Lizzie Baugh achieved a childhood dream after excelling on her first start at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials.

Baugh, 26, rubbed shoulders with her heroes on the opening day of the famed 5* event but looked far from overawed, scoring 35.4 to sit 19th at the halfway stage of the dressage phase.

Baugh and home-bred horse B Exclusive tasted glory at the 4* Chatsworth International event last year and look set to continue their upward momentum at the world's biggest eventing meeting.

“I’m really excited to be here at our first Burghley and just taking it all as it comes. It’s great and we’re looking forward to the rest of the week,” said Baugh.

“It’s incredible to compete at Burghley. I’m only from just down the road and I was coming here as a child every year which was a highlight so to be here competing and surrounded by the people that I grew up watching such as Pippa Funnell is just incredible to be here and riding and behind the scenes.”

Baugh, who holds a masters degree in equine performance, is among a record-breaking field of entrants - the strongest on record - with eight 5* winners in the mix.

Saturday’s cross-country phase is often seen as the crucial stage of the Burghley challenge but Baugh is taking everything in her stride.

“I haven’t seen the cross-country track yet but from what I’ve seen it looks big and bold and Burghley. The next step is to go and have a closer look at it and see what we think,” she said.

“This horse is a home bred and out of a mare that my mum had evented herself so we’ve literally had him from day one and seen him through every level and every event of his life. Now we’ve ended up here at Burghley.

“He was a lovely great big foal with great big long legs and we always used to joke that he was going to be my 5* horse but for it to have actually come full circle through the whole journey to here, is special.

“We literally know each other inside out so I don’t think there’s any other horse I’d rather be sat on than one I’ve known for 14 years.”

Defender Burghley Horse Trials (5-8 September 2024) has been a major international sporting and social event for over 50 years. It attracts the world's top equestrians and is attended by vast and enthusiastic crowds. For more information visit www.burghley-horse.co.uk