Burghley pathfinders Harry Meade and Superstition. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Nothing feels quite as back-to-school in a nice way, not in an I really hope I dont cry in calculus this year way than the Defender Burghley Horse Trials. Nearly always blessed with a bit of late-summer sunshine and a bold, diverse field of entries, it comes at that glorious cusp of the seasons that feels gilded. Gilded by that almost-autumnal light; gilded by the turning of the leaves; gilded, metaphorically speaking, by the rich history of the place and all its myriad stories, both micro and macro, that have played out at the event over six decades, and on the estate over six centuries.Frances Gaspard Maksud and Kan-Do 2 make one of todays great shows of purple-and-white styling a sweet nod, no doubt, to much-missed Georgie Campbell.Photo by Tilly Berendt.But even though thats some hefty significance to bear, the other thing that always feels so notable about Burghley is the general air of relaxation. That feels like an odd way to put it, doesnt it its a five-star, after all, and not just any five-star, but the most dimensionally colossal one in the calendar, with a ditch you can park a, well, Defender in. But were in the final gasps of the 2024 season, which ends at the closing of October, and so all of us riders, grooms, owners, supporters, members of the media, and spectators alike are well bedded in. Weve seen one another week in and week out. Weve got no rust left to knock off. Were aware, though in denial about it, that soon, well all be battening down the hatches and pulling out the winter woollies, convening when we can at hunt balls and charity balls and end-of-season parties, but otherwise, back in our boxes until spring. So it always feels, here, like were enjoying it for exactly what it is. And thats nice! We like that!Thats not to say, though, that the week is without its tensions. They still come thick and fast, and this evenings first horse inspection gave us our first taste of what the British quite charmingly (?) call squeaky bum time.67 horses and their riders presented to a Ground Jury consisting of Paris judge Christina Klingspor (SWE), serving as president, Robert Stevenson (USA) and Nick Burton (GBR) but at the end of the day, itll be 66 wholl continue on to the competition. Three horses were sent to the holding box, where a quite remarkably thorough job was done of their examination by the vet, and while two of them SwitzerlandsNadja Minder andToblerone, and US representativesAndrew McConnon andWakita 54 re-presented and were accepted into the competition, one, British fan favouritesTom Crisp and his seventeen-year-old homebredLiberty and Glory, decided to withdraw.Tom Crisp and Liberty and Glory. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Its not going to be our Burghley this year. L&G was not her usual quirky self and simply just feels a bit off. Or in our case a suspected bruised foot. It was an easy decision not to represent, you cant tackle a track like this without feeling 100% and she would undoubtedly give it her all, writes Tom on his social media pages. Huge thanks to everyone for their understanding and support[.] Gutted but also grateful and honoured to have achieved some wonderful results with this remarkable little mare around this track. She owes us nothing, and can come home for lots of pampering and a bit of R&R.Tom McEwen and CHF Cooliser, and also a serious bit of hat. Photo by Tilly Berendt.British footwear behemoth Fairfax & Favor once again awarded best-dressed prizes to two competitors:Tom McEwen, wholl pilot Vicky Bates and David Myers fourteen-year-oldCHF Cooliser(Womanizer x Ramiro B) took one of them, whileBella Innes Ker, wholl ride the twelve-year-oldHighway II(Baltic VDL x Voltaire Pref), who she co-owns with Benjamin Chan and Milly Soames, won the other.Bella Innes Ker and Highway II. Photo by Tilly Berendt.Tomorrow sees the first half of the entries take to the dressage ring, starting with a guinea pig test from Kitty Kingand her 2018 Six-Year-Old World ChampionCristal Fontaine, which will serve to get the judges eyes in and objectives aligned ahead of the real deal and will give Cristal Fontaine the chance to practice his ringcraft ahead of a planned trip to Boekelo next month. The first competitors in the ring will be Great BritainsHarry Meade and the first of his three rides, Superstition, wholl be entering at A at 9.30 a.m. local time/4.30 a.m. EST. Hell be followed into the ring by last years Pau winners,Ros Canter andIzilot DHI, which should give you some idea of the incredible quality of this years entries.Mia Farley and Phelps. Photo by Tilly Berendt.If youre tuning in specifically to support the strong US field of entries, and want to manage your sleeping/live-streaming life-balance, youll be able to see them in action at the following times:14.07 BST/9.07 a.m. EST:Jennie BranniganandFE Lifestyle15.34 BST/10.34 a.m. EST:Mia FarleyandPhelpsThe full starting times for tomorrow can be found here, and Fridays line-up can be perused here.Theres just one place to get the live-stream for this weeks competition, and thats Burghley TV, so if you see anyone on Facebook promising you access to a stream at any other link, even if it looks like it might be a Burghley profile, dont click it instead, head direct to the source and get your subscription sorted for a one-off payment of 20 (thats about $25). Thatll give you each days live-stream, plus magazine highlights programmes, the full course preview, and access to jam-packed archives going back decades, too. Youll be able to use the service for one year from sign-up, and truly, it is the gold standard of event streaming subscription packages, so whether youre blocking out time to watch it all as it happens or catching it on-demand later, youll find you get plenty of bang for your buck here. You can also tune into Burghley Radio for free here. Well be bringing you wall to wall coverage of the competition here at EN, too, with plenty of supplementary content and in-depth reports, too, starting in tomorrows lunch-break. Until then, you can head over to our Ultimate Guidefor a quick and easy round-up of all the info and links you need, plus all our coverage.Go Eventing!Our coverage of Burghley is brought to you by our incredible supporters, Kentucky Performance Products, your one-stop shop for science-backed nutritional products to keep your horse feeling their best at all times. Theyll even get on the phone with you to help you formulate a solid supplementation plan for your horses individual needs! Wed really appreciate your support of KPP, as theyre champions for our sport and beyond and are wonderful people to boot. Check them out here.Defender Burghley: [Website] [Entries] [Timing & Scoring] [Burghley TV] [Tickets] [Cross Country Preview] [ENs Coverage]