The anticipation of one of eventing’s biggest competitions is an exciting prospect for all involved, but Ryhall’s Kerry Varley admits being just a stone’s throw away from the Burghley Horse Trials ramps up the exhilaration.

Varley and horse Bluestone Luke are about to embark on a fifth trip to Burghley, looking to improve on the 36th-placed finish they achieved both last year and in 2014.

Bluestone Luke will be one of 100 horses taking to the international four-star event in Burghley Park, Lincolnshire from September 1-4.

Event riders will compete in dressage, cross country and show jumping disciplines, looking to follow in the footsteps of 2015 winner Michael Jung as well as six-time champion William Fox-Pitt, currently representing Team GB at the Rio Olympic Games.

And Varley is hopeful that the familiarity of Burghley, both in experience and location, can stand her and Bluestone Luke in good stead.

“Living so close you see Burghley being built and taken down, and that makes it all the more exciting, all the more real and hopefully a little less daunting by the time you actually get there,” she said.

“There’s something of a familiarity behind it. I went to Badminton and it felt like going into other people’s territory, a completely different ball game, and that homeliness about Burghley is hopefully something I can thrive on.

“He feels really fit and well and now we’re just counting down the days – we’re keeping the runs to a minimum, we were at Badminton and we’re going to take part in Aston-le-Walls later in August, but other than that we’re making sure he’s 100% ready for Burghley.”

Having ridden competitively with Bluestone Luke for almost ten years, it’s fair to say the relationship between the two is as strong as it can be.

And Varley, who had to withdraw in her first two years of competition at Burghley, believes that nothing comes close to topping the importance of that connection.

“It’s so important to have that relationship between the two of you, at the end of the day you’re putting your life on the line, you need to have that faith and confidence in them and they have to want it and have that fire in their belly,” she added.

“I don’t have too many aims for the competition, just so long as he can get round safely.

“There’s no way I’ll risk his health so if there’s anything not quite right with him then I’ll decide on what’s best for him, he’s my best friend and my pride and joy and that’s what matters more than anything. He doesn’t owe me anything, there are things far more important than eventing.”

The multi-award winning Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials from September 1-4 has been established as a major international equestrian and social event in the Autumn Sporting Calendar for over 50 years. For more information visit burghley-horse.co.uk