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 simultaneous dressage, cross-country and show-jumping phases, large crowds traverse varied surfaces day and night, creating constant wear and litter.
  • Facility Variety
    The site comprises permanent stables and competition arenas, temporary hospitality marquees, portable toilets and VIP viewing platforms—each requiring different cleaning methods and equipment.
  • Rapid Turnarounds
    Competition schedules demand that all public areas—from VIP lounges to grandstand concourses—be fully reset and sanitised by 7 am each morning, following late-night events or maintenance tasks.
  • 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 estate management to map waste hotspots, footfall corridors and secure storage for machinery. These insights shaped a zone-by-zone cleaning schedule and staging plan.
  • Dedicated Zonal Teams
    Four specialised teams—competition arenas, hospitality & VIP, public concourses and back-of-house—each equipped with mobile cleaning stations, industrial scrubber-driers and weather-proof litter pickers.
  • 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.

  • Specialist Equipment
    High-capacity pressure washers for hardstanding, steam cleaners for marquee flooring and biodegradable deodorisers for portable toilets. Waste compactors and segregated recycling units handled large volumes efficiently.
  • Weather-Adaptive Protocols
    Teams carried mud-clearing tools and turf-friendly mats to quickly restore grass walkways, preventing slip hazards after rainfall.

Overview

Location

Burghley Estate, Lincolnshire, UK

Attendees

180 000 annually

Main Challenge

Continuous footfall across varied arenas and marquees

Key Service

24/7 service rotations and zonal cleaning teams

Specialised Task

Weather-adaptive turf and marquee cleaning protocols

See Also

Punchestown Racecourse

Equine Sports

Galway Racecourse

Equine Sports

Results:

Over the five-day event, Ryans Cleaning completed 600 nightly deep-clean cycles, processed 25 tonnes of waste and recycling, and maintained washroom uptime at 100 percent throughout. Organisers reported a 40 percent reduction in cleanliness-related complaints year-on-year, and VIP hospitality feedback noted consistently pristine lounge areas.

180,000

Attendees

600

deep-clean cycles

25

tonnes of waste

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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