Dr Geoffrey Guy, the man behind Bicton’s generous sponsor, Chedington, is probably better known in the racing world as a breeder, most notably of the reigning champion hurdler, Honeysuckle. Luckily for eventing, however, he has become involved in and enthused by this sport, enabling Bicton to upgrade to an international competition of this stature in just seven weeks.
“Bicton has long deserved a 4-star like this,” says the owner of Chedington, a beautifully appointed equestrian facility in Dorset. “We’ve got to know this place mainly through showjumping and we like it a lot. It’s only 35 miles away and we’re dedicated to rural enterprise, particularly in the West Country, so this seemed a great sponsorship opportunity. We see a natural partnership with our own facility for elite training.”
Australian Christopher Burton, the world number four in eventing, is the senior rider at Chedington and his wife, Rebekah, runs the centre. He is currently lying ninth in the CCI4*-S on Geoffrey and Kate Guy’s Clever Louis, a horse they hope will be on the Australian team at the Tokyo Olympics.
Dr Guy, a professor of medicine, first became involved in eventing through his daughters; one, Ellie, is now competing in show jumping and is based in Belgium. He designed the yard and facilities at Chedington Equestrian, breeds eventers as well as racehorses and is a shareholder in the Event Rider Masters series.