Emma Thomas has returned to the iconic Defender Burghley Horse Trials for the third time at just 26-years-old having also broken several bones earlier this year.
The rider from Stratford-upon-Avon kicked off her campaign on Thursday in the dressage where she and her horse Icarus scored 40.5, nearly matching their score from last year.
She is one of two Warwickshire riders in Burghley who competed in part one of the dressage, as Max Warburton sits in third after the third day with a score of 33.1.
“I'm actually pleased, I think that is as much as I could have got out of him today,” Thomas said.
“He was very excited to be here, Burghley’s his favourite place and he really tried and I kept as much of his attention as I think I could have.
“He has endless stamina and endless enthusiasm.
“I've never been able to pull up here successfully at the end, I always have to have someone who put a hand on him.
“So he's still full of running at the end and I think I'm massively spoiled with that.
“So also, he's tricky and he's a handful, but he never runs out of enthusiasm and all I have to do is guide him, not encourage him.”
Thomas made her Burghley debut in 2023 which doubled as her 5* debut on now 12-year-old Icarus, and is looking to carry that experience with her throughout the weekend.
But despite having become familiar with the event, its renowned difficulty poses many challenges as they look towards the cross country on Saturday and jumping on Sunday.
“I am and I'm not [feeling more relaxed],” Thomas said.
“I'm more relaxed in that it doesn't overrule me anymore, but I actually think I get more nervous year on year because I just don't want to screw up.
“When you come here the first time, you've got nothing to put that result against, whereas four times you want to at least better yourself.
“I would love to jump another double clear. We haven't had an ideal year, I've broken bits and bobs.
“So I would love to better my result from 2023, not in terms of placing, just in terms of score.”
While Warburton was pleased with Deerpairc Revelry’s performance in the dressage, and he hopes that they can go out on Saturday and really challenge the rest of the field.
“I’m thrilled,” Warburton said. “It was a real clear round test, he tried really hard, he was quiet in his brain like in the warm up, so I’m absolutely thrilled.
“You would hope now he’s 12, a year older, he’s got enough experience now that he’s come here for a competitive run.
“I don’t think it ever gets any easier but you start getting to know the terrain and different things, so that part does get easier.”
Defender Burghley Horse Trials (3-6 September 2026) 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
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