about the canter work and when you're about to do it they know.

“He’s 15 and he thinks he knows the drill. He’s like 'Oh we go walk and then we go canter' and I say 'No we have to do a pirouette and then we're actually trotting again'. It's such a different test.

“There's no easing into it here at Burghley - it's very much bang, ‘here you are’, but there’s more to do.”

Gloucestershire-based Tindall scored a solid 36.8 in the dressage phase to put her right in the thick of the action after the first day, but knows experience is not always a prerequisite to seamless execution.

“I’ve been here a few times and it doesn’t get any easier. Definitely not. The thing here is the terrain and where they put the fences, you can never quite get it right and it's just a question of whether the horses adapt to it, if they're quick on their feet and figure it out," said Tindall.

“It's an extra 10% that you have to think about going around a 5*.”

As for how the Olympian is feeling about Class Affair’s prospects in the infamous cross-country round - a four mile race with 30 fences pitted as one of the toughest courses in the world - it’s still all to play for.

“I think the cross country here is great. Cool Affair has got great scope so I'm not so worried about the track, but he's very on and off the bridle so that will probably make it harder work.

“The beginning bit of the course is really busy so it will be about just trying to get through that part and maybe then we can start to enjoy it. Although whether you can enjoy the whole way through Burghley, it's probably not a thing.

“I do think that’s why we all compete at Burghley though, because we want to get to the top and ride at the top level. It's one of the most incredible feelings when you ride around here. You put all that work into the horses to be able to achieve it, and go clear, it makes it all worth it.”

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