GUISELEY rider Charlotte Brear admits she is still getting to grips with the added attention on her in the build-up to next month’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.

The 27-year-old eventer is set for her debut at the famous four star event from September 3-6 on board gelding and trusted horse Manor Missile.

But while going up against the likes of three-time British Olympic medallist William Fox-Pitt would be daunting enough, Brear will do so knowing she will be introduced as an amateur rider.

Rather than degrade the talent of the two, the description simply alludes to the fact that Brear competes at advanced level as a hobby rather than full-time, with Manor Missile effectively her pet.

Indeed Brear, a trained veterinary nurse, spends most of her time fixing gear boxes working for her father’s business Stephen Brear Gearboxes.

However, after a year which has exceeded expectations so far with placings at all five three-star events she has entered, including most recently finishing 16th at the Festival of British Eventing in Gatcombe, Bear and Manor Missile will make the step up for their first four star competition at Burghley.

“It’s been really good this year, I could not really have asked for it to have gone any better,” she said.

“I did the open in Oasby at the start of the year and then we’ve stepped up to three star. I was quite cautious to start with but it’s been going really well.

“The thing about Manor Missile is that he does not care where he is or who is competing against, it could be William Fox-Pitt or someone like that but he does not get fazed or stressed out, he’s just oblivious to it all.

“I’m quite lucky, I don’t really get that nervous either. Because he is my own horse, there is no real pressure, at the end of the day it’s a hobby for us.

“We do it for the love of it and at the end of the day he is my pet. Although I am competitive and I want to do as well as we can.

“He was brought for me although there were fears he might be a bit big for me and that we would never make an event horse. But that made me more determined to prove them wrong. He’s done everything I’ve ever asked of him.”

Since it was announced that Brear would be competing at Burghley on board Manor Missile, she has been inundated with messages of good luck and people wanting to get in contact.

And while taking some getting used to, the former Bradford Grammar School pupil admits she can’t wait to show what she and Manor Missile can do on the big stage.

“We weren’t planning on doing Burghley this year but a few people said he was capable and we should take him,” he added.

“We have no expectations. It’s strange, the amount of attention we are getting we are not really used to. We’ve had Horse and Hound in contact, people have been contacting us with messages of best wishes, some from people we don’t even know.

“It’s taking some getting used to but we’re really looking forward to Burghley, we can’t wait to see what he can do.”

*The multi-award winning Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (September 3-6) has been established as a major international equestrian and social event in the Autumn Sporting Calendar for over 50 years. For more information visit www.burghley-horse.co.uk