Top rider smashes personal best to set impressive early target in Burghley dressage

Eager fans who arrived for the very start of the two days of dressage at Defender Burghley Horse Trials were treated to three of the best riders in the world from the get-go. Harry Meade, Ros Canter and Pippa Funnell were drawn one, two and three, with Ros producing an astonishing performance from Izilot DHI to smash not only the 20 barrier, but her own personal best at CCI5*.

Early draws are usually seen as a disadvantage as the judges don’t have any measure of the field at that stage, but they had no qualms about awarding top marks to Izilot DHI, the first of Ros’s two rides. This talented but spooky horse was arguably one who would benefit from performing before the crowds had gathered, and so it proved.

From second draw, Ros conjured a fabulously expressive test from her 2023 Pau winner Izilot DHI. This 11-year-old – owned by Alex Moody – is such an elastic mover, and looks to have moved up a dressage gear over the summer. Their halts and walk work were calm and level, while their changes had flair and accuracy, and they earned plenty of nines en route to a score of 19.9.

“I’ve been practising since Luhmühlen at having him a little more in self-carriage and lighter,” said Ros, who led after the dressage phase at Badminton on this horse on 25.3. “He’s obviously always been quite spooky so I’d gone for the safety option, because I’m wary of letting his eyes out – and that doesn’t show him at his best. So since then I’ve been working hard to show off that elasticity, and trying to let him dance like he can. I think we’re nearly there, but there is definitely more to come.

“He’s the most elastic horse I’ve ever ridden. You only have to clench your tummy muscles and tighten your backside and he’s got the ability of a dressage horse. It’s an amazing feeling. The challenges I have are his spookiness, and his neck – which isn’t classic in shape and sometimes when it feels beautiful it can look too tight.

“He didn’t spook, and was very level. But he is actually not a hot horse, he’s placid by nature – he doesn’t explode but he is plain spooky. He wants to be quiet but he has a really sharp flight instinct.”

How the Burghley Horse Trials dressage pathfinders fared

Harry Meade was first between the white boards at 9.30am riding his own and Mandy Gray’s Superstition, the first of his three rides at Burghley. He quickly put a slightly ragged first halt behind him to score consistent sevens. The rein-back pegged back his final mark, too, en route to logging a score of 32.4 on only the horse’s third competitive outing in the past two years.

“He’s a hot horse, a wonderful little athlete, who really wants to do his job but he can get a bit keen, uptight and overawed by the crowd, so it’s about keeping him settled and enjoying it,” Harry explained. “I have to time it right. So I did a trot and lob canter up the gallop this morning, then put him away until I came up here – a 12min walk – and arrived just 9min before my test for a trot and canter. I only cantered on one rein. But he held it together and I’m very pleased with him.”

Pippa Funnell rode a remarkably tactful test on MCS Maverick to score 28.3. This is the first time this CCI5* C test has been used in competition and it is a tricky routine for this hot horse, with plenty of walk including two walk pirouettes, and Pippa looked to be keeping a lid on his exuberance and keeping him confident by not asking for the full gamut of his power. Once into the canter work, she was able to ask for more and he demonstrated his undoubted quality.

“Huge relief,” said Pippa. “As everyone knows, it’s a little tricky with him. The walk didn’t suit him but he managed to walk, with just one little jog, but at least we didn’t get ones and twos. I am really chuffed. I know there will be better tests, but I can go out [cross-country] and be competitive, as it’s hard to get excited when you’re not in touch.

“There are a lot of mental games that go on with Maverick. The work he’s doing at home, he’s one of the best I’ve ever had on the flat, but I’m not sure I’ll ever get it in the arena. You have to make sure you do the breathing for him but the really exciting thing now is that when he gets between the white boards he is starting to breathe, which is a positive. His canter work was really relaxed and what thrilled me as much as anything was how he walked home, which showed me he had a really good experience.”

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