Burghley 2026 is running: what happens when, and what you can actually watch

The facts

Dates

3–6 September 2026

First inspection

48 horses presented, all passed

Ground jury

Xavier Le Sauce (FRA), Joanne Jarden (IRE), Sandy Phillips (GBR)

Dressage

Thursday and Friday, first test 10am Thursday

Prizes

Sunday 6 September, after the final showjumping

Wednesday afternoon settled the size of the field. Forty-eight horses were trotted up in front of the ground jury and every one of them was accepted, which means nothing has been lost before the sport starts. Dressage runs across Thursday and Friday, showjumping finishes the event on Sunday, and the prizes are being presented by The Princess Royal, who is president of this year's supported charity, World Horse Welfare.

The Thursday start is worth noting if you are travelling. Ros Canter goes first on MHS Seventeen as the guinea pig — the non-competing test that lets the judges calibrate before the marks count — and the competition proper begins at 10am with Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Tolan King. Arrive late and you miss the part of the day that tells you most about how the judging is going to run.

The entry list is a mix of the very established and the completely new. Tim Price and Harry Meade are among the returning names, Meade again with Cavalier Crystal after three third places at Burghley. Yasmin Ingham, Jack Pinkney, Mary Edmundson and Switzerland's Robin Godel are all making a first start here. If you like watching a horse's first five-star, this is the year for it.

For anyone not going, the organisers' subscription service carries the whole thing, from the trot-up to the trophy, plus the Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse final and the masterclasses in the main arena. Those two are the parts most useful to a working owner: a young horse class shows you what judges reward in a four or five-year-old, and a masterclass is an hour of coaching you can rewatch. Decide before Thursday whether that is worth the fee to you, rather than paying on Saturday when you have already missed half of it.

What this means for you

If you have a ticket for Thursday

Be in place before 10am. The guinea pig test goes before the first competitor, and the early marks set the tone for the whole day.

If you are watching from home

The paid stream covers all four days plus the young horse final and the arena masterclasses. Buy it before the competition starts, not partway through.

If you are bringing children or non-horsey family

Plan the day around the shopping village, food pavilions and family activities as well as the arena, and check the published opening times before you set off.

If you have a Pony Club child

Team jumping and the young event horse final are both on the competition programme. Look up their slots on the 2026 timetable so you are not queuing for parking while they run.

Burghley is such a great event, it's definitely not to be missed.

What to do

1. Check the published 2026 timetable for the exact slot of the phase or class you actually want to see, rather than assuming

   Before you travel

2. If you are going Thursday, build your journey around a 10am arena start

   Thursday

3. Decide on the TV subscription on its own merits — four days of sport, plus the young horse final and masterclasses — and buy it before Thursday morning

   Before Thursday 10am

4. Read the travel, parking and opening times pages before setting off; car park distances at a park like this are not walkable-with-a-toddler distances

   Night before

5. If you want to see the prize-giving, plan to stay to the end on Sunday

   Sunday 6 September