Full-time lawyer Ema Klugman is inspiring working riders around the globe after pulling off her first Defender Burghley completion riding Chiraz.

The Australian rider, who is based near Washington in the USA, and the 13-year-old grey produced a clear cross-country round yesterday despite losing a stirrup at the Leaf Pit and jumping the following three fences without it.

Chiraz had the first two showjumps down in today’s final phase, but Ema was delighted with how the horse coped with his first Burghley.

“He felt good jumping after yesterday, very fresh and happy,” she said. “I think he actually was just looking up at the screen for the first couple of jumps and wasn’t really focusing and then after that, he realised that he should pay attention to me a little more.

“That was a bit of a bummer because he usually jumps clear, but I’m very happy with him.”

‘It’s been amazing all week’

Ema, 29, has lived in the US for most of her life and holds dual Australian and US citizenship through her parents.

She graduated from The George Washington University Law School in 2024 and is currently a Judicial Law Clerk at the US Court of Federal Claims, fitting riding around her working day.

With around 10 horses at home, she admits she probably rides less than many of the riders in the Burghley field.

“I work as a lawyer in the states and ride the horses around that job,” she explained.

This is her second five-star completion aboard Chiraz, following their 23rd-place finish at Kentucky in April.

“It’s been an amazing week, from the dressage to even the trot-up and everything like that,” she said today. “There’s a lot to look at for the horses. I thought the [cross-country] course-designer [Derek di Grazia] was quite kind that he didn’t put the jumps too close to the stands, which can be a little unsettling for the horses.

“It gives a little bit of room between you and the people, but even so, it’s a big atmosphere, and this is only his second five-star. He’s not overly experienced, but I think he had a pretty good time.”

A horse who loves to travel

Ema’s Burghley partner is owned by a syndicate and was previously campaigned by Michele Kuchta and Boyd Martin.

“Michele said, you know, this is really a five-star horse, and she decided she didn’t want to be the one to do it, so I’m on top now. He’s a wonderful horse,” said Ema earlier in the week.

She and Chiraz had already made the journey to the UK together last year when they competed at Boekelo, giving Ema confidence that he would cope with the trip to Burghley.

“I came to compete at Boekelo with this horse last year, which made this trip a lot less daunting, because he travelled really well then.

“It’s a little complex getting to Europe and then having to ship over to the UK. My wife and I rented a lorry and drove him. It was a very long trip.

“He likes us, we’re his people. He’s good friends with a couple of horses at home, but he actually clings onto us, like we’re his herd when we travel. He whinnies at my wife when she walks at the stable. He’s very cute.”

Future plans

Ema said she is likely to aim Chiraz at Kentucky five-star next spring rather than coming back to the UK for Badminton.

“I think we’ll probably do Kentucky, just because financially it’s easier to get there rather than going on an airplane again,” she said.

“But depending on what’s going on in the fall in the states, maybe we’ll come back for another Burghley.”

Images by Tim Wilkinson

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