By Barbara Walshe

Liz Inman is at once the likely and unlikely director of Burghley Horse Trials. On one level, she's been involved in the event for the past 30 years - dating right back to her pony club days. On the other, she's never had any ambition to be director, had to be persuaded to apply for the role when it became available two years running, and, when appointed, was now the only female director of a major 4* event in the UK - including Wimbledon, Henley and Twickenham.

"People say to me 'Gosh, when you were young, did you have ambitions to be director of Burghley?' and I never did funnily enough. After the previous director Bill Henson retired, he said 'You really ought to apply for the job, Liz'. I thought 'Hmmm, a bit of a poison chalice' because there would have been no one to do my job after over 20 years in the role. And I thought I wouldn't get it anyway."

Inman grossly underestimated herself. Since taking over as director of the UK's most high profile equestrian sporting competition in February 2005 ("I thought, if I don't go for it now, I never will"), things have gone from strength to strength. It continues to attract the highest calibre competitors and thousands of spectators, has significantly enhanced its infrastructure and, last year, a survey revealed it boosted the local economy by over £16m.

"I was aware that much money exchanged hands at our trade stands," she admits, "but I was surprised by this number. It rates with other big local events, such as Silverstone, which people perhaps think of as a more important sporting event. But when it comes to actual finance pushed back into the economy, Burghley seems to have it."

Military-like organisation

Liz Inman isn't competitive by nature but does admit to being a perfectionist - and credits this and 'almost military-like organisation' with her success in the role to date. To host Burghley, organisation begins years in advance. "Even now, we're already appointing some of our main international officials for 2008 and 2009, otherwise they're booked elsewhere. And it's the same with our contractors. If we don't, we would find they're building for Henley Royal Regatta or Wimbledon," Inman insists.

For the rest of year, her and her team of four spend their time ensuring that when the deer are removed from Burghley House gardens six weeks prior to the event, everything is ready to be moved in. "We basically put in all the facilities adequate to run a small town," she says. This includes plumbing for crowds of 140,000, electrics, telephone wires, trade stands together with the competition course."

The radio communication required gives some indication of the complexity involved in all this. Over 150 radios are ordered each year and each is allocated to a specific frequency and network of which there are services, administration, scoring, officials, fence judges, doctors, vets, car parking, security and press.

Add to this schedules and instructions for hundreds of volunteers, close liaison with trade stands and corporate hospitality, delivery of 80 vehicles to shuttle competitors between the stables and main show grounds. "The list is endless," insists Liz.

"Knowing everything when I got the job of director meant I worried about everything! I now try very hard to think 'Is it really necessary to know this or know if it's being done in a specific way?"

Although it was these very details on which Inman built the first 20 years of her career- they're also the details she's now attempting to leave behind. Involved in Burghley since a young age (she rode the show ponies for the wife of the first director of Burghley and also helped out with the ticket administration during school holidays), Inman joined the team permanently as secretary to the director some years later. Over time, she began taking on a more managerial role until being promoted to assistant director by the last main director, Bill Henson, in 2004.

Though this made her the ideal successor for director, it didn't exactly make things easy in the beginning. "Knowing everything when I got the job of director meant I worried about everything! Gradually over the years, I've been trying to relieve myself of a little bit of the detail. I now try very hard to think 'Is it really necessary to know this or to know if it's being done in this way?'" she says.

This is just as well considering how quickly her directorial responsibilities have grown. "Gone are the days when it was just a happy little event. Now it's a serious business with the health and safety element, the emergency services, the contingency plans, the new legislation and licensing acts - all the things we never used to have six or seven years ago. It's affecting all businesses but is terribly frustrating when you're used to running events and getting on with things," she sighs.

Time pressures have also increased. "You're constantly up against the clock now," she says. "There are so many things to consider and there's a huge amount of pressure in the last few months."

Incredible people

Thankfully, what Inman most enjoys is still very much in evidence. "The people at Burghley are incredible," she enthuses. "You're working with such a diverse range of organisations and people, including the emergency services, the police, the media, doctors, vets, owners, competitors, health and safety people, and sponsors. And they all have a real 'can do' attitude. People want it to work no matter what happens."

Recounting one memory, she laughs: "We had plumbers setting up the temporary water facilities for the event a few years ago when we discovered the numbering on the grand stand was wrong. It was the Wednesday and the event was due to start on the Thursday, and this is a huge job. The plumbers said 'Don't worry, we've finished our job, we'll get it done!' And they mucked in and did it for us. That attitude has remained, and I think it's wonderful."

Maintaining this special element of Burghley is one of Inman's top priorities for the future. "One of the attractive things about Burghley is the number of people who attend. And I wouldn't actually like to see a hugely increased gate in future," she admits. "Big isn't always best and I think if we just continue to retain the quality of our shopping, ensure we maintain our standards without cutting corners and keep investing back into the infrastructure so that people want to come back each year, then we know we're going in the right direction."

With figures like 140,000 visitors and £16m boosting the local economy, this certainly looks like the right direction. Of course, there are things that Inman can't control, like the British weather. "It is a concern on the day. There could also be something affecting the A1 which runs alongside Burghley that affects inside the park. But you can't worry about what might happen because you've got so much to concentrate on already."

With such a labour of love for a job, there isn't much room for the other passions in Inman's life - point-to-point riding, sailing and skiing. But she wouldn't have it any other way. "There's plenty of time for all that after retirement," she laughs. Which, one suspects, is a long way off.

Burghley Horse Trials takes place between 30 August and 2 September. The competition consists of Dressage on Thursday and Friday, Cross Country on Saturday and Show Jumping on Sunday. Tickets are £10 on the gate. To get them in advance, call the box office on +44 (0) 1933 304 744

Coutts is also sponsoring a young Event rider this year. To read her blog on preparing for a big Event weekend, click here.