Posted: 22nd August 2016 | Back to news feed
Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (1-4 September), takes place in under two weeks’ time, when some of the world’s finest horse and rider combinations arrive at the sprawling parkland of the Burghley Estate in Stamford, Lincolnshire. In advance the parkland has just greeted two unlikely visitors. Freerunners Shameem Abbas and Mason O’Connor from Hayes took to the 6500 metre undulating track with 30 combinations of solid obstacles to practice their tricks, flips and somersaults.
Abbas and O’Connor can be seen somersaulting over a ditch big enough to drive a Land Rover Discovery vehicle through and balancing on some of the competition’s 2metre by 1.40metre high fences in the Event’s latest preview film. Hitting in excess of 105,000 views in less than 24 hours on the official Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials Facebook page the showcase demonstrates the level of bravery and determination required by the riders and their steeds.
The cross country course, designed by Captain Mark Phillips since 2005, is one of the most prestigious courses in the world. 31 combinations of obstacles with 45 jumping efforts have to be tackled on the cross country track which horses and riders are expected to complete in approximately eleven minutes.
Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials Event Director Elizabeth Inman said: “The Land Rover Burghley cross country course is a demanding challenge for the world’s best horse and rider combinations, so the 6500 metres of undulating track was quite a feat for the freerunners as well! I understand this was a very different environment over that which Shameem and Mason are used to practicing their tricks - they described it as countryside playground! In the steps of our Olympic athletes – no less. We are hugely flattered that we at Land Rover Burghley can now be considered “viral”.
Shameem Abbas, freerunner and British Gymnastics Coach said: “Mason and I have trained together for a long time; we started freerunning around seven years ago. Running the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials cross country course was honestly the most fun I have ever had. We are used to training in urban environments, usually all over London, so it was totally crazy to be out in the countryside doing something different.”
Land Rover Burghley will welcome 160,000 visitors through its gates on 1-4 September to enjoy not only the adrenaline pumping sport, but also the 600 handpicked tradestands and thriving foodwalk. Tickets are still available to purchase at www.burghley-horse.co.uk.
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