I have attended Burghley on all 4 days for the last 3 years with a group of family and friends. This year I enjoyed the dressage and cross country days but the show jumping was a disappointment because of the “headphone” expert commentary. We decided to pay extra for the headphone commentary because some friends told us that it has been good in the past.
The expert commentators did not provide the basic information that spectators required. The basic information that a commentator needs to provide includes:
- Rider’s and horse’s names
- Current score and position
- Implications of having a show jump down on the riders finishing position
Unfortunately the commentators failed to give any of this information which meant that I often had no idea who was in the arena. In the end I took the headphones off so that I could try and listen to the PA system and the “standard” commentary which was providing this information. However, this was difficult because the PA is designed to be quiet in the seats where the headphone commentary is provided. The situation was made even worse by the fact that the electronic score board was not working so there was no alternative source of the information I needed.
The “expert” commentators would make matters worse by making comments like “This horse is a very good show jumper ….” but then never tell us the horse’s name. They also made comments that the lack of the electronic score board makes “their lives difficult but they can get the information from their TV screen”. Well… good for them – they can see a TV screen … we (paying spectators) can’t – and would have really liked them (who are being paid to provide commentary) to have shared the information. It was extremely frustrating and ultimately meant that it ruined my enjoyment of the final day of the competition.
On the plus side the “Expert” commentary did make useful comments about how the course was riding in the rain with comparisons with the morning when it had been dry. They are clearly knowledgeable and I do not dispute their “expert” equine status. The problem is that they are not expert commentators and therefore did not provide basic information that spectators require and then add value with their expert comments.
I sent Burghley Horse Trials an email immediately after the competition and I have delayed writing this article until I recieved a response from them. Unfortunately, I have not received a reply.
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