SOME of the world’s most celebrated riders will be taking part in Yorkshire’s premier equestrian event, Bramham International Horse Trials, next week (June 8-11).

Among them will be North Yorkshire’s most celebrated event rider Nicola Wilson, who has represented Britain at European, World and Olympic championships, winning medals at each event, including Team silver at the 2012 London Olympics.

Wilson, based at Morton-on-Swale, near Northallerton, is ranked the second highest woman event rider in the world and the second highest British rider.

A seasoned campaigner at Bramham, Wilson will be riding the experienced One Two Many in the top CCI three star section. One Two Many has had many CIC three star wins, as well as a seventh at Badminton CCI four star in 2015 and a fourth at Pau CCI four star last season.

Her second ride, in the CIC three star section, is the home-bred Advanced horse Kings Advocate, who is making his debut in the Wilson team this season.

Also competing on home turf will be James Sommerville, who is based at Boroughbridge, and who will be riding his family-owned horse Talent in the CCI three star. Talent was 11th at Bramham last year and last month (May) competed at Badminton.

Paul Sims, who trains with Ian Woodhead at Sheriff Hutton, near York, has two rides in the CIC three star – Contiki Too and Last Secret.

And royal fans will be following the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Tindall who rides Fernhill Facetime in the CIC three star category.

Last year’s, and three times, Bramham CCI three star winner, New Zealander Andrew Nicholson, will be looking for a fourth victory with one of his two rides – Brynsesgrove First Diamond and Swallow Springs. Nicholson’s triumph last year was all the more remarkable as he had only just recovered from a serious fall at Gatcombe, after which it was doubtful if he would ever walk again, let alone ride.

Around 180 horse and rider combinations are entered for the three categories of the Bramham three-day event – the Equi-Trek CCI three star, the British Equestrian Trade Association CIC three star and the Bishop Burton College Under 25 CCI three star.

The action kicks off on Friday (June 9) with the dressage stage, where horses have to display fine-turned athletic control and balance, followed by the awesome cross country on Saturday and the precision showjumping on Sunday, where a toppled pole can mean the difference between a tumble down the rankings or a place on the podium.

One of the key elements which make this event such a spectacle is Ian Stark’s cross country course across the beautiful undulating setting of Bramham Park. Redesigned this year, the fearsome fences are a huge attraction for the crowds of spectators who enjoy getting close up to the action.

Some of the 26 fences have been remodelled to further test the horses’ ability and the riders’ bravery. As Stark says: “For horses that are on form this should ride like a gymnastic exercise, but there’s plenty of room for errors.”

And thousands of tonnes of earth have been moved to produce a new Bond Dickinson Pond – one of the obstacles that attracts the biggest crowds on the course.

Bramham organisers are delighted with the redesign and confident that the early spring sunshine and recent rain will produce the best possible going for the horses for some top-flight action.

Other competitions over the four days include the Event Horse Breeding and Young Stock Show, In-hand Hunter Show, Burghley Young Event Horse, British Showjumping, Pony Club mounted games and team showjumping and a stallion parade.

But Bramham isn’t only about the horses. The event is also home to one of the most exciting retail villages in the country calendar, with stands offering everything from the most advanced equipment for horse and rider, to chic countrywear, bespoke jewellery and garden furniture.

This year, for the first time, BETV, the online video channel from British Eventing, will be presenting free-to-view cross country livestream feed from Bramham.

The livestream airs on Saturday (June 10) from 9.20am (www.britisheventing.tv) and will show live cross country footage throughout the day from all three cross country sections of the event. The stream will also feature live scoring and expert commentary.

Discounted tickets for Bramham are still available online, but the online ticket office at www.bramham-horse.co.uk closes at midnight on June 4. Tickets and car parking will be available each day on the gate.

You can also follow Bramham on social media on Facebook www.facebook.com/bramhamhorsetrials and Twitter www.twitter.com/bramhampark