Build up to Burghley – Your 2019 Preview 🏇🏼
Hi all, it’s so good to see you so soon after the Country Classic Lucinda August Edition Blog went up! I have something really exciting to share with you this time. I’ve been working hard with a couple of special guests in order to bring you a Burghley Horse Trials preview. You know here at Country Classic Lucinda we are breaking away from traditional blogging content and this is something certainly different for you!
So Burghley Horse Trials is upon us, and hasn’t it come around so quickly. Marking the start of Autumn, falling almost immediately into the start of September, Burghley for many signifies the change in season.
Burghley Horse Trials is a 5* equestrian event, and one third of the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. Seen as the ultimate Eventing test for horse and rider combinations, crowds are drawn to Burghley to watch the thrilling action, ‘shop til they drop’ and support our favourite sport, at the stunning location of beautiful Burghley House.
This blog is bringing you a slightly different view of the build up to Burghley this year, I hope you like it!
Meet the team!
I am so thrilled to be joined by two event legends for this blog. First off we have all round superwoman, the gorgeous Rosalie Eustace from Timothy Foxx. We then have everybody’s favourite tweed wearer and event man, Ben Buxton from Fairfax and Favor. Ben and Rosalie have known each other for years and have so kindly joined the Country Classic Lucinda blog to share their Burghley experiences with us.
So without further ado, lets meet the team behind this blog:
Rosalie Eustace – From Buckinghamshire. Owner and Director of Timothy Foxx Limited. Going for 10 years, 11th time at Burghley. I am a farmers wife, a mother of two, an artist, designer and studied industrial design and technology at Loughborough university.
I’ve also written my own bio for poor Ben – Ben Buxton, overeducated to be selling boots as he has two university degrees, and he’s looking for a wife!
Ben Buxton– So Rosalie’s description of me is pretty accurate, the FIRST degree was History, Politics and Philosophy, and the second one was Law, and yet here I am – still in the middle of a field, still selling boots, just of a different nature this time – I’m no longer in a bucket (I used to work with Dubarry). I am 33 years old and I’ve been with Fairfax and Favor for almost five years now, heading up and managing the events. Everybody particularly knows me for wearing two piece tweed in the middle of a field, even when it’s 32 degrees!
So that’s my wonderful special guests introduced, I actually also thought it was important to re-introduce myself here for the purpose of this blog, having such a strong events background!
Lucinda– I have worked in various roles within the event circuit, for almost the past 10 years now. I have worked on trade stands, been a trade stand organiser for events and I have attended the majority of equine and country events as a spectator. I also work full time within the equine industry.
What does Burghley mean to you?
Burghley holds such a special place on the riders, exhibitors and spectators calendar, but what exactly does Burghley mean to you both, you attend several shows throughout the year, what makes Burghley special?
Ben – Burghley is the start of the Autumn/Winter period. It’s where we start to launch our new AW ranges and a key part of the year, as we move into the season for the shoes and boots we do. Burghley is one of the most prestigious and selective shows to exhibit at – it is a real privilege to be there. If you are outside you know you’ve been handpicked, and that you have something special. At other events there’s certainly a broad range, but not finely crafted as Burghley seems to be – you just know you are going to get something special. There is an exceptional standard with what is displayed and presented there. This means Burghley shopping is of an exceptionally high level to exhibit at, and its probably now the main shopping event of the season to go to.
Rosalie – Burghley sums up Autumn for me, it’s waking up super early, on a misty dewy morning and seeing one of the most incredible sights. When you see the house looking out across the grass and you see the mist – it’s just so beautiful. I love Autumn and Winter, and it helps with tweed when it is a bit cooler! It’s the prestigiousness of the event too, it’s one of my favourite shows. When we got invited outside five years ago, I was so proud of what we achieved and I felt like we had made it! Being invited to the exhibitors breakfast, which again is only for the trade stand outside, just topped it all off. We are so privileged to be there. So for me, Burghley sums up Autumn, and I love Autumn!
Lucinda – I love that you have both highlighted Autumn as being so important. I know we are all tweed wearers here – so definitely a time of year we all love!
So definite Autumn feels thrown up when thinking about Burghley and what it signify in the events calendar.
Trot Up Style…
The trot up has now become so much more than it’s original horse inspection focus in the past. Seen as a way of showcasing style, trot up outfits are now planned and executed to ensure they stand out from the crowd. More and more spectators are now viewing the trot up, and there is often a best dressed judge to set a standard. What better guests for the blog than a stunning country clothing brand, and probably the most popular country footwear known to the equestrian industry. Let’s find out who Rose and Ben are dressing in the trot up at Burghley this year.
Rosalie – So starting with our trot up candidates, we have two of our ambassadors who are trotting up in Timothy Foxx clothing. We have Gemma Tattersall, who we’ve supported for many years now, about five i think! She is trotting up in something that we have made specifically for her. Gemma loves pink, and her cross country colours are lilac and pink, we’ve made a particular jacket, which is one of her favourite ones – I’m not going to give too much away, but its in a pink combo for her, she’s also got a headpiece that I’ve made for her to match which should be really cool. She cant have anything too big as Arctic Soul is quite fiery, so anything that might spook him is a no no. Gemma is riding two horses, Artic Soul and Sandago Bay. She is also trotting up in Fairfax boots and she’s going to wear some pink tassels to match her outfit.
Our second rider is first timer around Burghley, David Britnell, he’s a local boy to us, so we’ve been supporting him since we used to teach together in Pony Club. He’s riding Continuity, he’s ridden this horse since Pony Club, he was the first person to complete Badminton and Grassroots Badminton on the same horse. He’s trotting up in full tweed, which is going to look awesome. He came and tried his trousers on the other day and he’s going to look excellent. Everyone can look every similar for the trot up now, I think if you stand out and are wearing something different and completely unusual, then that’s the way forward. David has also got fairfax boots!
Lucinda – That sounds amazing – I cant wait to see David’s full tweed look and Gemma’s bespoke outfit! Ben?
Ben– We have a new product at Burghley which everyone will be able to see on a couple of riders during the trot up – keep an eye out on Imogen [Murray] and Clara [Loiseau]! Acutally, looking at the list, it seems we have most of the field for Burghley – about two thirds of the riders have now got our boots (some several pairs), and we’ve also got a couple of first timers that we are dressing as well – Ginny Howe and Eliza Stoddart. Ginny is local to where I used to be in Oxfordshire, and I’ve seen her come up amazingly well, and Eliza is competing at more or less her local! We are always happy to work with all riders that come forward, and we have just dressed the seniors team too – as someone said to me “when they feel good it helps with embodiment, which equals confidence”.
Lucinda – Ahh Ben, so you’ve teased us all with a new product – can’t wait to see that! Definitely something the Country Classic Lucinda readers are going to be dying to see!
Ones to watch…
So we have the trot up covered, now who are the riders you are particularly going to be looking out for this year – the ones to watch!
Rosalie– Other riders I will certainly be watching are Julie Norman who is also a first timer around Burghley. I knew her through a friend that went to Cirecester with her, so it has been really nice watching her journey up the grades, she is riding a horse called Carryon Bobby Boy. I believe she is trotting up in Molah and Fairfax as well, so that will be nice to see what she is wearing as well.
Nicky Hill wore one of our outfits at Badminton and she’s friends with David, so it will be really nice to support her and see how she gets on because Burghley is such a big course- I’ll be watching them live from my phone on cross country day to make sure that everyone gets round safe and sound.
Ben – Looking at the list for Burghley now there’s a few riders I know personally (one of the best things about doing the events is you do get to meet some of the eventers in person). Gemma [Tattersall] I’ve met a couple of times, we’ve had some interesting photos together, usually posed with getting a new pair of boots. We met a lot of the seniors the other day – Pippa Funnel, Ollie Townend, Tina Cook, Piggy French, and Kitty King, all who I hope will be buoyed by their great performance in Luhmuhlen. On top of that, I hope Crispy [Tom Crisp] will be carrying his style from Badminton forward (I know a certain event reporter who will be sure that’s happening!).
We have also got some of the international riders as well – Clara is definitely a special rider to watch.Some of the Americans too will be ones to watch – in particular Elizabeth Halliday-Sharp, who i know well, she is absolutely lovely so i will definitely be keeping up to date with her, the 5*’s that I’ve seen her at recently she has been a little bit unlucky at. On top of that, thanks to our stockists across the water, we’ll be watching Bruce Davidson, Lillian Heard, William Coleman and Lauren Kieffer – all we met when we went over and did Kentucky earlier in the year – so i cant wait to see how they get on.
Lucinda – That’s brilliant, can’t wait to look out for some of those riders, I love seeing the first timers in particular.
Your Own Trade Stands …
So you are both attending Burghley this year with your stands, can you tell us a little bit about them.
Rosalie– For Burghley, we do our Special Occasions Stand. We are showcasing our brand new tweed wedding dress, its called the Margaret Wedding Dress, its something slightly different to what we have done before. It’s more 50’s style, it’s really pretty with a big poofy skirt, so when you spin around it really flys! We will also have a couple of our other dresses on the stand. We also have some amazing accessories for brides to be and hen parties, such as sashes and garters. We sell lots of tweed garters for brides to be which is lovely. We do full three piece suits for men, we do made to measure options as well as our beautiful jackets and skirts and the usual bits. We dress slightly different for Burghley, ill be wearing a huge fascinator and a dress too make myself look a little smarter and we will have loads of fresher flowers and amazing fairy lights and quirky things so our stand is going to look spectacularly pretty. I’m looking forward to setting it up, but doing it this way makes it harder as we only do it like this the once a year so i have to remember where everything is packed and put.
Lucinda – Rosalie, what were the thoughts behind launching a wedding dresses collection, I remember back in about 2015 I had seen the pictures of the dresses, saved them on my phone and I knew I had fallen in love.
Rosalie – So yes, it must have been around 2015 that we did our first ever wedding dress launch, which was at Burghley. We had always done the wedding accessories like the tweed garters and made to measure men’s suits, and fascinators, and it was a side of the business that I wanted to expand a bit more. We had a few customers in previous years asking if we did, or would do, a tweed wedding dress. At the time I didn’t know if it would work so I just experimented. The pattern matching at times can be difficult with the checks but they do look amazing. Burghley want it to be exclusive shopping and they really like something different and a unique shopping experience. I did this sample and i thought it looked incredible so when we applied for Burghley that year, i said I would like to do more of a wedding collection and they loved the idea. We said we would make it exclusive to Burghley and do the wedding stuff every year. Since then it has grown, we’ve had peoples suggestions and I’m the sort of person who can try and make anything and everything, i love making stuff even if its fabric, wood metal, i think that all stems from my degree. So that’s when the wedding dresses started to appear. We have three people booked in for next year and i love it because i make them all myself and i love looking at how a pattern works and experimenting and then when it looks so fabulous and when it fits so beautifully i am so proud of it. I am really excited with the ones we are doing next year, they are so pretty, so watch this space!
Ben– This is our sixth year at Burghley, our stand has slowly grown from a tiny little 4×2 into the much bigger 14×2 that it is now- but still waiting to get outside of course! I’ve got a picture of one of the first stands at Burghley, when I was only a consultant (maybe I should post a “spot the difference”). Our trade stand now is so long that I actually struggle to get a picture of it!
Lucinda – That’s all sounding fab!
We just want to shop til we drop…
So the shopping at Burghley is known to be outstanding, and you both must know so many people on the circuit from your time attending the events. Who are the exhibitors that the Country Classic Lucinda readers should be sure to look out for?
Rosalie– One of my favourite stands at Burghley, quite a little stand, is a company called Antiques by Design. They have really quirky, old fashioned shotguns transformed into lampshades, old tennis rackets transformed into mirrors, old fashioned nails sticking out to make hangers. Daniel Crane Sporting Art Ltd next – his artwork is incredible. He’s phenomenal, if you’d like a nice, original piece of art of horses, racing or hunting, then he’s the man to see. I’m also looking forward to seeing a company called Reef Knots, I’ve seen them on Facebook advertised and they men’s clothing and they do ‘mini me’ clothing for little boys as well. So things like really cute, quirky patterns for board shorts and swimming shorts, for boys to match their daddy.
Ben – I completely agree with Rose regarding Reef Knots, they have some really good marketing going on at the minute. I regularly see them coming up [on social media] and they have some really nice shirts and swim shorts. A good friend of ours also models for them on quite a regular basis – hoping to see you there Charlie!
Rosalie – Seesaw Children’s Clothing is another children’s clothing brand, which are quite cute, as well as Start Smart, so if anyone needs to buy things for little nieces or nephews or any little ones, they do really cute little items to buy.
Ben – I also agree with Rose on Start Smart. They do some great little pieces for kids and slightly older children, both boys and girls. They do smarter pieces plus little tweeds. They provide something a little different.
Rosalie – We then have the gorgeous Molol, i think they are in the lifestyle pavilion with you Ben. Everything about their clothing I love, and they are such lovely ladies too.
Ben – Mohol are definitely a trade stand i would recommend. Caroline & Butts are just so welcoming – they always have been, ever since i started the shows 13years ago! They are fantastic at everything they do. Their pieces are spectacular and their trade stands are out of this world, they always make such an effort and it is such a welcoming atmosphere. I don’t know how they do it! – I think they can teach me a thing or two!
Rosalie – Another shoe person, not to knock Ben out of the water, but you don’t really do brogues so that’s alright, is Thomas Dainty Brogue Trader. They have wonderful shoes, we actually bought a pair, my wedding gift to my husband was Thomas Dainty black leather shoes, they are just super smart, and such wonderful people that run the stand. Last year there was also a really nice rocking horse restorer who was opposite the Dubarry stand, I don’t know if he will be here again this year but it was lovely to go and have a look at those, they were stunning. Another stand I really like would be So Cosy. We first met them when we were next door to them in our first year of Burghley. They specialise in natural wool items, everything is grey, cream, white, no dye is used its all completely natural. They have some beautiful items such as soft furnishing and little toys for children.
Ben – Beaufort and Blake are really good friends of ours, and they are bringing back their dress shirts, (Which they started with) and we’re delighted they are relaunching them soon. The other trade stand that i adore are Claudio Lugli, they do some really nice shirts and suits – the guys are always really well dressed and that goes alongside everything that I like to wear. Although i am yet to get one of their suits, when i get a moment ill go along and see them (IF I get a moment!)
Another company i want to bring up is Barnvard and James – whilst new, they are two really nice chaps that started off small and have just grown and grown and grown. They’ve received continual awards, especially for their trade stands. Predominantly, they do amazing gents accessories – If you look, You’ll actually see Spencer Sturmey in his Fairfax and Favor shoes walking around with the different coloured laces. It’s a really nice feature – like the tassels for the ladies, is a great pairing for your suits.
When it comes to the ladies, women definitely have more of an option when it comes to clothing, especially at Burghley. Oxford Shirt Company do some really nice things and very nice shirts. On a regular basis I’m in formal things – unless packing a trailer, I’m a man never out of tweed even when it’s hot and it’s past the point of no return!
Rose I have one of your tweeds, I’m still wearing it – definitely still going strong! I absolutely love what Rose does and its different from everyone else – it’s wacky and a little bit eccentric – their piecesalways stand out, you can definitely spot a Timothy Foxx piece from a mile away, it is so identifiable. Beatrix Von Tresckow does some really colourful pieces, especially for the races! Beatrice is a lovely lady too, always there with a smile!.
Zani hats also have a little trade stand I love to visit. They have been going for a number of years now and always pour their heart and soul into it, they are colourful pieces. There are SO many colours, you can get them in cross country colours, team colours – anything you want really! I actually bought one for one of my cousin many years ago and its still his ski hat he wears all the time.
Another one you’ll see throughout the trot up with some distinctive pieces is Cousins. They are really redeveloping what Cousins originally started with and are bringing it to a much younger audience. Liz Halliday-Sharp will be wearing one for the trot up! Those pieces are traditional but quite spectacular. So they are someone to go and see!
Nothing would ever be complete without mentioining Hiho Silver. They do some amazing things on Instagram and Social Media, they fully get involved with all of the customers. Their jewellery is equine inspired, attracting fans from all over! They are involved the the majority of trot ups – up and down the country – judging the best dressed. They are huge supporters of the equestrian industry and one of the nicest families you could ever meet. They are always there for a laugh and a joke. Emily King wears many of their pieces, and their jewellery will be seen throughout the trot up.
Shops inside the pavilions? One in with us is Hicks and Hides and an essential visit. Bridie is like my little sister, I’ve known her since we began the shows 13 years ago – it helps that I also used to live with her, built her website, did all the text and graphics! Her wonderful husband Ollie has built her a workshop and she makes all the belts herself, even on the road.
Koy Clothing. They go back out there for their photo shoots! Alistair and Jimmy are two of the nicest guys that you will meet – such vibrant personalities. He [Jimmy] could definitely be a model – he makes us all slightly jealous! The pieces they do includes wonderful tweed, bright jackets in a multitude of colours and my favourites are white shirts and navy jackets. They are lined with kikoymaterial under the collars from their native Kenya.
Hicks and Brown are firmly established and someone to see on the shows and they work so hard and are so warm and friendly, heir hats compliment our boots well too!
Atlas and I are also another one to look for if you’re wanting a really unique gift, I’ve given several of them out in the past. Sophie is a lovely girl and has built the brand up from just a silhouette on a map to now doing furniture, mugs (a map on pretty much anything you want), making for a really personal and unique gift. The silhouettes can be everything from hunting to equestrian, golf to football. We actually did one for Rockingham and it was a historical Tudor map with a silhouette of the towers on the front of it – making it a really special gift.
Lucinda – We all know how much I love shopping so I am going to attempt to keep this really brief for you, otherwise i will be here listing all day, like Ben- haha! I am dying to pay a visit to Ride World Wide – I would absolutely love to go on a riding holiday or safari, so this is somewhere to definitely check out if you’re the same as me! I am completely obsessed with cheese and i could probably just live off it – so for me the Snowdonia Cheese Company is a must visit – you will not come away empty handed! You also must visit the lovely people over at Wandering Bee, Grays and Nattily Dressed!
Know your shopping times – The shops open daily 9.00am – 5.30pm, Thursday – Saturday and 9.00am – 5.00pm on Sunday.
Food, Glorious, Food!
The likelihood is, that if you’re attending Burghley, at some point during the day you are going to need to buy something to eat, or fancy a drink- but with so much choice available, how do the spectators know where to begin? Who can you both recommend?
Rosalie– The Pol Roger tent is quirky if you want a glass of bubbles, and its the most delicious champagne i think I’ve ever had. There a company that we always go and get food from, The Game Chef, he does the delicious pheasant goujans, and deep fried game treats. We stay on site and cook so we tend to go and buy things from the stands and The Original Curry Sauce Company do an incredible curry sauce, and i love a good curry! I then also found anthoer stand which I’m looking forward to trying, ice cream from The Greedy Goat ice cream company, i want to try it to see how nice it is! Goats cheese can sometimes be delicious or not particularly great but i thought this is different and could possibly be quite nice, its also gluten free.
Lucinda – Rose I couldn’t agree more, the pheasant goujans from The Game Chef are my go to every single time – they would absolutely be my place to visit!
Rosalie – Then for anyone who’s going to want to be eating out in Stamford afterwards, we always go to the Orchid Thai, we will definitely be going there again this year. It’s a quirky underground type place that’s serves really good Thai food. There’s also a company called The Mad Turk, they also have a restaurant in Stamford, which is a Turkish restaurant, i think things like this so I think we will be going to try there as well!
Ben – There’s four stands I want to point out specifically.
If you want a coffee first thing in the morning then in my option Francini’s Columbian coffee is the best place to go. They are masters of what they do and have always been so helpful and, especially for those long days or early mornings, their coffee is the best. Condessa Welsh Liqueurs will be on the food row – They all hand produce in tiny batches. Their sloe gin is one of my favourites, although they have expanded into lemoncello, Whiskey and Brandy. To top it all off, Farmhouse Direct have always done the best sausages, bacon, meat in general – anything you want they are the people to go to. Finally – the Whisky Mouse. They have whisky from Scotland, Japan, Ireland, all over the place! There is nothing run of the mill about them and they are a fantastic gift. You can pick up such a special bottle from them and absolutely make someone’s day.
Knowing where to eat and what you like can definitely make your day easier and more enjoyable! Both Rose and Ben are experts on the show circuit so I will absolutely be taking their advice on the best places to go!
Glamping, Camping, and Ben’s Unforgettably Cold Shower
Camping can be a huge part of event life, as an exhibitor, spectator and a rider. Rosalie and Ben have let us in on their camping experience!
Rosalie – Ben, are you camping on site this year, or Air B&B?
Ben – We aren’t camping this year Rose, i had enough of that after years in a tent – it is not the most comfortable thing to do. The last year i camped i had the horse box so i was able to sleep in that but every other year live been in a pop up tent. Often with the general experience it isn’t something i want to go back to! The Game Fair now is the only one we camp at.
Once at a show we arrived so early and the electric wasn’t on yet so we were having to shower with the door open and with freezing cold water, and that pretty much put me off. We now have a house pretty much five minutes down the road. There also a pub opposite!
Rosalie – Ben I cannot believe you are not camping, you’ve been camping for years – there is nothing wrong with show showers and toilets if you don’t expect anything! We camp, more like glamp, we stay in our lorry. We have a tent for the girl who is working for me, and this is more storage. We did slum it in a two man tent for about five years to save up for the lorry!
Ben – I haven’t necessarily gone soft, but i have come round to the idea the team much prefer a proper shower, a proper meal and a proper bed to sleep on. Also i have used to sleep on the stand which wasn’t particularly comfortable!
Lucinda – There is nothing worse at a show than those showers you have to try and lean against to keep the water coming out!
Rosalie– The secret for those showers is taking a cable tie to the showers and tying it on continually – marvellous!
Lucinda – How did I not know this after nearly 10 years of attending the events!
Rosalie – I also want to add that it will be interesting to see how Burghley get on with their glamping this year. They are doing much like Badminton and offering Glamping in the grounds of Burghley House itself. It’s jolly expensive but i cant be a bad thing. I know at Badminton it was a big success, Ben maybe you could camp there!
Ben – speaking of the Burghley glamping, we ran a competition for the glamping with entry tickets, in July for a month, and their tents make me want to reconsider!
The glamping is set within the walled gardens of the Burghley Estate, it looks amazing – I’d love to hear if any of you reading are giving the glamping a go this year!
So that sums up our ‘Build up to Burghely’. Which ever day you are attending Burghley, or if you will be watching the action from the comfort of your home, or work, enjoy – I hope you have a really lovely time attending or watching.
A huge, huge thank you to Rosalie and Ben for featuring on the blog and bringing much entertainment as well as incredibly useful information for your day out.
Until next time,
Love Lucinda xo
‘Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much’ – Helen Keller
