HRH The Princess Royal will present the prizes to the winners at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials on Sunday 6 September.

Her Royal Highness will be in attendance in her role as President of World Horse Welfare, the event’s chosen charity for 2026, and as President of the British Eventing Support Trust. 

Also on ‘Super Sunday’, spectators will be able to watch a parade by Ros Canter, Laura Collett, Tom McEwen and Gemma Stevens, Britain’s gold medal-winning team from this summer’s FEI World Eventing Championships in Aachen, and individual rider Caroline Harris. The five riders will parade in the Main Arena in Defender vehicles before the CCI5* prizes are awarded.

Two-time Burghley champion Ballaghmor Class, one of the greatest event horses of recent times, is also being officially retired from eventing on Sunday afternoon at Burghley. The 19-year-old grey gelding won the title at Burghley with Oliver Townend in 2017 and 2023 as well as claiming Olympic team gold for Britain in Tokyo in 2021.

‘Very honoured’

“We are very honoured that HRH The Princess Royal is attending Burghley again this year,” said Burghley’s Event Director Martyn Johnson.

“As a former winner of Burghley, and a British gold medallist herself, it is highly appropriate that Her Royal Highness will play a role on a day which celebrates so much British equestrian sporting achievement.”

Defender Burghley Horse Trials takes place from Thursday 3 – Sunday 6 September. For more information and to book tickets click here.

Image © DBHT/Peter Nixon.

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