Thomas steps up preparations for Burghley Horse Trials

Leamington Spa eventer Emma Thomas compared the Defender Burghley Horse Trials to ‘Christmas Day’ as she ramps up preparations for the 2025 event.

The famous 5* competition runs from 4- 7 September, as fans from around the country will descend on Stamford’s Burghley House.

The 25-year-old will compete on Icarus for the third year in a row, having finished 18th on debut in 2023, and is aiming high again.

She said: “I would love another top 20, or even a top 15 [finish].

“I obviously did quite well on my debut a few years ago at Burghley, and I really feel in a good place at the moment in training.

“It’s my third Burghley and it’s my third season at 5*, and I really feel now I’m starting to get into it a bit more and feeling less overawed by the whole experience.”

Thomas struggled with a ruptured thigh muscle in last year’s event as she battled home to a respectable 36th place.

This year, she is fully fit, and her early success on Icarus is spurring her forward.

“My 2023 success does give me more belief for this year,” Thomas said.

“I don’t remember much of that week, it was such a whirlwind, and it was fairly unexpected to do that well.

“But it gives me belief that we’re more than capable to do really well.”

Thomas previously said that Icarus’s ‘brain was going a million miles an hour’, suggesting he tended to rush.

However, a year on, she said: “I think he is growing up and he’s less of a wild child.

“Especially last year, off the back of my first Burghley, I had real trouble with my brakes because I almost got a little complacent having done really well.

“I thought we were there, and we’d just cracked cross country, but actually, there’s always improvements to be made.

“This year I’m really feeling much better about the level of control and communication that we have together.”

While the pair look in good shape to do well, Thomas will be competing this year to commemorate two of her most important mentors.

She added: “I sadly lost my two longtime coaches this year to terminal illness: Pippa Williams and Caroline Moore.

“I would not have been able to reach the top level without them, so I would love to dedicate this run to them and all that they game to me.”

Defender Burghley Horse Trials (4-7 September 2025) 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