Burghley Horse Trials
Burghley Horse Trials takes place Sep 3 - 6, 2026 in Stamford, England. The dress code is Country smart - tweed, a quilted jacket, and genuine wellies or walking boots. The cross-country course is several miles of parkland and it churns. Typical cost ranges from 500 to 1500 EUR per person.
One of only a handful of five-star three-day events in the world, run across the parkland of Burghley House near Stamford. Dressage opens the week, but it is Saturday's cross-country - big, old-fashioned fences over undulating deer park - that draws the crowds, with showjumping settling it on Sunday.
- When
- Sep 3 - 6, 2026
- Where
- Stamford, England
- Dress code
- Country smart - tweed, a quilted jacket, and genuine wellies or walking boots. The cross-country course is several miles of parkland and it churns.
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 500 to 1500 EUR per person.
- Weather
- 14 - 21C, mild early autumn, often wet underfoot
- When to book
- Advance tickets are cheaper than gate prices and go on sale in spring, with cross-country Saturday the day to secure. Stamford has very few rooms, so reserve by early summer or widen the search to Rutland, Oakham and Peterborough.
- Getting there
- LHR (London Heathrow), 2h to Stamford by car; alternatively trains from London King's Cross to Peterborough then 15 min on to Stamford
- Where to stay
- The George of Stamford, The William Cecil, Barnsdale Lodge
- Official site
- https://www.burghley-horse.co.uk
How to attend
Tickets are sold at burghley-horse.co.uk, with advance sales opening in spring at a discount to gate prices. A cross-country Saturday ticket typically runs GBP 30 - 45 and midweek days are cheaper. Everything is open to the public and you can walk the entire course on foot. Members' and hospitality packages exist for grandstand seating but are genuinely unnecessary - most spectators pick a fence and stay there all afternoon.
Insider tip
Walk the cross-country course on Friday evening when it is empty - you will read Saturday's riding far better, and the Trout Hatchery and Leaf Pit are the two fences worth standing at on the day.
Get inside Burghley Horse Trials
Booking matters here: advance tickets are cheaper than gate prices and go on sale in spring, with cross-country Saturday the day to secure. Stamford has very few rooms, so reserve by early summer or widen the search to Rutland, Oakham and Peterborough. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
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