Case Studies

Impact in Action

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Equine Sports

How We Keep the Burghley Horse Trials Spotless

The Burghley Horse Trials is a premier five-day equestrian event held each September at the historic Burghley Estate in Lincolnshire, UK. Attracting around 180 000 spectators, competitors and support staff annually, it demands a consistently high standard of cleanliness across competition arenas, hospitality marquees and back-of-house facilities. Ryans Cleaning began preparations two and a half weeks before gates opened, collaborating with event organisers and estate management to develop a robust cleaning plan that would ensure seamless operations during competition days and after-night closures.

Challenges

  • Continuous Footfall
    With dressage, cross-country and show-jumping phases, large crowds traverse varied surfaces during the day, creating constant flow of people to the sanitation areas.
  • Facility Variety
    The site comprises permanent stables and competition arenas, temporary hospitality marquees, portable toilets, cabin toilets and VIP viewing platforms—each requiring different cleaning methods and equipment.
  • Rapid Turnarounds
    Competition schedules demand that all public areas, from sanitation blocks to VIP marquees, be fully reset by 7 am each morning, following late-night events.
  • Unpredictable Weather
    September in Lincolnshire can bring heavy rain or warm sunshine, affecting ground conditions and cleaning requirements for both grass and hardstanding areas.

Solution

  • Comprehensive Pre-Event Planning
    Eight weeks before the Trials, Ryans Cleaning led joint site walks with the organisers to map footfall corridors, sanitation locations and secure storage for equipment. These insights shaped a zone-by-zone cleaning schedule and staging plan.
  • Dedicated Zonal Teams
    The site was broken down into zones with teams in each zone. These teams were responsible for the sanitation blocks in their zone, ensuring they were kept clean and fully restocked during the event. .
  • 24/7 Service Rotations
     Crews operated on a three-shift cycle: 
    1. Early-Morning Deep Cleans (2 am–7 am)
    2. Daytime Maintenance (7 am–6 pm)
    3. Evening Wrap-Ups (6 pm–11 pm)
       This ensured continuous coverage and rapid response to spillages or weather-related issues.

       

  • Weather-Adaptive Protocols
    Teams carried equipment to allow for quick responses to any requests, especially wet floors after rainfall.

Overview

Location

Burghley Estate, Lincolnshire, UK

Attendees

180 000 annually

Main Challenge

Continuous footfall across varied areas

Key Service

24/7 service rotations and zonal cleaning teams

See Also

Punchestown Racecourse

Equine Sports

Galway Racecourse

Equine Sports

Results:

Welcoming 180,000 people requires a reliable and well-planned approach. Across the event, 15,000 rolls of toilet paper and 220 litres of hand soap were used, with teams working continuously to keep facilities clean, stocked, and ready for use. Consistency, attention to detail, and quiet efficiency helped ensure the experience ran smoothly from start to finish.

180,000

Attendees

15,000

Rolls of Toilet Paper

220L

of Hand Soap

TESTIMONIALs

Client Experiences and Feedback

I want to thank your team for their efforts during our racing festival. Once again, they excelled in horrendous conditions, given the weather we were hit with in the middle of the week and the issues that arose. We haven’t had a Festival like that before and no amount of planning can help prepare for it. Your team did you very proud once again.

Richard Galway

General Manager, Punchestown Racecourse

Conclusion & Key Takeaways

The success at Burghley underscores the value of early stakeholder collaboration, zone-based resourcing and weather-adaptive protocols.

These best practices have been codified in Ryans Cleaning’s annual event framework—ensuring we uphold the exacting standards of elite equestrian competitions, year after year.

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