The first edition of the FEI Eventing World Championship had been held on the beautiful grounds of Burghley and had been a great success. Eight years later, the world championship returned to Lincolnshire, to what had become an established venue for one of Britain’s most prestigious Eventing competitions.
Burghley 1974 was an exceptionally successful championship for the USA who won both the individual and team titles.
Bruce Davidson (USA), 24 at the time, conquered the first of two world titles on the 10-year old Irish Cap ahead of fellow American Michael Plumb on Good Mixture who was awarded the silver. Bronze went to Briton Hugh Thomas on Playamar.
Bruce Davidson would go on to become one of the world’s best eventers. From 1972 to 1996, he competed in five Olympic Games, winning team gold at Montreal 1976 and on home ground at Los Angeles 1984 as well as team silver at Munich 1972 and Atlanta 1996.
Four years after Burghley 1974, he added a second individual world title to his medal roster. He won individual silver at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Stockholm (SWE) in 1990 as well as team bronze at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Rome (ITA) in 1998.
Outside of the Olympic Games and the World Championships, Davidson competed repeatedly at the Pan American Games. A the 1975 edition in Mexico City, he took both the individual and team silver and followed up this achievement by individual gold and team silver at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata (ARG).
Bruce Davidson also competed at the Badminton Horse Trials, where in 1995 he became one of only two Americans – the other being Sydney 2000 Olympic champion David O’Connor - to win that event. He is the rider with the most victories at the Rolex Three Day Event at Lexington, KY (USA) having won on six occasions.
In 1993 and 1995, Davidson held the top place in the FEI Eventing World Athlete Rankings and between 1980 and 1995, he was annually named the leading rider for the United States Eventing Association.
Bronze medallist Hugh Thomas would go on to place second at the Badminton Horse Trials in 1976. The same year he competed in the Olympic Games in Montreal.
Thomas went on to become a BBC commentator and FEI Official. He designed the cross country course at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games and served as Technical Delegate at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.
In 1988, Hugh Thomas became Course Designer and director of the Badminton Horse Trials. He designed his last Badminton course in 2013 and stepped down from his position as event director in 2019 after 31 years of service.
Anne, the Princess Royal, placed 12th on Goodwill. She had been crowned individual European champion in 1971, the same year she was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. In 1976 Princess Anne competed in the Olympic Games in Montreal. She served as FEI President from 1986 to 1994.
The overnight leader after cross-country was Princess Anne's then-husband, Capt. Mark Phillips, riding The Queen's horse Columbus, but they grey slipped a tendon off his hock and could not compete on the Sunday.
The United States took the team title as well ahead of the Great Britain in silver. Team bronze went to the Federal Republic of Germany.
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