Classic Eventing Nation

Flash Update: Caroline Harris (GBR) Claims Les 5 Ètoiles de Pau Victory with D. Day

By on Oct 27, 2024 12:10 pm -

Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Caroline Harris and D. Day (Billy Mexico – Dillus, by Dilum xx) have jumped a fault-free show jumping to secure their first CCI5* victory at Les 5 Ètoiles de Pau in France today, finishing on a score of 40.3 to best defending champions Ros Canter and Izilot DHI in second on a 40.6.

Great Britain continued to flex its dominance, securing all three podium positions with World #1 Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality in third on a score of 43.0

China’s Alex Hua Tian and Chicko marked a banner weekend at the level with a fourth place finish on a score of 45.7

For the U.S., Boyd Martin topped the small contingent with Fedarman B in fifth place, adding yet another clear FEI jumping round to an impressive roster to finish on a score of 47.1. Will Coleman also delivered a strong round with one rail down aboard Off the Record, finishing 24th on a score of 63.6.

Tilly will be along later today with a full debrief on a thrilling finish to our final 5* of the season. Until then, you can use the links below to catch up on what you might have missed.

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau: [Website] [Scores] [Live Stream Replays] [EN’s Coverage]

One Horse Spun; Five Held at Pau Final Horse Inspection

By on Oct 27, 2024 8:42 am -

Yeah, no, we don’t know either. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There’s no point in mincing our words: yesterday’s cross-country day at Les 5 Etoiles de Pau, the final CCI5* of 2024, was rough. It went on for hours and soggy hours; the whole course, which was ten fences shorter than expected and lost over two minutes of time as a result, felt like one big water jump. To pass from one fence to the next on foot, you’d simply have to accept that the sluice of sadness would make its way, en masse, from the floor and into your socks. A bit like that part in Titanic when the captain locks himself in his little captain-ing room and lets the Atlantic Ocean break through the windows, you know? Very that. Except that by about 4p.m., my heart definitely stopped wanting to go on.

But the mud we saw on site yesterday wasn’t the same as the mud we saw at, say, Badminton last year, or the European Championships in Haras du Pin. That was a deep, sticky, holding mud, that started out thick and gloopy and became more and more gluey as it dried in the sun – and that’s the kind of mud that’s seriously hard work for horses, because they have to expend extra energy pulling their hooves out of the muck with each stride.

Arthur Marx demonstrates how I looked when I took my boots off and saw the state of my socks last night. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Yesterday’s mud, though, had such a high water content that it was basically – sorry – toilet water, and thatkind of mud is significantly less taxing, because horses are able to find some purchase on a lower level of ground and move through the mud, which splashes out around their footsteps rather than sucking them down into the mire. It’s still trickier than riding on the top of good going, and there’s still some amount of drag to keep in mind, just as when riding through a water jump, but largely, it has a significantly less punishing effect on horses who are happy to get a bit dirty.

The results of this were writ large at this morning’s horse inspection, which was jam-packed with remarkably fresh horses standing on their back legs and behaving, generally, incredibly badly. I never envy the grooms and riders who have to try to maintain some semblance of control in those situations, but I do love to see horses with a fistful of joie de vivre on a Sunday morning, because it’s not always the case.

There are a few things that contributed, in tandem, to all this fizziness: the ‘easier’ kind of mud, the shortened course, the smart, sensible, empathetic and sympathetic horsemanship we saw across the board yesterday – I didn’t hear a single watch beep out a minute marker all day – and, happily, the odd Pau tradition of holding the horse inspection very nearly in the afternoon. Today, it began at 11.45 a.m., after a rousing morning of horseball in the main arena (yes, really), and because the clocks went back last night, that meant that the horses had a huge amount of time to rest and recover – in some cases, a solid 24 hours. Maybe they also really liked that Linkin Park was being loudly and inexplicably blared through the speakers, too, and just fancied starting a mosh pit.

Great Britain’s Storm Straker and Fever Pitch. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

As at the first inspection, the ground jury did exercise an abundance of caution in monitoring the competing horses, which is a heartening move as we continue to centre horse welfare. Five, in total, were redirected to the holding box by James Rooney (IRL), Emmanuelle Olier (FRA), and Katarzyna Konarska (POL): these were Katie Magee’s Treworra, 18th after cross-country; Storm Straker’s Fever Pitch, 17th, Tom Rowland’s KND Steel Pulse, 56th, Dominic Furnell’s Bellscross Guy, 55th, and Joseph Murphy’s Belline Fighting Spirit, 32nd.

All but one would ultimately be accepted into the competition. That was Ireland’s Dominic Furnell and Bellscross Guy, who had completed yesterday’s cross-country with 20 jumping penalties and 52.8 time penalties.

Caroline Harris and D.Day — our overnight leaders, and also our pick of the best-dressed at the final trot-up. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

That means our final field for this afternoon’s showjumping sits at 55 competitors, as nobody withdrew overnight. Our overnight leaders, Caroline Harris and D. Day, sit on a score of 40.3, while second-placed Ros Canter and Izilot DHI – our 2023 champions – are a breath behind them on 40.6. Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality sit third on a 43, while fourth-placed Piggy March and Halo are a rail and change off the win on a 45. The margins continue to remain tight throughout the leaderboard, and that’s significant: the showjumping here is the most influential of any five-star, with big, square fences, true showjumper-y distances, tough turns, and an arena surface that can be quite dead underfoot and doesn’t have the same ‘spring’ to it that Luhmühlen’s does.

“Hey, lady, you wanna buy a TV?” Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Showjumping will begin at 3.00 p.m. local time (2.00 p.m. British time/10.00 a.m. EST), and can be streamed, as usual, via Pau TV. We’ll be back with the full story on how the final day has played out once it wraps. For now, if you need us, you can find us crying into a plastic cup of rosé in the scrap of sunshine we’ve provisionally been gifted. Allez! Allez. Allez.

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau: [Website] [Entries] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

Sunday Links

By on Oct 27, 2024 12:01 am -

Exciting news if you’re planning to attend the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto! Each year, this show features an Arena Eventing competition, and Boyd Martin has confirmed he’ll be competing this year for the first time since 2017. Boyd will join a roster of riders including Colleen Loach, Jessica Phoenix, Kendal Lehari, Selena O’Hanlon, Waylon Roberts, Holly Jacks, and multiple others. Tickets are on sale now here.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Bouckaert International & H.T. (GA) *US Equestrian Open Qualifier*: [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Waredaca Classic Three-Day and H.T. (MD): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

YEH West Coast Championships at Twin Rivers (CA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring]

Hitching Post Farm H.T. (VT): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring]

Major International Events

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau (France): [Website] [Entries] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

Links & Reading

It’s sale season! Stay tuned for our wishlist of horses available in this year’s Goresbridge Go for Gold sale, but in the meantime you can take a look at the catalog of drool-worthy future eventing stars here.

Selling A Horse? What To Consider And How To Mitigate Risks In Off-Farm Trials

Oliver Townend: What the Sport of Eventing Needs to Thrive

A Small But Mighty Field of Youngsters Kicks Off The Dutta Corp. USEA YEH West Coast Championships

Little Bo Peep, George Washington And A Zebra Gallop Into A Ring …

Lower Leg-Building Exercises for Riders

Will Coaxing a Nervous Horse Reinforce Her Nervous Behavior?

Video Break

Don’t try this at home, kids (or do, and send us the video):

When It Rains, It Paus: The Cross-Country Day Debrief

By on Oct 26, 2024 7:09 pm -

When we packed up and left the media centre last night at Les Etoiles de Pau, the final CCI5* of the 2024 season, we did so in a tiny window of opportunity: the day’s heavy rain had become a torrential downpour, and in that moment, it had all but ceased for a few minutes. But the damage had been done, and the decision had been made to remove three fences: an angled trakehner at 17, an oxer at 28, and the first element of 29ABCD, a three-part combination comprised of a brush-topped rolltop at the peak of a mound and two skinnies on a bending line at the bottom of it. 

It was no more or less than we expected, really – we knew there was deep ground on site already even before the rain, and we knew, too, that although Pau is generally a very flat course, its selection of man-made mounds would become oil slicks if too much rain fell. Those adjustments, and a couple of changes made to the routes between fences, to allow horses to avoid boggier ground, felt like a reassuring step. 

And then the rain kept coming and didn’t stop coming. This morning, when we reappeared a few hours ahead of the start of the cross-country, we were immediately greeted with a totally new-look cross-country course – one that had a total of ten fences, and eleven jumping efforts, removed from it. Added to last night’s removals were fences 4 through 6, 16, 17, and 19AB, and 31 – a change that meant that Pau’s typically relentless twists and turns, which can make it feel like two CCI4*-S courses smashed together, actually had quite a lot of open galloping stretches. 

Not, of course, that there would be much high-speed action. The previously deep going had turned into a bottomless soup; huge swathes of standing water rendered much of the venue impassable and the scant proportion of the ordinarily huge and enthusiastic crowd that braved the conditions had to slog their way through ankle-deep slop in pursuit of a bit of sport. It wasn’t to be a day for catching the time; it wasn’t even, really, to be a day for bothering with a watch at all. Instead, it was a day for riding every step with a conscientious awareness of the feeling beneath you and making decisions accordingly. 

Nice for them, I guess.

Before the sport started, I’ll admit I wasn’t thrilled. It was all rather Jurassic Park – the organisers had been so preoccupied on whether they could, that they didn’t stop to think if they should. Was it a step too far? Was it going to be a case of human arrogance and hubris, trying to put on an event even in these conditions? “If this was Germany or Britain, it’d have been canceled already,” sniffed one owner in disbelief as we discussed the carnage we felt sure was about to unfold. At best, I feared that this would make us look, as an industry collectively, like we don’t really care about our horses’ limits; at worst, I suspected a catastrophic injury could be on the cards. It was with a heavy enough heart that I headed out on course and into the muck, and not just because my boots had already sprung a leak (although, look, that did play a big part in it). 

Happily, though, it turns out I’m just a bit doom-and-gloom at the end of a season that’s made me think, at least once per month, that I’m existing through the longest day of my life thus far. This was absolutely one of those days. But it wasn’t the catastrophe it could have been: there were just two withdrawals midway through the day (Boyd Martin with his second ride, debutant Miss Lulu Herself, and seventh-placed Samantha Lissington and Lord Seekonig, for what it’s worth) rather than the ten or fifteen or twenty I’d expected before the start of the day’s competition. And while there absolutely were problems out on course, they really weren’t any more prevalent than in any five-star competition – of the 71 starters, 56 completed, making a 79% completion rate (higher than Burghley last month, which was a 66.2% completion rate), and 41% jumped clear for a clear round rate of 58% (Burghley, again, boasted a clear rate of 49% with a similar number of runners). What was very different, though, was how swift they could stand to be. Nobody would come close to the optimum time today; across the field of 56 finishers, the average time penalties were 29.3, or a minute and 13 seconds over the optimum time. 

The ground didn’t allow for quick riding, snappy getaways, or economical inside lines – the only lines to ride were whichever ones looked least sloppy – but the incredibly high moisture content actually ended up being something of a godsend. There was no part of the going that could have been reasonably described as holding, and instead, horses were able to travel through the soup, getting purchase on a lower, firmer level. Nor was it as slippery as it could have been, though those prospective slips were largely mitigated by careful riding. When they did happen, as in the case of New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park, fifth after dressage, who lost purchase behind as they took off for a wide table early in the course, and were lucky not to fall, they were breath-stopping – but we weren’t at all plagued with falls on the flat or horrifying skids in the way I’d expected we might be, and the loss of nearly all the mounds from the course certainly looked a wise move indeed when considering this. 

Caroline Harris and D. Day. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Speed might not have been the name of the game, but an early-ish swift round – and ultimately, the fastest of the day with 10 time penalties for coming home 25 seconds over the time – actually changed the shape of the competition entirely. That was executed by Great Britain’s Caroline Harris and her ten-year-old British-bred D. Day (Billy Mexico x Dillus, by Dilum XX), who she rides for a tribe of owners in Lucy Matthews, breeder Fiona Olivier, Marie Anne Richardson, and Heather Royle. That round – which never looked rushed, and was arguably the effort that looked the easiest of the day, even in some of the worst rain – immediately propelled the pair to the top of the leaderboard, from where it was assumed they’d be pushed back down as the day progressed. But nobody – not even the two five-star-winning horses in the field – could come close to catching the pair, and now, they finish the day as the leaders in the clubhouse, having climbed and climbed and climbed from overnight 22nd place on their dressage score of 30.3. 

“If I’m honest, I didn’t really want to run, because I was a bit scared about the ground, but I know the horse loves the mud,” admits Caroline. “He ran very well at Lignières in the mud recently [where he won the CCI4*-S], so some friends of mine gave me a kick up the arse to make me actually go – and he was phenomenal, foot-perfect from the start to the finish.”

Caroline Harris and D. Day. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Nowhere along the way, though, was the 35-year-old focusing on the time – instead, she let her exciting young horse, who also finished twelfth at Luhmühlen on his debut this year, find his own rhythm. 

“If I’m honest, I have no idea [how we were so fast!] I don’t know where the minute markers or anything were – I just let him run and jump,” she says. “He’s quite small and nippy, so he doesn’t struggle with the mud at all, and he finished full of running – he could have gone for two more minutes. So I’m not sure how it happened! He just kept galloping and jumping.”

It’s a red letter day for a horse who’s quietly, and in quite an under-the-radar sort of way, been marking himself out as one of British eventing’s next big stars with his talented rider – but even more exciting is the fact that he goes into tomorrow’s final day with eight consecutive clear FEI showjumping rounds behind him. On a score of 40.3, and with just 0.3 between him and second place, that’s the kind of form he’ll need – especially with Pau’s notoriously big, square, difficult showjumping tracks. 

Ros Canter and Izilot DHI. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

But the partnership just behind them in second place know all too well that the story isn’t over until the final chapter is fully written. Last year’s champions, Ros Canter and Izilot DHI, looked set to win Luhmühlen this year, too – but on the final day, ‘Isaac’ had his first rails in five years, and they had to settle for a still very respectable fourth place finish. When Ros went on to win Burghley last month with her Olympic partner, Lordships Graffalo, she admitted how much that loss had actually hurt – and that, no doubt, will fuel her to coax another characteristic clear out of her quirky comrade tomorrow and try to regain the top spot again. 

For now, though?

“I’m going to enjoy tonight, first and foremost, and try not to think too hard about the show jumping until tomorrow,” laughs the diminutive rider, who added 21.6 time penalties in a confident, polished round to Isaac’s first-phase score of 19. “From last year’s experience, the party is very good here, so we’ll be heading there a bit later. My mum says she’s going to babysit, so that’ll be nice! Tomorrow, we’ll make a plan, once we get through the trot up and see how the horse feels. My horse is a very good jumper, but it’ll be probably down to me to give him a good ride. So I’ll have to make sure I don’t drink too many drinks tonight!”

Her round on Isaac was at the tail end of the day and in the most deteriorated ground – but that didn’t put Isaac off one bit. 

“It was definitely worse in places, and I think the difference this time is that there was no option to find any fresh ground at all,” she says. “So I ended up, with Izilot, taking lines that were very wide or slightly different to what I walked, that I probably added that little bit of time on. But I think, considering the conditions that the organizers have had to face, the ground has held up. It doesn’t look good, but the horses haven’t had a bad experience today.”

“He’s got the most enormous stride, it’s an absolutely incredible feeling,” she continues. “Sometimes slightly trickier to ride because you can’t just keep on kicking all the time, which is what makes you fast. But I couldn’t be prouder of him today. He isn’t a natural galloper for  long distances, and I was pleasantly surprised by how he came through the finish.”

Ros Canter and MHS Seventeen. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Nor did the conditions earlier in the day for her debutant ride, MHS Seventeen, who jumped clear with 20.8 time penalties to move up from 31st to 14th.

“I felt that both my horses kept their ears pricked the whole way around today,” she says. “Despite the challenging conditions, the mud was so wet that, although it slowed them down, I didn’t feel that it sucked them and delayed their jump or anything like that. So I think they came out having had a really positive experience.”

Tom McEwen with Brookfield Quality. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tom McEwen left the startbox very early in the day with Brookfield Quality, who had made his debut at the level at Luhmühlen this year, but was retired late on course after a freak patch of inclement weather brought on a severe nosebleed. And so for many people, the memory of that blood and that storm and the chaos of it all cast a huge, floating question mark over the fifteen-year-old gelding – one that he happily dispelled out on course today. 

“I felt like a Pony Club kid back out hunting again out there,” laughs Tom. “I was loving it – and so was Norris, thankfully. But it’s really hard work out there. There’s patches that are really deep, and it’s only going to get worse in this continuous rain, so I’m happy to have gone early and laid down what I think is quite a good benchmark.”

Because he went so early, he continues, “it was hard to gauge how it was riding. But I was one of the few people that really did want to run this morning when it was still raining and you could  hear it on the lorry roof. So I was delighted! I actually think it created an incredible spectacle for the whole day. People rode brilliantly, so it’s been a great day for the sport, even though it’s rained more than England. So that’s one good thing! But Norris is awesome. I could let him go in his own rhythm. There’s a few things that I wanted to do, and I should have ridden on my distances rather than riding from what I’d seen before. But like Caroline was saying, we went out with no minute markers, and you ride off a feeling, and try to get round.”

He and Norris added a reasonably scant 17.2 time penalties to their first-phase score of 25.8 to climb one place, from fourth to overnight third. 

Piggy March and Halo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

While Tom was sitting in his lorry in the downpour, happily counting down the minutes ‘til he could get out and go puddle-jumping, his friend and Norris’s former pilot, Piggy March, was no doubt having a very different experience in her own. She’d spent the last twenty-four hours or so wavering back and forth over whether to run Halo, her five-star debutant and the diminutive stallion who now helms her cut-back string of horses. 

“I didn’t know if this was the right thing for him or not, and then I watched the horses go round, and they looked like happy horses,” she says. “It’s muddy, it’s incredibly wet, but they were smiling, and they were still jumping to the end, and I just didn’t want to give him a bad experience. But then I’m not very good at going out very slowly, and just wanting to get round. I’m competitive, and I like to try and do well. So I thought, ‘I’ll just set off and give it a good go’. So I rang the girls an hour before and went, ‘yeah, chuck some tack on. Let’s go!’” 

That decision paid off. Other than one little moment of gritty five-star riding, when the stallion twisted over the corner at 15B and both horse and rider found a combined equilibrium from who knows where, the round was smooth, packed with gumption, and – yes – happy. They picked up 17.6 time penalties along the way and will go into the final day in fourth place, up from first-phase 10th. 

“I’m just so proud of him. He’s 11, which isn’t that young, but he’s not done masses, and he’s certainly done nothing in the mud,” she says. “He doesn’t like the puddles, and he doesn’t like getting his toenails dirty – but he really dug deep for me. He ran incredibly well; he just got a bit tired in literally the last minute. But up until then, he was like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got the mud. This is fine!’ I kept thinking, ‘good boy, you’re doing really well!’ It’s hard work out there. It’s not ideal conditions at all. But he was happy enough, and he’s finished.”

Alex Hua Tian and Chicko. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

China’s Alex Hua Tian also had an excellent day on a level debutant in Chicko, and enjoyed his own return to the level after having focused so much of his time, energy, and horsepower on championships. 

“I don’t run 5* very often. As a Chinese rider, we focus on championships – Olympics, World Championships, and so 5* is not normally what we focus on,” he says. “But this horse is very special; he’s a cross country machine. He has a huge heart. His owners, Kate and Pete Willis,  they adore the horse so much, and at his age – 14 – I felt he deserved to come here and have a real go. It’s a real shame it’s rained so much, as we were hoping for top of the ground conditions, and I think he’d have been really quick, but I think he dug deep today. He was absolutely brilliant.”

Despite not having the conditions that Chicko most enjoys, the pair delivered one of the rounds of the day, climbing from thirteenth to fifth after picking up 16.8 time penalties for one of the swiftest efforts on the leaderboard. 

“I’m so proud of this horse – I have huge faith in him,” says Alex. “It’s his first 5* but I knew he’d dig deep. He’s Irish, he likes the mud, he’s a good jumper. He’s always very positive; he’s always got his ears forward. So I loved it out there, it was great. First thing this morning, I thought the ground was going to be horrendous – and watching the first half, actually, they were traveling quite well. I think by the time the last of us were going, it was starting to get quite heavy going, and it’s quite hard to find a good footing in between. I just had to say, ‘Chico, come on. We’ve got to ignore it. Just  push on’, and he just kept going – so I’m very, very very proud.”

Boyd Martin and Fedarman B. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Boyd Martin pushed on through the residual aches and pains of his tough Maryland to log an occasionally agricultural but undoubtedly confident and effective early round with Fedarman B, who has previously finished in the top ten here. Though he decided not to run his later ride, debutant Miss Lulu Herself, his midday efforts were well worthwhile: he and Bruno go into the final day in sixth place, with 17.6 time penalties on their tally. 

“I was thrilled with him,” he says. “He once again proved he is one of the best cross country horses I’ve ever sat on. That was horrendous conditions and he dug deep and just gave me everything around a very challenging course. I had a rough weekend last weekend so I wasn’t sort of bursting with confidence but I’m very, very grateful that Bruno is such a champion in the cross country. The last 48 hours they’ve been taking out jumps, cutting out loops and it wasn’t till about 30 minutes before I started that I really had a clear idea of what the course is gonna be and the officials made some excellent decisions in taking out some parts of the course.

“My cross country/jumping coach Peter Wylde and I really analyzed the course and there was just a number of combinations that we had a plan on how many strides to go in and a few those numbers changed just because the ground was so boggy. But Bruno is such an adjustable horse and just fought very hard just to clear through the flags. With going early, obviously I don’t get the luxury of watching how things are riding but I’ve got so much faith in this horse and it just gives me so much confidence.”

Of Lulu, he says, “she’s a very careful, green horse at this level and we were to go right at the end of the day and in the most treacherous conditions. I just didn’t have a good feeling about it and so I promised myself that I wouldn’t be stupid and trying to have any ego about it. I talked to my family and the owners and thought we [would save her for another day]. It’s tough when you’ve gone to this huge expense and traveled a long, long way to get here, but there is always another day. Deep down, I think it was the right thing to do.”

Lea Siegl and DSP Fighting Line. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Austria’s Lea Siegl and her Olympic partner, DSP Fighting Line, came to Pau with one goal in mind: to dispel the demons left behind from their debut here last year, which ended in a shock fall and a smattering of facial injuries. 

They may have been chasing a positive completion – and a happy end to an up-and-down season, which started with a broken leg for Lea – but they got much more than that. They climbed from 16th to seventh after adding 18 time penalties to their first-phase score of 29.5. 

“It feels good. After all the shit in Paris [where Fighty was eliminated at the first horse inspection]  and last year here in Pau, I’m even more happy that today, everything went smooth,” she says. “It was quite fun to ride – the ground was not easy, but it is like it is, we can’t change the weather. It’s something we can’t do. But they tried their best in front of the jumps, putting all the sand. So I’m quite happy that they really tried hard and it was rideable. He’s a nice galloper, and I knew that the weather, it doesn’t suit him, but he runs better on this ground than other horses because he’s so light and easy galloping, so it felt good with him. It didn’t feel too hard.”

Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The last competitors out on course, Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent, had the chance to take the lead: Ros and Isaac had already finished with their time penalties, and Emily King and Valmy Biats, with whom they’d been equal second after dressage, had slipped to 23rd after knocking a frangible device in their otherwise excellent round. 

But it wasn’t to be today – though for Oliver, three confident clears across three young horses, two of whom are five-star debutants, is a happy enough day in the office. He’ll head into the final day in 25th place with Crazy Du Loir, 20th with pathfinder En Taro Des Vernier, and eighth with Kentucky champion Cooley Rosalent, with whom he added 23.2 time penalties.

“She definitely had the worst of the ground,” he says. “I couldn’t really find any new ground, and when I did, I was 12 or 14 feet away from where I should be. But I just tried to be as quick as I could, and also look after and give her a good experience, because I think she’s going to be very, very good. I went as fast as I could, but all three horses were incredibly fit, and all three have finished very fresh – they’re a huge credit to the team at home.”

Ninth place is held overnight by Sweden’s Frida Andersen and her Olympic ride Box Leo, who added just 17.6 time penalties and climbed from 32nd place, while the top ten is rounded out by Tim Price and five-star first-timer Jarillo, who looked a picture en route to collecting 22.4 time penalties, just dropping one place on the board in the process. 

Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Will Coleman and Off The Record climbed ten places, from 39th to 29th, after picking up 26.4 time penalties – but, Will admits, this just hasn’t felt like their week. 

“All I can say is when we decided to target Pau we sort of planned on a typical year here — firm ground and fast going and technical twisty track and instead we got a 9.5 minute five-star in a foot of mud,” he says. “It was a bog the whole way around by the time I went, conditions that just don’t suit my horse particularly well and he really dug deep for me. We had time, like everybody did. The horse came home and is well and we look forward to tomorrow and then call it a wrap on 2024.”

“There were a couple places where I thought you might get an extra stride here or there. To be honest, by the time I went, the conditions had deteriorated so much that my only plan became to keep my horse as balanced and [keep the impulsion] as I could, not worry too much about numbers and how you were going to do it, just make quick, clear decisions. It was a really physical effort for both of us. To my horse’s credit, he’s such a willing fighter of a character and I’m really proud of him. It’s not the result we came here for and that’s just kind of how it’s gone this year and that’s ok.”

In any case, he continues, horsemanship was at the fore of today’s competition — a happy result by any metric.

“I think they did what they could [in making changes to the course]. You want to preserve the integrity of the competition without putting anyone in jeopardy, and they did that, but really the responsibility was on the riders to make good decisions and I think you saw a lot of people put their hand up when it wasn’t going to be their day, and that’s sort of what we have to do. It was really challenging for all involved, but I’m glad the day is done and we can look forward tomorrow now. Today was pretty tough out there.”

56 pairs are eligible to come forward for tomorrow’s final horse inspection, which begins at the extraordinarily reasonable time of 11.45 a.m. (10.45 a.m. BST/6.45 a.m. EST, because tonight, the clocks go back here and in the UK, but not in the States, and I’m really sorry, but this nonsense makes my brain turn to mush every single year). Then, the showjumping will begin at 15.00 local (14.00 BST/10.00 a.m. EST), and the prizegiving will happen sometime as the sun goes down, because why not, hey? Why. Not.

For now, though, wash the mud out of your eyelashes, go dance on some tables with Ros, and enjoy that extra hour of sleep when you get around to it (if you’re on this side of the pond, anyway). We’ll see you tomorrow for lots more Pau action – and in the meantime, if you’re still hungry for a dirty great big day of cross-country excitement, head on over to Cheg’s live updates thread to recap every single ride in nitty gritty detail. Go Eventing!

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau: [Website] [Entries] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

EN’s Ultimate Guide to Les 5 Ètoiles de Pau, the Final CCI5* of the 2024 Season

By on Oct 26, 2024 9:30 am -

Tomorrow, we’ll get underway with our final CCI5* of the year in the south of France at Les 5 Ètoiles de Pau. This event is a festive one that really seems to cap off each season with some fun, featuring raucous crowds (which we got a taste of ourselves in Paris this summer), a technical and twisting track unique in its own right from its 5* counterparts around the world, and riders (and journalists, if we’re being honest) who slip and slide their way into this final major weekend of the season in desperate need of a stiff drink and a high note to end their year on.

Keep this page bookmarked for all the latest from Pau, and we’ll have reports coming your way from Tilly Berendt, fresh off a bender an epic trip to the West coast of the U.S. for some much-needed pre-5* R&R, starting tomorrow. As always, Go Eventing.

Our coverage of Pau is brought to you by our incredible supporters, Kentucky Performance Products, your one-stop shop for science-backed nutritional products to keep your horse feeling their best at all times. They’ll even get on the phone with you to help you formulate a solid supplementation plan for your horse’s individual needs! We’d really appreciate your support of KPP, as they’re champions for our sport and beyond and are wonderful people to boot. Check them out here.

Relevant Links

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau (France): [Website] [Entries] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

Social Media Links: Pau Instagram | Pau Facebook | Pau YouTube

The Schedule

France has done what everyone wishes every 5* would do (probably) and set the first jog on Thursday before dressage begins, and the second jog not at the ungodly hour of 8 a.m. but at the much more socially-acceptable time of 11:45 a.m. What luxury! This event is 6 hours ahead of EST (GMT +2), so set your clocks accordingly to follow the action.

Thursday, October 23 – 10:00 a.m. local time / 4:00 a.m. EST First Horse Inspection
Thursday, October 23 – 2:00 p.m. local time / 8:00 a.m. EST – Dressage Day 1
Friday, October 24 – 9:00 a.m. local time / 3:00 a.m. EST – Dressage Day 2
Saturday, October 25 – 11:30 a.m. local time / 5:30 a.m. EST – Cross Country
Sunday, October 26 – 11:45 a.m. local time / 5:45 a.m. EST – Final Horse Inspection
Sunday, October 26 – 3:00 p.m. local time / 10:00 a.m. EST – Show Jumping

How to Watch

This year, Pau is introducing its own internal live feed similar to what Badminton and Burghley now have. This means you’ll need to pay a one-time subscription fee of about $25 to view all of the action live and on demand. You can purchase your pass or log in to watch here.

The Officials

This year, the Ground Jury will be presided over by James Rooney (IRL), joined by Emmanuelle Olier (FRA) and Katarzyna Konarska (POL). Gert Naber (NED) will serve as this weekend’s Technical Delegate, assisted by Guillaume Vuarnet (FRA). Pierre Michelet (FRA) returns as cross country course designer, assisted by advisor Giuseppe Della Chiesa (FRA). Frenchman Yann Royant will design this year’s show jumping course.

The Entries

You can preview the strong entry list, which features nearly 80 combinations representing 14 nations, in our write-up here. The entry list, which we do know has seen a withdrawal or two, can be found here. The updated entry list as well as start lists will be populated here.

View our Form Guide to this year’s entries here.

The Cross Country Course

View the interactive map below or click here to visit CrossCountryApp.

EN’s Coverage

Keep an eye on this post, as we’ll keep it up to date with each day’s coverage links. You can also follow along at this link.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27

“I’ve Dreamt of This, But I Never Believed It Could Happen”: Caroline Harris Wins Pau CCI5*

Flash Update: Caroline Harris (GBR) Claims Les 5 Ètoiles de Pau Victory with D. Day

One Horse Spun; Five Held at Pau Final Horse Inspection

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26

When It Rains, It Paus: The Cross-Country Day Debrief

Allez All Day! It’s Party Time at Pau – Live Blog From the 5* Cross Country at Les 5 Étoiles de Pau

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25

Reigning Champs and Raining Champs: Ros Canter Sails to Pau Dressage Lead

Take a Gander at Pierre Michelet’s CCI5* Course at Les 5 Ètoiles de Pau + What Riders are Saying

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24

Thursday at Pau: Tom McEwen Takes Decisive Day One Lead with ‘Nervous Norris’

Our Pyrenees Ponies: Your Form Guide to Les 5 Étoiles de Pau 2024

Zut Alors! Eight Horses Held at First Pau Horse Inspection, C’est Merde, Etc

PRE-EVENT COVERAGE

Les 5 Étoiles de Pau Sees Record Entries with 80 Combinations on Roster

Monart Sale Launches Class of 2024

By on Oct 26, 2024 9:00 am -

Karl Slezak and Hot Bobo.

Ireland’s only elite horse sale, run by riders, for riders, The Monart Sale, is set to take place between November 4-7. Once again, the sale will take place at Monart Equestrian, with two viewing days on November 4 and 5, followed by an online sale on November 6 and 7.

Clearance rates have been consistently above 65% for the elite horse sale, with selectors looking to improve upon that number in 2024, with a more select criteria. The sale will once again only feature 3-year-olds, all of which have been selected based on key attributes for them to become future 4* and 5* event horses.

“Looking at the current market and economic climate we’ve scaled back on the number of horses included in this year’s sale. We’ve always looked for horses with potential to become top event horses at all levels, but for this year we’ve really focused on trying to select those we believe have the potential to reach the 4* and 5* level. confirmed sale Director, Niall Griffin.

Michael Jung and Kilcandra Capitol.

“We’ve had over 300 horses to look this year. We also had the pleasure this year of welcoming Sue Shortt back to the ranks as one of our selectors fresh off the back of her coaching the Irish teams to medals at the Young Rider & Junior Europeans. We believe we’ve selected a group of 3-year-olds who all have the movement to be competitive at the dressage, the jump to get to 4* and 5* level, and all with good conformation.”

Previous sales have attracted buyers from across the world including the UK and Ireland, Mexico, Belgium, France, the USA and Canada, Germany, and France. Notable listed buyers include Olympic Champion Michael Jung (GER), Badminton winner Caroline Powell (NZL), Maryland 5* winner Austin O’Connor and Canadian Olympian Karl Slezak who competed at the Paris games on Monart Graduate Hot Bobo.

The full catalogue can be found at www.themonartsale.com.

Allez All Day! It’s Party Time at Pau – Live Blog From the 5* Cross Country at Les 5 Étoiles de Pau

By on Oct 26, 2024 5:29 am -

Heading home via the main arena and les champignons (c’est magique, maybe). Photo via CrossCountryApp.

Eventing’s going large in France for the second time this summer and there’s no doubt that the home crowd at Pau will deliver all of the joyous celebration of our awesome sport that we saw rampage round the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. Expect rambunctious cheers for every single horse and rider combination out on course, ascending into all-out rowdiness for the French competitors, and a party atmosphere all day long. Allez! Allez! Allez eventing!

We’re live at final CCI5* cross country day of what’s been a massive season thus far and I’ll be bringing you updates of all the action from Pierre Michelet’s track as it unfolds throughout the day. With over 70 horses set to leave the start box, we’re in for a full day of sport. Bring. It. On.

In true cross country day tradition, there has been a lot of chatter about the weather and subsequently the going out on course. Basically, it’s been raining, the ground is soggy and there’s very much the feeling that it’ll be influential in today’s proceedings. There have already been a number of changes made to the course since yesterday, which we’ll get to grips with as we go round.

It’s an 11:30am CET start / 5:30am ET today with Britain’s Oliver Townend kicking things off with the first of his three rides En Taro des Vernier.

But before all the excitement gets underway, a little housekeeping.

The field is stacked that’s for sure, but here are a few notable highlights and their start times:

🇺🇲

If you’re cheering for the US today, Boyd Martin and Will Coleman are your go to guys. Here’s when to expect to see them on course:

Boyd Martin’s bounced back from his tumble at Maryland, hopped on a plane and is at Pau with fan favorite and Olympic top 10 finisher Fedarman B – they’ll be out on track at 5:43am ET.

Boyd’s also brought exciting 5* debutant Miss Lulu Herself – they’re set to leave the start box at 10:43am ET.

Will Coleman and his World Championships horse and Aachen winner Off the Record head out at 9:19am ET.

🇬🇧

Last year’s champs Ros Canter and Izilot DHI are back for another go at Pau and once again, they’re in the lead after the dressage phase – can they do the double? We’ll find out at 10:45am ET.

Kentucky winners Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent are hoping to bookend their season with 5* victories. They’re in 2nd as things stand – will it all come up rosie for Rosie? They’ll be last out on course at 11:12am ET.

In joint 2nd with Oliver and Rosie going into cross country, Emily King and Valmy Biats are here off the back of a great 4th place finish at Badminton in the spring. Valmy hails from rainy North Wales and loves the mud, making him perhaps the best-suited horse in the field given the current, soggy, conditions. They start at 10:04am ET.

Shadow Man did it for Down Under at the Olympics and brought home a silver medal for Chris Burton; he’s back with Ben Hobday for this trip to France and due on course at 8:39am ET.

🇳🇿

Clarke Johnstone sits in 5th with his Olympic ride Menlo Park coming into today. They’re due to go at 6:46am ET.

Tim Price had to settle for 2nd at Maryland last week; he’s here with Jarillo for the gelding’s first 5*. Catch them at 10:09am ET.

Badminton queen Caroline Powell was a popular 5* winner in the spring; she’s at Pau double-handed with High Time stepping up to the level off the back of a brilliant runner-up finish at Blair Castle and CBI Aldo taking 7th spot in the prestigious 4*-S for 8- and 9-year-olds at Blenheim last month. She’s first out of the box with High Time at 6:10am ET and will have her second run as the penultimate rider of the day at 11:07am ET.

🇫🇷

At 17 Toronto d’Aurois is one of the oldest horses in the field and is contesting his ninth 5*. Arthur Duffort will partner this experienced gelding at 8:16am ET.

Another super experienced pairing, Cedric Lyard and Unum De’Or will be whipping up the French crowd as they take to the track at 9:55am ET.

Arthur Marx and Church’ile sure gave the home fans something to cheer after a snapped stirrup put paid to their quest last year, but they paraded their way round as though they’d won the whole dang thing to the delight of the hyped-up spectators. They’ll get their turn at 6:55am ET, hopefully with both feet firmly in the stirrups this time around.

I could go through the whole field as highlights because, well they’re at 5* and therefore bloomin’ brilliant, but basically I would be here all day and miss the cross country itself ,so here’s the full list of ride times for your perusal.

If you just can’t get enough info about this year’s competitors, then you’re in need of EN’s epic Form Guide, which you’ll find right here.

I’ll be bringing you news of all of the goings on throughout the day, but if you want to watch along, the only way to view all of the competition live and on demand is via a subscription to Pau TV.

Whilst we await today’s action, a quick catch-up with what went down in the dressage:

1️⃣ 🇬🇧 Not so much of a surprise, if we’re honest, heading up the chasing pack and in the lead overnight is Ros Canter with Izilot DHI on a score of 19.
2️⃣ 🇬🇧 5.6 points behind is Emily King with Valmy Biats on 24.6.
2️⃣ 🇬🇧 Sharing second spot is Oliver Townend with Kentucky winner Cooley Rosalent, also on 24.6.
3️⃣ 🇬🇧 And just 1.2 points behind them, rounding out the top three as things stand is Tom McEwen with Brookfield Quality on 25.8.

▶️ Read all about it in EN’s classic round-up reports: [Thursday] [Friday]

▶️ Click here for the full scoreboard.

And when you’re done with all that, feast your eyes on all of EN’s Pau content and mosey on along to our IG account for even more @goeventing.

❗ Remember ❗ Refresh, refresh, refresh if you want to keep up with live updates. If you’re reading this after the event, scroll ⬇️ and read ⬆️.

Just one more thing before we get down to the nitty gritty of the day’s sport, and that’s to leave this right here:

(Click here to view the video.)

You’re totally welcome.

For the last time this season (*boo! 👻*) let’s go 5* eventing!

Les 5 Étoiles de Pau (France): [Website] [Entries] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

Our coverage of Pau is brought to you by our incredible supporters, Kentucky Performance Products, your one-stop shop for science-backed nutritional products to keep your horse feeling their best at all times. They’ll even get on the phone with you to help you formulate a solid supplementation plan for your horse’s individual needs! We’d really appreciate your support of KPP, as they’re champions for our sport and beyond and are wonderful people to boot. Check them out here.

________________________________________________________________________________

11:30am

And so the last 5* cross country day of the season draws to a close and what a day it’s been. Action, excitement, riding masterclasses, epic spectators loving every second, and a whole lotta super talented horses doing what they do best. Oh Pau, it’s been a blast.

Here’s a quick look at how today’s action has impacted the leaderboard:

1️⃣ 🇬🇧 Leapfrogging the leaderboard and taking top spot is Caroline Harris with D. Day on a score of 40.3.
2️⃣ 🇬🇧 0.3 of a point (not even a second in the show jumping ring) behind is Ros Canter with Izilot DHI on 40.6.
3️⃣ 🇬🇧 And 2.4 (a few seconds but not a pole) behind them, rounding out the top three as things stand is Tom McEwen with Brookfield Quality on 43.

Click here for the full scoreboard.

Eyes on EN for Tilly’s full round-up report – coming soon.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow… the final 5* winner of the 2024 season will be crowned. The show jumping will start at 3pm CET / 9am ET. Don’t forget, the only way to watch live is via a subscription to Pau TV.

If you need more, like, right now, click here for all the Pau content you can handle.

What a day. What a sport. Go eventing!

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11:20am

Oliver and Rosie have the course to themselves now as they finish out cross country day at Pau.

He’s picking the best of the ground as he makes his way around the track. They’re galloping really strongly and Cooley seems to be relishing her job out there. They’re foot perfect over the log on the mound at 21 that’s not jumped particularly well all day and then go on to skip through the combination at 22AB. They come through the penultimate water at 24AB, more clean and clear jumping through there. They make the loop round to come back through the water at 26AB and Oliver really sets Rosie up through there and she stretches over those really wide fences. The second he lands, he’s off, pushing forwards and galloping on.

Nearly there now…

They look to be quick as they come to the combination at 29 and take that as good as any. Now crouch and go. Steady for the big MIM clipped oxer, safely over. Now push for home.

They come into the main arena to tumultuous cheers. They’re smooth round the corner and pop the two mushroom fences. They come round to the final fence and take it in their stride.

Another fabulous round for this super, super exciting young mare. There was never any question and Oliver put no pressure on her. Time penalties, sure, but a brilliant round.

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11:16am

🇬🇧 LAST HORSE OUT ON COURSE: Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent

Dressage Score: 24.6
Place: 2nd=

And here we go. Last up, 2nd after dressage, a chance of going into the lead.

Rosie sets off brilliantly. She’s keen, her ears are pricked and she looks up for this.

There’s a tiny, tiny moment as she slightly leaves a leg going into the water at 8A but Oliver’s balance is second to none and they don’t even falter. They’re fabulous through the water at 13AB, smooth and fluid and very, very confident. Rosie looks to be happy traveling on the muddy ground and gets a great shot at the table at 14.

Meanwhile, Robbie has completed carrying that 20. Things seem to have really picked up for them following those early penalties though and although he looks a little disappointed, this is clearly a quality cross country horse.

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11:11am

🇳🇿 PENULTIMATE HORSE OUT ON COURSE: Caroline Powell and CBI Aldo

Dressage Score: 32.8
Place: 37th

Caroline’s back out on course for her second trip round. We catch up with her at the first water at 8ABC. This young horse has a little look as he goes in there and ah, he picks up a 20 at the brush shoulder coming out, fence 9. Caroline continues on though, wanting to bank valuable experience with this horse who’s still in the early stages of his top level career. But Caroline’s obviously not feeling it and she pulls up before the second water at 11. A positive experience is everything and Caroline’s made a good call for her horse’s future.

Meanwhile Robbie’s clear through to fence 29 although we haven’t seen him on screen.

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11:08am

🇮🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Robbie Kearns and Chance Encounter

Dressage Score: 36.2
Place: 56th

Unfortunately we pick up Robbie as he comes to a halt at 8C, the step out of the water. He was really quick through there and it just didn’t work out for him. He comes round and continues on. They quickly settle back into their rhythm and have a great ride through the water at 13AB.

Meanwhile, Aimee Penny has picked up her second 5* completion of the day in what’s been a very strong showing for her.

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11:04am

🇮🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Dominic Furnell and Ivanhoe

Dressage Score: 46.5
Place: 73rd

We catch up with Dominic as he takes the long route between the step out of the water at 8 and 9 rather than taking on the related distance straight. They’re looking a little sticky at the start of their round. Oh dear, we then see him getting wet as he parts company with Ivanhoe at 13A. They didn’t look to be traveling forward, really. We see Dominic on his feet and Ivanhoe galloping round.

Meanwhile, Aimee has put that 20 right behind her and we see Gazelle jump the B element at the water at 26 as elegantly as, well, a gazelle.

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10:59am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Aimee Penny and PSH Gazelle

Dressage Score: 36.7
Place: 60th

We’re into the final five horse and rider combinations now.

Oh dear, we first see Aimee as she runs out of gas through the first water and picks up a 20 at the brush shoulder at 9. It’s related but separately numbered to 8ABC and she just didn’t have the impulsion to make it over there. They continue on though.

We rejoin Luc and Viens at the final water where the crowd are suitably, and Frenchly, loud and encouraging. Oh goodness, Viens stumbles after jumping massively over 29B (the A element was taken out) and then is so very honest over 29C. What a horse and what luck for Luc there. The crowd go wild as they come into the main arena. They take on les champignons at 32 and then fly the last. Luc punches the air, nearly slips out of the side door in his excitement. He was quick and clear and what a phenomenal cross country horse this is. Superb stuff from the French combination much to the delight of the home crowd.

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10:53am

🇫🇷 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Luc Chateau and Viens du Mont

Dressage Score: 45
Place: 71st

We pick up Luc as he gallops towards fence 15. He gets an enormous jump over the bullfinch at A and really manages the turn into B so well. They gallop on.

Meanwhile, we rejoin Ros and Isaac who are perfect through the combination at 29. They give the massive oxer at 30 heaps of room. They turn for the main arena and what a round this has been. A huge cheer for them as they come round for the mushrooms at 32 and then onto the last. They’re through the finish. What a lovely horse this is, although there is news – Ros has slipped into 2nd and Caroline Harris and D. Day hold onto their spot at clubhouse leaders.

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10:44am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Ros Canter and Izilot DHI

Dressage Score: 19
Place: 1st

Here they are, the dressage leaders.

They get off to a clean start and ‘Isaac’ has his ears pricked and focused on the fences. He’s traveling easily over the ground at the start of the course and really showing off his bold, smooth, enormous gallop. He has a little look into the water as he comes down the drop at 8A but doesn’t give it a second thought and progress really smoothly through the B and C elements. The horse gets a super jump over the wheelbarrow at 11A and then happily jumps the swan at B and then takes the loop back round to the water again. He has a little look coming out of there but Ros seems to have really got the measure of this spooky guy now and they gallop on. He has another look at the multicolored chess pieces on the hill by fence 12, but his ears are still on the flags and they’re absolutely flying. He runs away a little into the combination at 15 – that car camera took his attention there – and he slips on the turn to the B element. But Ros has everything in hand. They pop the log at the top of the mound at 21 and then are as pretty as a picture through the frame at 22A. They get the three strides to the corner rails at B and look confident as they continue on towards the final water. The crowd appreciate the quality they’re seeing as they take the two water combinations at 24AB and 26AB and head towards home.

Kirsty continues to have a great ride. Rocket’s really running and jumping for fun. She checks her watch after flying the flower wall at 27. We don’t get to see it sadly, but they finish clear.

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10:38am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Kirsty Chabert and Opposition Heraldik Girl

Dressage Score: 35.1
Place: 49th

Kirsty’s back out on course for the second time today and looks to be gunning for it after the debacle with the cameras earlier on. She pats ‘Rocket’ between the fences and they’re really traveling forwards boldly. Rocket shows some fancy footwork at the swan in the water at 11B and then comes back round to drop neatly into the water and over the other swan. They’re in a great rhythm so far and zipping along.

We finally get to see Tom and Quintilius as he comes to the combination at 29. The horse jumps brilliantly through there and Tom’s crouched low and hunting the finish flags. There’s no question as they give the big oxer at 30 plenty of air and then it’s back to the racing position and kicking on for the main arena. They take the final combination and then take the last out of their stride. Another horse finishing with plenty of gas still in the tank.

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10:32am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Tom Rowland and Quintilius

Dressage Score: 31.3
Place: 28th

We see Tom set off confidently before rejoining Ian, who looks to have settled into his round. They get a super shot through the final water combination at 26AB, wow this horse has a huge stride and so much scope, he basically steps over those massive jumps. He looks really well as he nears the end of his round. Ian holds for the four through the combination at 29 and they are smooth and quick through there. The clock turns red as he jumps the big oxer at 30 that’s caused quite a few 11 penalties today, but not so for this pair. They come into the arena and smoothly navigate the mushroom combination at 32. They take the last and the horse looks like he wants to go again. Superb riding from Ian and what a quality horse.

Meanwhile, Paolo is in the main arena and doing a great job of the combination in there at 32. They clear the last and he’s grinning. A great 5* finish for them.

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10:28am

🇮🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Ian Cassells and Millridge Atlantis

Dressage Score: 28.5
Place: 12th

Just nine more to start now.

Update: If you were waiting to see Boyd Martin and Miss Lulu Herself, unfortunately he’s showing as withdrawn before cross country.

Ian looks to be finding the ground tricky, it’s really deteriorated throughout the day as expected. He’s gritting his teeth though and the horse is really responding to him. They get a fantastic jump over the table at 14.

We don’t see it on screen but Paolo’s showing as having had the MIM clip at 30, that’s 11 penalties for them and the technology doing its job multiple times today.

We just catch a glimpse of Patrick and Ikoon Lan finishing. A great ride from him and what a game horse he’s got.

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10:25am

🇮🇹 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Paolo Tolonia and ESI Bethany Bay

Dressage Score: 39.7
Place: 66th

The horse looks strong coming into the water at 11AB and Paolo has to really hold him. He gets the horse straight back and they continue through there well.

Patrick’s still riding forward as he comes to the final stages of his round. The horse is traveling so well. The ground gets to him as he comes into the combination at 29 and it’s a little tricky through there, but Patrick’s in balance and his horse is on his side and they make it through and head towards the main arena.

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10:15am

🇮🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Patrick Whelan and Ikoon Lan

Dressage Score: 38.5
Place: 64th

Patrick’s really quick through the water at 8ABC, so brave and bold. He’s got his head down and has got stuck right into this track. The horse looks strong into the wheelbarrow at 11A and they look like a well-suited pair, real brave and up for the job. They come into the table at 14 really fast and make nothing of that. They have a very hairy moment at the combination at 15. They come in fast and bold to the A element and stumble and slide slightly as they come down the drop, subsequently creating a very squiggly line into the B element. The horse tries it’s absolute heart out to get between the flags, but there’s a definite question mark there.

Tim’s really given Jarillo a masterful ride and what an exciting young horse this is. Tim raises his arm in the air as he crosses the line and the crowd is really appreciative of the quality this combination have shown us.

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10:10am

🇳🇿 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Tim Price and Jarillo

Dressage Score: 27.2
Place: 9th

Jarillo’s really getting up in the air at the early part of the course, has he been having lessons with Tim’s other high flier (and Pau winner) Falco? They have a great shot through the first water at 8ABC and then again through the next water at 11AB. They come back round and pop through the water for the second time and over 13AB. Really smooth and looking great for this 5* debutant. Tim’s giving this horse a stellar ride and lots of pats to build his confidence as he makes his way round the track. They’re really smooth through the water at 24AB. The horse drops his legs a little on the table at 25 before coming back round to the water at 25AB, which they take very carefully and neatly. They’re heading towards home now, well over the time but clear on the horse’s first attempt at the level in what is clearly difficult going. Tim holds for the four in the combination at 29 and then sets up carefully for the oxer at 30. It’s a bit of a stretch and Tim looks back to check the pin hasn’t gone but all’s fine.

Emily’s picking out the best of the ground as she comes towards the log on the mound at 21. Valmy looks to be tiring a little as he comes to the final water. He taps the table at 23. Emily helps him out through the combination in the water at 26AB. She adds a stride through the combination at 29 and goes on four. She sets up for the big wide oxer at 30 and they’re almost home. We’re hearing that she had a MIM clip at 22B, so that’s 11 penalties for them. They canter into the main arena and pop quietly over the final combination at 32. Emily takes care of him over the last and they cross the finish.

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10:06am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Emily King and Valmy Biats

Dressage Score: 24.6
Place: 2nd=

Gasp, Valmy leaves a leg at the hanging log into the water at 8B but this pro pair don’t let it phase them for a second. They’re really bold through the combination at 10 and Valmy really does look to be enjoying the mud out there as he gallops along, as Emily predicted he would. There’s another hot second at the table at 12 but again, Valmy picks back up and makes nothing of the water at 13AB. There’s a grin on Emily’s face as they gallop away from there. This pair seem to be really traveling as they gallop along the racecourse.

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9:56am

🇫🇷 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Cedric Lyard and Unum de’Or

Dressage Score: 35.9
Place: 54th

Cedric’s riding forward into the wheelbarrow at 11A and Unum de’Or doesn’t get very high. But Cedric pushes on and they clear the swan at the B element in the water. They’re brilliant on their way back through the water for 13AB. They’re galloping along very comfortably and Cedric’s really letting the horse travel on a soft rein. They don’t give the combination at 15AB much space but they’re very economical through there and the horse has his ears pricked as he comes into the big ditch and brush at 20. Unum de’Or doesn’t look to be enjoying the heavy going and Cedric pulls up before fence 21.

Graftango goes to look into the ditch at 20 and the crowd goes ‘Oooo’, but Samantha’s driving forward and they make a truly impressive leap deserving of the crowd’s reaction. We see them come into the main arena and neatly pop through the combination at 32. They turn for the last and the horse looks full of running as he clears the last and comes through the finish. Huge smiles for Samantha and high fives for her team. Super.

Meanwhile Imo and San Solo have completed. It may have started off a little wild but this pair really settled into their job together and will have learned a lot.

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9:52am

🇦🇺 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Samantha Cesnik and Graftango

Dressage Score: 37.3
Place: 61st

Samantha gets straight into a good rhythm, as have most horses and riders today, and set off confidently. They take the long route at the first water at 8ABC as a few have recently. The horse looks good as he gallops on with his ears pricked. They rattle the table at 12 but think nothing of it as they continue on.

Imo and San Solo have surely got it together as they gallop along towards fence 20. Boy this horse loves his job, it’s just containing that enthusiasm and channelling it in a positive way. He’s galloping for fun as he leaps over the table at 24. Imo gives him a huge pat as he jumps out of the water at 26.

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9:47am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Imo Brook and San Solo

Dressage Score: 42.4
Place: 69th

Ooo, San Solo is very brave and Imo’s got an awful lot on her hands at the start of the course. They take the long route at the first water at 8. Things are looking a little hairy. They seem to be settling as they come to the second water at 11AB. Big pats for the horse as he clears the second swan at 13B.

Alex is beaming as he crosses the finish line. What a ride he’s given that horse, and wow, the horse responded to every question. Awesome.

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9:44am

🇳🇿 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Ginny Thomasen and Capitaine de Hus Z

Dressage Score: 34.9
Place: 48th

Oh dear, we first see Ginny as she has a drive-by at 10B and Ginny immediately puts her hand up. An early 20 in these conditions, smart decision. Always another day.

Alex and Chiko are neat through the water at 24 and then put in a big jump over the table at 23. Chiko really stretches over both elements in the water at 26 and they gallop on towards the main arena and home. Alex has really ridden bravely and brilliantly. He sets up for the oxer at 30 and can smell the finish flags.

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9:39am

🇨🇳 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Alex Hua Tian and Chicko

Dressage Score: 28.9
Place: 13th

We see Alex through the first water at 8ABC. Alex looks serious and Chicko is ears pricked and listening to his rider. They’re neat through the combination at the second water at 11AB and then come round very smoothly, navigating the loop and going smoothly back through the water for 13AB. Boy, he’s a lovely, lovely classy rider giving us all a masterclass.

Katie Magee is through the finish and has had a great round, really quite quick for today’s competition.

Taylor’s up at the big oxer at 30 where the MIM clips do their job once again. That’s 11 for that. She motors on though and the clock’s only just in the red as they come into the main arena. The horse is still pulling as they cross the finish line. That’s been a fabulous round for them and a real shame about those 11 penalties.

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9:34am

🇳🇿 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Tayla Mason and Centennial

Dressage Score: 30
Place: 19th

Tyla’s got her head down from the get go and looks to mean business. She’s clear through to fence 14 and seem to be making light work of the track thus far. The horse slips a little between the A and B elements of fence 15 and Tayla uses all of her strength to hold the horse’s shoulder in to make the turn. They fly on through.

Katie drives into the massive ditch and brush at 20 and then kicks on. They’re steady through the last water at 26AB.

Meanwhile, Yas and Rehy DJ have finished as easily as they started. An excellent and smooth round for them, and quick all things considered.

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9:31am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Katie Magee and Treworra

Dressage Score: 35.3
Place: 51st

Katie gets off to a sensibly steady start and picks up a good rhythm. We see her through the water at 8 and making a good job of it.

We catch up with Yas as she flies the table at 23, still going supremely well. They make their way neatly through the water at 24AB and then come back round over the table at 25 before re-entering the water for 26AB. This horse really is covering the ground as he comes to the combination at 29 and make the four strides through there very easily. This horse looks very comfortable and well within himself.

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9:25am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Yasmin Ingham and Rehy DJ

Dressage Score: 26.5
Place: 6th

Yas and ‘Piglet’ make light work of the water at 8 and make the distance to the brush shoulder at 9 just after the step out of the water look very simple. They’re in a great rhythm and really traveling between and through the fences. They make their way through the water at 11 and then circle round to drop back into the water at 13A. So smooth and flowing, really a picture of harmony.

Will and ‘Timmy’ get a cracking jump over the ditch and brush at 20. They’re really galloping on and Timmy is full of run. Timmy doesn’t give the table at 25 much air but he’s being very economical. The dogs in the crowd there gave him a shout. They make their way through the combination at 29, still jumping quite low but wasting not a second. Will’s grimacing as he pushes into the big oxer at 30 and then gallop on into the main arena. The crowd’s cheering as he takes the combination at 32 and then turns into the final fence. They clear that neatly and cross the finish line. A great round for them.

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9:21am

🇺🇸 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Will Coleman and Off the Record

Dressage Score: 33.2
Place: 39th

We catch Will coming through the water at 8 and popping through there neatly and wasting no time. They absolutely fly the table at 14 and ‘Timmy’ looks to be enjoying himself out there.

Oh, we see Louis’ horse struggling at 23. He climbs over the table at 23 and then Louis tries for 24A but it’s not happening. He retires.

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9:16am

🇫🇷 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Louis Seychal and Bakar de l’Ocean LA

Dressage Score: 31.2
Place: 27th

Save of the day!!! Louis is bounced right out of the plate after the roll top table at 12. He’s right up the horse’s neck. But my goodness, what balance (and core strength) he shows as he rights himself and gallops on. Ah, it looks like his air vest’s gone off though. That’ll make for an uncomfortable ride.

DSP Fighting Line seems to have got stronger as his round’s continued, he’ll be disappointed to find himself at the end, it looks like he wants to go round again. They make nothing of the mushrooms in the main arena at 32 and then clear the last and come through the finish. What an awesome round that was from both horse and rider. They go into 5th as things stand. Superb and well-deserved.

Oh dear, we see Wiktoria come to a grinding halt at the brush and rails at 20. That’s elimination after three refusals. They were never really traveling forwards and it definitely wasn’t their day today.

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9:11am

🇵🇱 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Wiktoria Knap and Quintus 134

Dressage Score: 34.4
Place: 45th

It’s a bit of a sticky jump for Wiktoria Knap over an early brush fence (didn’t catch which one, sorry). It’ll be hard work if things don’t start moving more forwards for them. They come to a halt at the wheelbarrow at 11A. The live scoreboard shows them as having continued on though, carrying 20 penalties.

We see Lea and Fighty make a massive leap over the table at 14 They’re very neat through the combination at 15 and waste no time there. Fighty’s ears are pricked as he eyes up the massive ditch and brush at 20 and takes a flier over there. He looks very pleased with himself as he pops the log on the top of the mound at 21. Fighty’s pulling as he comes into the final water and Lea has to ask him to hang on just a hot second.

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9:08am

🇦🇹 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Lea Siegl and DSP Fighting Line

Dressage Score: 29.5
Place: 16th

OK we’re back up and running.

Lea and ‘Fighy’ get off to a good start and are straight into a good rhythm. This pair know each other so well and are so well-suited.

Selina Milnes has finished after what was a great round, despite how tough it must have been being held on course.

Senne is at the flower wall at 27 and has a MIM clip penalty on his record at 22B, that’s 11 penalties picked up for them. That’s gone a few times today. He continues on and comes into the main arena and over the combination at 32. He turns for the last and cross the line. Senne looks thrilled. They also did a great job after being held.

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9am

🇧🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Senne Vervaeck and Google van Alsingen

Dressage Score: 35.7
Place: 53rd

We see Senne clear through fence 12 before being pulled up as there’s a hold on course.

Selina is also being held.

OK, we’ve seen Benjamin Massey’s horse up on his feet. Again, as we have information, we’ll share it.

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8:55am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat

Dressage Score: 27.1
Place: 8th

We see Selina over the big log at 21 and they look to be having a good ride, although we haven’t seen a lot of it.

Benjamin’s horse takes the two massive skinny fences in the water at 26AB in his stride and heads for home. They don’t look quite as quick as earlier as they jump the combination at 29 and the horse really does look to have tired suddenly. Benjamin tries to encourage him over the big oxer at 30 but no, it’s not going to happen and we sadly see them fall there. Thank goodness that’s on a MIM clip and the fence collapses. A sad end to what had been a good looking round. We’ll update you on the horse and rider as we can.

Meanwhile, Alexander and Cool Jack are showing as complete and clear.

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8:50am

🇫🇷 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Benjamin Massie and Filaeo de Perle

Dressage Score: 31.1
Place: 26th

Benjamin gets off to a confident start on this lovely horse. They look really up for it and are very quickly into a great rhythm. The crowd cheers as they make their way through the water at 11. So far, so good for this pair. They look to be well within themselves. They get a great shot over the table at 14 and make their way along the racecourse towards the combination at 15. The horse looks to stumble slightly on the ground after the B element there, but Benjamin sits tight and kicks on. They waste no time at the brush and rails at 20, jumping for joy over there. This is all very fluid and secure and Benjamin must be getting a great feeling from this horse. The crowd’s shouting for him as he goes up the mound, over the big log at 21 and then back down the mound.

Sadly we haven’t seen Alexander and Cool Jack, but the live scoreboard shows them as clear through to the combination at 29 and almost home.

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8:45am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Alexander Tordoff and Cool Jack

Dressage Score: 42.7
Place: 70th

We pick up Alexander at the combination at 10. This is another grey horse with a very brown belly. Bath time later. They don’t look to be in a hurry but the horse is happy and obviously listening to Alex with his ears flicking back and to. They’re careful through the water at 11AB and then Jack pushes into the hanging log for the drop into the water at 13A meaning the swan at B comes up spot on for them.

Ben and Shadow Man get a superb shot over the big log on the mound at 21 and are a real picture through the picture frame. They’re such an enjoyable pair to watch, really flowing and together. Shadow Man is full of scope and power as he clears the table at 23. Ben sees a very forward stride between 29B and C but Shadow Man has all the answers. Ben whoops up the crowd as he gallops towards the main arena. Seriously, this has looked so easy for this horse. There’s big cheers as they leap the mushrooms at 32 and then turn for the bullfinch finale. Ben hails and cab and is whooping as he crosses the line. What a feeling that must have been all the way round for Ben. What a horse and what a ride.

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8:40am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Ben Hobday and Shadow Man

Dressage Score: 28
Place: 9th

We see Ben at the combination at fence 10 which poses no problems whatsoever. They’re very neat over the wheelbarrow at 11A and then over the swan in the water. Shadow Man puts in a lovely jump over the hanging log back into the water at 13A and Ben kicks on through there and towards the table at 14. Boy, this horse can’t half jump. It all looks so smooth and easy for him. They get a perfect shot through the combination at 15 and then gallop on along the track past the removed fences.

Zara and Class Affair clear the mushrooms in the main arena at 32 really well and come round to the finale. They’re over and through the finish. Zara is really, really happy with her horse, who, really, hasn’t always helped her out on cross country. But none of those antics today. Today he was a very good boy and gets a very big pat.

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8:35am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Pippa Funnell and MCS Maverick

Dressage Score: 32.7
Place: 36th

Oh dear, we pick Pippa for the first time after problems at the brush shoulder at 9. We didn’t see it but they’ve picked up at 20 there. It looks like Pippa’s put her hand up. Not their day today.

Kylie comes into the arena and get the perfect shot through the mushrooms at 32. They clear the bullfinch at 33 and we hear her team’s cheers as she crosses the finish. What a round that was. She’s absolutely grinning from ear to ear.

We see Zara for the first time as she gallops towards fence 29, just the B and C elements there after A was removed. They’re clear through there and on their way home.

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8:32am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Zara Tindall and Class Affair

Dressage Score: 35.6
Place: 52nd

We don’t get to see Zara at the start of her round, but the live scoreboard shows her as clear through fence 14.

We pick up Kylie as she comes to the water at 24 and the horse is very economical through the combination there. They come back round to the water for the final time and stand right off the brush spread in the water at 26A, a huge leap there. The corner at B comes up perfectly and they kick on towards home.

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8:26am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Kylie Roddy and SRS Kan Do

Dressage Score: 31.4
Place: 29th

We pick up Kylie as she clears the wheelbarrow at 11A and then takes on the swan at B. She makes the loop over the table at 12 and then back into the water over the hanging log at 13A and then over another swan. They look very confident and the horse has his ears very firmly picked on the course ahead. They fly the table at 14 and then gallop on towards 15.

More big pats for Crazy du Loir as Oliver comes out of the combination at 15AB and heads towards fence 20, the big brush and rails. If you missed it, fences 16-19 have been taken out, Oliver’s not just galloping round them. They make nothing of the picture frame at 22A and then Oliver has to work a little to the corner at B but they jump it cleanly. We see him turning into the main arena and the horse really does look full of run still. They hop over the mushrooms at 32 and then over the last. They come through the finish and Oliver looks very pleased with his 5* first timer. One more ride to go for him, 2nd placed Cooley Rosalent who’ll close things out for us today.

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8:22am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Oliver Townend and Crazy du Loir

Dressage Score: 36.3
Place: 57th

Oliver gets a neat jump into the water at A and has to work a bit through the combination there but Crazy du Loir responds. Oliver gives this 5* first timer a pat after the brush shoulder at 9.

Storm storms into the main arena and jumps neatly through the mushroom combination at the penultimate fence. They get a great shot over the last and Storm is very obviously delighted. What a great ride she had out there.

Meanwhile, Arthur’s garnering big cheers as he makes his way through the final water at 26. Oh, they have a fall at 26A. It is a very welcome sight to see them both up on their feet, wet but no worse for wear. Horse and rider are both walking off course. Apparently there was a cheer in the main arena as the screens showed them up on their feet.

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8:18am

🇫🇷 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Arthur Duffort and Toronto d’Aurois

Dressage Score: 39.6
Place: 65th

We see them drop into the water at 13A and motor on over the swan at B. The horse looks like none of his 17 years are catching up with him. He’s really keen and clearly having a ball out there. He stretches over the table at 14, gives it a little tap, but gallops on.

Storm gives Fever Pitch a pat as he gallops between 23 and the water at 24. Fever Pitch chips in through the combination there but this pair are clearly a well-oiled team.

We finally see Jack Pinkney as he comes into the main arena. They fly the fences through there and over the line. Huge fist pumps from Jack for a brilliant 5* finish. His support team are clearly there to welcome him home with massive whoops and cheers.

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8:13am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Storm Straker and Fever Pitch

Dressage Score: 28.9
Place: 13th

We pick up Storm as she jumps over the wheelbarrow at 11A and then through the water and over the swan at B. They come round to re-enter the water over the hanging log at 13A and get a super jump over the second swan at the B element. She’s storming this track. Fever Pitch has got his ears pricked hunting out the flags and looks to be loving it as much as his mom out there.

We’re still not seeing Jack and Rehy Revelation sorry, but they’re now showing as clear through the penultimate water at 24.

Tom comes into the main arena and jumps neatly through the combination at 32 and then on over the last and through the finish. This has been a really neat round for this 5* debutant and will have given Tom a lot of confidence. What a cool horse to have in his string.

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8:10am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Jack Pinkney and Rehy Revelation

Dressage Score: 36.5
Place: 58th

We haven’t seen Jack, sadly, however the live scoreboard is showing him as clear through fence 14.

Tom’s still going well as he reaches the flower wall at 27. He runs on to 29B – 28 and 29A have been taken out. The horse is still full of run as he comes round and they make an economical route through there, very neat.

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8:05am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Tom Jackson and Plot Twist B

Dressage Score: 35.2
Place: 50th

We see Tom galloping towards the combination at 15. They get a huge jump at the spread at A and run on down the hill. It’s a bit wiggly to the brush corner at B but Tom’s on the ball and the squeak through, taking the flag but nothing comes up on the live scoreboard.

We pick up Florian as the crowd cheer him through the water at 24A and B. They get a great jump over the table at 25 and then come back round through the water for 26AB. No troubles for them. They can smell home. The horse makes a lovely shape over the flower wall at 27. There’s a moment over the second mushroom at 32B as they jump for joy through there. They clear the last and Florian’s chuffed to bits with a 5* finish and the home crowd are suitably appreciative. They did have the MIM clip at 22B for 11 penalties, but a great round for them nonetheless.

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7:58am

🇫🇷 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Florian Ganneval and Erebor de Fleyres

Dressage Score: 41.6
Place: 67th

OK, so we’ve got two French riders on course so we can expect the cheers to increase tenfold, at least. Florian sets off quickly and we see them fly down the mound after the roll top table at 2 and head out onto course. They come into the water at 8 really quick but Florian’s hanging on and makes the turn to the log in the water at B. He decides to circle between the step out of the water at 8C and 9.

Camille meanwhile has his head down and is pushing on along the track where the big change to the fences happened – between 15 and 20. We see them again through the final water. It’s a bit of a sticky jump at the brush corner in the water at 26B but they clear it and gallop on towards home. They come into the main arena to the crowd’s great appreciation. Camille sets up for the penultimate fence, the mushroom combination at 32. They fly the bullfinch finale and are home. The horse is still keen and looking for the next fence. You’re all done lad, and you done good.

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7:54am

🇫🇷 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Camille Lejeune and Dame Decouer Tardonne

Dressage Score: 32.8
Place: 37th

Cheg back with you after EN boss lady Sally kindly hopped in while I had a much needed bathroom break and give my fingers a little down time.

We see Camille take a turn after the step out of the water at 8 before presenting to the brush shoulder at 9, adding a couple of seconds but giving his horse a good experience.

We’re seeing a 20 on the live scoreboard for Sara at 15B. They’ve continued on though and are at the final water at 26. The horse fights for his head a little at the A element of 26 and shows all of his scope as he leaps through there. They continue on and through the finish well over the time.

Update: Aistis Vitkauskas and Commander VG are showing as eliminated rather than retired as we’d thought.

Piggy’s being interviewed and says that she watched the horses before her round and they looked like happy horses. That’s well summarised. Yes the going’s tricky, but the horses have really seemed to enjoy it out there and have finished looking great.

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7:46am

🇩🇰 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Sara Bech Strøm and Dicte Aldrup

Dressage Score: 34.2
Place: 43rd

Danish pair Sarah Bech Strom and Dicte Aldrup now join us on course as Piggy and Halo clear fence 21. Malin Asai and Golden Midnight are home clear, adding 20.8 time penalties for a score of 59.2 to take into tomorrow’s show jumping. Sara Bech takes the long route at the water at 8 and 9.

Halo now comes through the water for the third time, giving a big effort at the two elements in the water and giving them a tap but moving off from them well.

Sara Bech asks for a big effort at 11 in the water and Dicte Aldrup responds with heart. Some seriously big jumps dropping into the water again at 13, which is a hanging rail in. Meanwhile, Piggy and Halo are making their way home, clearing one of the final combinations at 29.

Piggy’s encouraging Halo to get home, and he’s looking to have gotten a bit fatigued but is still making a big effort for his rider as they come to the final fences in the arena. They clear the last and they’re 44 seconds over, adding 17.6 penalties for a score of 45.0, good enough for third in the clubhouse.

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7:42am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Piggy March and Halo

Dressage Score: 27.4
Place: 10th

Now it’s time for the stallion Halo, who’s on course with Piggy March and goes direct at that first water to set a positive tone for the round. Malin Asai and Golden Midnight are showing clear through fence 23, though we haven’t seen them much on the main feed.

“I’m very happy! He’s only 10 and he made that feel really easy. He’s 80% blood so he found it easy, he probably could have kept going. He’s a really quick horse because I don’t have to set him up much, he can just gallop. He’s been double clear everywhere this year,” an elated Caroline Harris says at the finish line.

Piggy’s giving Halo lots of positive encouragement as he jumps quite well for her around this slick course, and he’s galloping really well in this early going.

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7:37 am

🇸🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Malin Asai and Golden Midnight

Dressage Score: 38.4
Place: 63rd

We now welcome Malin Asai and Golden Midnight, as Joseph Murphy finishes his round with Belline Fighting Spirit, adding 29.2 time penalties for a two-phase score of 64.0.

Malin and Golden Midnight take the direct route at the first water after we saw the last couple opt for the long route. Caroline and D. Day continue to skip around with about 2 and a half minutes left on the clock.

Caroline is making really great time out here with just a few efforts to go as she makes her way toward the main arena. This has really been one of the rounds of the day.

She might be the quickest of the day as they enter the arena. And she’s home, flying over the final with just 25 seconds and 10.0 time penalties added — that IS the quickest of the day, and they made it look like an absolute romp. She goes into the provisional lead for a 40.3. What. A. Round.

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7:35am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Caroline Harris and D. Day

Dressage Score: 33.3
Place: 22nd

Caroline Harris and D. Day are our next starters, setting out on a very positive rhythm. This pair looks confident and keen, and we’ll see if they can keep this pushing pace up as the course proceeds. The rain is really coming down now, to the point where most of the live stream cameras are now having trouble keeping a clear view.

No problems whatsoever at the big drop down to the corner at fence 15 for Caroline and D. Day, who is jumping out of her skin.

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7:29am

🇮🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Joseph Murphy and Belline Fighting Spirit

Dressage Score: 34.8
Place: 47th

We see Joseph take the long route out of the first water, looping round before coming back round to the brush shoulder at 9. Joseph’s giving his horse some vocal encouragement as he comes through the water at 13AB. He’s really attacking this course and riding confidently.

The live scoreboard shows that Nicolai and Timmo have had the MIM clip at 22B for 11 penalties, that’s four now to have that. We see them give the the oxer at 30 plenty of air before they head to the main arena and home.

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7:24am

🇩🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Nicolai Aldinger and Timmo

Dressage Score: 30.7
Place: 24th

What a treat to watch a horse who so clearly relishes this phase. Go Timmo, go! He’s hunting out the flags and taking Nicolai for a great ride at the start of their round. He’s super through the water at 11 and then back round to jump back in over the log at 13A and then over the swan at B. I do feel for the grooms of these gray horses on a day like today. As a gray owner myself, I feel their pain.

Wow, Isabel must be excited about her young horse. They cruise through the fences in the main arena and cross the finish line with the horse obviously well within himself. What a round from them.

OK, so it seems Isabel has been given 11 penalties for a broken MIM clip at 22B. That’s the third time that’s come down.

We pick up Aistis as he puts his hand up. We didn’t see much of his round but he must have felt that his horse wasn’t enjoying it today and will hack home.

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7:20am

🇱🇹 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Aistis Vitkauskas and Commander VG

Dressage Score: 38.3
Place: 62nd

Aistis sets off sporting the hat silk knitted by his nana that he always wears cross country. They look confident and up for the job at the early part of the course. Commander VG stretches for the B element at 15 and they gallop on towards fence 20 (fences 16-19 have been removed).

Isabel’s still going well as we see her through the penultimate water at 24. They come round and through the final water at 26AB. This is a young horse at the level for the first time and has been really impressive so far. What a great feeling for Isabel.

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7:16am

🇦🇺 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Isabel English and Cil Dara Dallas

Dressage Score: 32.5
Place: 35th

They get off to what looks to be a steady start and have a neat jump over the wheelbarrow at 11A and then again over the swan in the water at B. They come round the loop and are just as neat through the water at 13AB. They’re making this look very easy. The horse looks to be very comfortable as he jumps the table at 14 and then gallop on past the removed fences towards fence 20.

Box Leo looks full of running as he comes into the main arena and easily pops through the combination at 32. Frida pushes on to the last and they fly that, then push again for the finish line. They’ve had a superb round, clear and, for today, relatively quick.

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7:10am

🇸🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Frida Andersen and Box Leo

Dressage Score: 31.9
Place: 32nd

Box Leo’s looking for the flags as he navigates the first water at 8ABC. They get a little close to the step out of the water and then the brush shoulder at 9 but Frida sits up and supports her horse to pick his way through. They gallop up the track and the horse looks to be fit and ready for the job. They fly through the combination at 15 without wasting a second, a really smooth line through there.

Fiona’s having a great round and looks to be really enjoying it out there. They make their way through the final water, standing off the brush corner in the water at 26B but Fiona kicks on towards home. They have a little wiggle into the B element of 32 in the main arena, but Fiona steers them over and they clear the last. Big smiles from Fiona. A really classy round from them.

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7:05am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Fiona Kashel and Creevagh Silver de Haar

Dressage Score: 29.7
Place: 18th

They set off very neatly and get straight into a nice rhythm. They navigate the water combination at 11 without problem and then dop back into the water over the log at 13A. They’re very economical through that loop.

Arthur’s crouched low as he gallops towards the main arena. There’s a roar as he comes into the ring and canters round to take on the penultimate combination. Church’ile has something to say as he approaches the A element of 32 but Arthur’s got him on the line and they clear the two brilliantly. They fly the last and there’s a fist pump from Arthur as they cross the line. What a fabulous round from them.

Unfortunately we’re hearing that Isabel White and Icarus have had a fall at fence 20, the brush and rails. We didn’t see it but we’re being told that they’re both on their feet.

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7:01am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Isabel White and Icarus

Dressage Score: 30.9
Place: 25th

We see Isabel clear the brush shoulder at 9 but the livestream cuts straight back to Arthur.

There’s a stutter for Arthur into the brush and rails at 20 but Church’ile’s very quick with his hooves and the fly on over. He clears the big log on the mound at 21 and the cheers from the French crowd follow them around the track. They have a huge jump at 24a but get the balance back for the B element in the water. They splash through the final water and have another enormous leap over the B element there, at 26B. Wow, Church’ile’s loving it out there.

We rejoin Isabel at the second water. Icarus is ears pricked as he picks his way through carefully.

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6:56am

🇫🇷 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Arthur Marx and Church’ile

Dressage Score: 33.4
Place: 40th

Arthur’s got both feet firmly plugged into the irons as he sets off on course this year. The horse twists slightly over the brush shoulder at 9 but Arthur’s in perfect balance and he kicks on. They’re tidy over the combination in the water at 11AB and then come back round to drop back in at 13A. They get an economical jump over there and then take the flag at the swan in the water at B but nothing comes up on the scoreboard.

Daragh gets a good line through the combination at 15AB and Daragh’s vocal in his thanks to the horse for doing such a good job – “Good lad!”. He sees a stride from a mile off to the brush and rails at 20. We don’t see it on screen but Daragh’s had the MIM clip at 22B, the same one as Caroline Powell. But he’ll really be looking for a completion here today, and so far, he’s headed that way.

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6:52am

🇮🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Daragh Byrne and Kilcannon Ramiro

Dressage Score: 35.9
Place: 54th

Kilcannon’s got his ears pricked as he sets off and pops the first three really confidently. Daragh drives into the bullfinch at 8A and then they jump nicely at the log into the water at B. They take the long route at C rather than going up the step. The rain is really coming down but Kilcannon’s not bothered by that. They clear the wheelbarrow at 11AB and then don’t give the swan much air space at B but they clear it. They come back round to drop back into the water at 13AB, Daragh’s driving forward and giving his horse a lot of confidence.

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6:47am

🇳🇿 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park

Dressage Score: 26.3
Place: 5th

Clarke looks confident and up for the test as he heads out of the start box. He’s in a good spot in 5th after the dressage. He doesn’t look to be motoring, but he’s picked up a great rhythm early on and the horse looks to be very much with him and focused on his job.

Oh my! Just as I typed that there’s trouble for Clarke. Menlo Park just doesn’t take off at the table at 7. They stay on their feet as he kind of stumbles into it a little and Clarke immediately puts his hand up.

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6:43am

🇳🇿 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: James Avery and MBF Connection

Dressage Score: 34.3
Place: 44th

Oh dear, early troubles for James and MBF Connection as they glance off to the left of 10B. They come back round but have another refusal and James puts up his hand. Not their day today.

Wouter comes into the main arena and comes round for the final combination at 32. They have a good jump through there and then clear the last. Wouter is absolutely delighted. What a grin! Huge pats for his lovely horse and a job very, very well done by both.

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6:34am

🇧🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Wouter de Cleene and Quintera

Dressage Score: 30.4
Place: 23rd

There’s lots of pats for Quintera as Wouter sees a great stride through the water combination at 8. They make a similarly tidy job through the direct route at 10AB. Quintera makes nothing of jumping a swan at 11B and then they come back round to drop into the water again over the hanging log at 13, more neat jumping from this combination. They continue on in a steady rhythm up the hill to the combination at 15. They take the flag at the brush corner at B but looked to be inside, nothing comes up on the scoreboard. They clear the big table at 25 without drama and splash through the final water, wow Wouter really saw a stride through the combination at 26AB, the two narrow fence in the water. This has been a really enjoyable round to water, a real picture of a horse and rider working confidently together.

We stay with Jennifer and Sammy Davis Junior, who looks to be very much enjoying his time on the muddy track, he’s really got stuck in. He flies over the brush and rails at 20. They power on towards home and Jennifer looks delighted with her horse’s efforts as they canter through the finish. Well over the time but clear jumping. Sammy Davis Junior really enjoys his applause.

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6:31am

🇮🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Jennifer Kuehnle and Sammy Davis Junior

Dressage Score: 31.9
Place: 32nd

They set out confidently and power on along the course clear through to fence 15.

Update: Caroline picked up 11 penalties for a broken MIM clip.

Oh no, Arne has taken a tumble at 22A, the hexagonal picture frame fence. We see him leading Luthien off course, muddy but looks to be fine.

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6:26am

🇩🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Arne Bergendahl and Luthien NRW

Dressage Score: 34.1
Place: 42nd

They set out bravely and attacking and the horse is really responding to Arne who’s giving him big pats all the way round.

OK, so we’re seeing on the live scoreboard that Caroline Powell and High Time have picked up penalties at 22B. I’ll update you as I know more.

Meanwhile, Laura has come to the end of her round and it’s clear all the way, a shame we didn’t get to see them.

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6:21am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Laura Birley and Bob Cotton Bandit

Dressage Score: 42.2
Place: 68th

We don’t see Laura on course, sorry, but we can tell from the live leaderboard that she’s clear through to fence 20.

Caroline clears the last and her horse looks full of run after the efforts of the track. What a quality pair they are and have delivered a very smooth clear round.

Tom is giving a masterclass as he makes his way round the course. It all looks so easy and rhythmical. He’s riding as well as I’ve ever seen him, it really is an impressive picture. They pop over the flower wall at 27 and then head for 29BC – 28 and 29A have been removed. Tom’s still got a soft rein as he goes through the double of narrow triple brushes at 29 on the four strides. He’s still in the green on the clock and is surely on track for the fastest round so far. He drives into the main arena as the clock turns red and then crouches low into the final fence. They’re over. Fabulous, classy round for them.

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6:16am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality

Dressage Score: 25.8
Place: 4th

World No.1 Tom sets out looking very keen for the job. He really rides at the brush oxer at 3, showing his horse exactly what he wants to happen. He’s not hanging around, but is obviously being careful given the conditions. They’re foot perfect through the water at 13AB and is up on the clock compared to others at that point. Horse and rider look really relaxed and well within themselves and Brookfield Quality is jumping superbly. They make the big bullfinch spread at 15A look easy and then clear the brush corner at B in perfect balance. They make their way between fence 15 and 20 – there’s no jumping efforts between there due to the fences which have been removed.

Robbie is almost home after a steady, deliberate round. He comes through the main arena and pops through the combination at 32 and then over the last. A very solid round for them.

Meanwhile, Caroline’s really pushing on. Her horse looks to be thoroughly enjoying his trip round the track and must be giving Caroline a really great feeling.

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6:11am

🇳🇿 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Caroline Powell and High Time

Dressage Score: 33.5
Place: 41st

We see them go through the second water at 11AB and then circle round to go back through the water at 13AB. Beautiful. The horse looks confident despite being at the level for the first time and, obviously, he couldn’t have a better jockey. They’re really painting a picture of a horse and rider in harmony.

Robbie really respects the spread at 15A, it’s a big old fence topped with bullfinch. They slip slightly on the turn into the brush corner at B but Robbie’s in perfect balance and they have a good jump. There’s been sand put down there but it does look a little slippy. Robbie’s really giving this horse a sensible, careful ride.

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6:07am

🇮🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Robbie Kearns and Ballyvillaine OBOS

Dressage Score: 34.6
Place: 46th

Robbie gets off to a solid start. This pair should be comfortable with the mud, hailing from Ireland. We pick them back up as they clear the wheelbarrow at 11A and then pop through the water, over the swan at B and then continue the loop back round, over the log into the water at 13A and then they slither over the swan, again at B. Robbie sticks tight though and they gallop on.

We rejoin Aimee in the main arena, wow, this horse is still pulling. They gallop round and set up for the combination of mushrooms at 32 and then clear the last. That looked like hard work for Aimee but what a fantastic feeling it must be to have a horse who so clearly knows and loves his job.

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6:03am

🇮🇪 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Dominic Furnell and Bellscross Guy

Dressage Score: 46.1
Place: 72nd

We pick Dominic up as he takes the long route at the first water at 8. He’s going steadily. We don’t see it but the live scoreboard shows that they pick up a 20 at 10B.

Aimee’s horse still looks strong as they jump the picture frame at 22A, really relishing his job. They make nothing of the water at 24, he’s obviously listening to Aimee despite feeling full of himself. They splash through the final water and make their way towards the finish line.

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5:59am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Aimee Penny and PSH Encore

Dressage Score: 36.5
Place: 58th

We see Aimee pop over the first three fences before rejoining Luc at the water at 24AB. The horse has really picked up, Luc’s kept him in a good rhythm and really has ridden well round this tricky track. The French crowd cheer as they make their way through the final water at 26 and head towards home. The horse looks to be finishing really well as he comes into the main arena and pops through the combination in there. They clear the last and that’s been a really nice round for them.

Meanwhile, Aimee makes a great job at the water at 11 and her horse really looks very keen. He’s attacking and taking her to the fences really confidently. They get a big jump into the water at 13 over the log and then power through over the swan at the B element.

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5:53am

🇫🇷 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Luc Chateau and Cocorico de l’Ebat

Dressage Score: 32.2
Place: 34th

We pick up Luc as he makes his way along the racecourse towards the table at 14. It’s a pull up that hill and the horse looks a little weary as gets to the top. But Luc’s riding really sympathetically and the horse takes a breath before they tackle the combination at 15 really nicely.

We get a close up of Boyd’s face as he crosses the finish line, yikes. But it’s a great round for them and fairly quick in the conditions. Boyd’ll be really pleased with Bruno’s performance, for sure. He’s really dug deep and showed his class, whatever the weather.

We get a glimpse of Ros coming through the penultimate water at 24. She’s really showing us a flowing and smooth round. The swans get out of the way as she splashes through the water for the final time at 26. Her time looks pretty good. She comes into the main arena and is down on the clock compared to Boyd, but there’s a big cheer as she clears the last and a big smile for Ros as she gives her horse a pat.

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5:49am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Ros Canter and MHS Seventeen

Dressage Score: 31.7
Place: 31st

They get off to a tidy start and Ros really shows off her elegant style at the combination at 10. We’re not seeing a lot of their round though.

We rejoin Boyd as he gallops along the part of the track where the fences have been removed – fences 16-19. He jumps the brush and rails at 20 and then flies the big log at 21. Boyd makes the four strides happen at 22AB and kicks on. Bruno jumps the flower wall at 27 brilliantly and catches the interest of a couple of jack russells but they’re, thankfully, on a tight leash. Boyd sets up for the combination at 29BC – the A element has been taken out – and they’re almost home now.

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5:46am

🇺🇸 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Boyd Martin and Fedarman B

Dressage Score: 29.5
Place: 16th

Our first US competitor is away! Boyd and ‘Bruno’ look really confident as they set off and they’re quick enough through the first part of the course. They have a great ride through the water at 13 and gallop on up the hill. The ground does look to be testing but Bruno’s digging deep and is jumping really well.

Kirsty has retired on course with Classic VI.

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5:42am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI

Dressage Score: 30
Place: 19th

Classic’s helping Kirsty out a little at the start of their round, but this experienced mare knows her job and Kirsty knows her horse inside out. They’re clear through to the third water at 13AB and look to have really settled into their round. Kirsty seems to be trying to tell the roving camera car to back off a bit, goodness, the last thing the riders need is any distractions, although we do really appreciate the live feed. Oh dear, that lapse in focus takes its toll and she goes the wrong way. She’s quickly circled round and gets back on the right side of the ropes, that was impressively managed. Ah, and things continue to deteriorate. They grind to a halt at the big log on the top of the mound at 21.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any of Tom’s round but the live scoreboard shows he’s round with those two refusals on his card.

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5:36am

🇬🇧 NEW STARTER OUT ON COURSE: Tom Rowland and KND Steel Pulse

Dressage Score: 31.5
Place: 30th

We’re not seeing Tom on screen, sadly, although if you’re watching live on Pau TV, I think you can toggle between videos to watch individual riders. We can see on the live leaderboard that he’s had a 20 at 10B. We’re also seeing a 20 at 15B.

We stay with Oliver as he jumps the picture frame at 22A and then there’s a bit of a stutter as he comes into the corner at B, but Oliver gives his horse confidence and they make their way over and onto the big table at 23. He continues on steadily and carefully and navigates the final two waters at 24 and 26. They miss out 28 and 29A as they’ve been taken out and are nearing home now. They come into the main arena to jump 32AB and are, unsurprisingly, well over the time. They clear the last and that’s been a really confidence-giving round to start the day.

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5:30am

🇬🇧 FIRST HORSE OUT ON COURSE: Oliver Townend and En Taro des Vernier

Dressage Score: 29.4
Place: 15th

We’re off! Oliver leaves the start box and gets Pau underway.

The track is clearly very wet and Oliver’s set off relatively quietly on this 5* debutant. He pops the first three fences nicely and makes his way to fence 7 – fences 4, 5 and 6 have been taken out this morning.

They come to the first water and drop in quite steeply. Everything comes up foot perfect for them through the log in the water and then the step out. So far so good for our first pair. They go the direct route through 10AB and then gallop on, still at a steady pace. The horse makes a good jump over the wheelbarrow at 11AB and then clears the swan in the water at the B element. They drop confidently back into the water at 13A and then over another swan and off they go out into the country. They get right up into the air over the table at 14 and then on to the combination at 15 where they make a very efficient line to the B element. Now they’ll make their way to fence 20 – fences 16-19 have been removed.

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Les 5 Étoiles de Pau (France): [Website] [Entries] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

Our coverage of Pau is brought to you by our incredible supporters, Kentucky Performance Products, your one-stop shop for science-backed nutritional products to keep your horse feeling their best at all times. They’ll even get on the phone with you to help you formulate a solid supplementation plan for your horse’s individual needs! We’d really appreciate your support of KPP, as they’re champions for our sport and beyond and are wonderful people to boot. Check them out here.

Saturday Links from World Equestrian Brands

By on Oct 26, 2024 12:01 am -

Tom McEwen: king of the selfie? We’re now getting accustomed to a Tom selfie, as he’s clearly got the skillset needed to achieve the tough feat of grabbing one while three abreast on horseback. Personally, we think this is deserving of a medal in its own right.

U.S. Weekend Preview

Bouckaert International & H.T. (GA) *US Equestrian Open Qualifier*: [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

Waredaca Classic Three-Day and H.T. (MD): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times] [Scoring] [Volunteer]

YEH West Coast Championships at Twin Rivers (CA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring]

Hitching Post Farm H.T. (VT): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scoring]

Major International Events

Les 5 Etoiles de Pau (France): [Website] [Entries] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

Links & Reading

James Baxter Proves Success Doesn’t Require a Fancy Pedigree

Equestrian Marketing Done Right: 8 Successful Brand Collaborations

48 Hours Before Milton: Diary Of A Hurricane Evacuation

What I Learned from a Year Without Horses

2024 ECP Open Forum and 2025 USEA Educational Symposium Head to New Territory

Sponsor Corner: World Equestrian Brands

You can rely on Mattes wool pads to keep your horse cool, and your saddle secure! The Mattes wool half-pad, available via World Equestrian Brands here, is designed to help your horse off-load heat where the saddle sits. Using a pad that traps heat increases muscle temperature while also compounding fatigue.

Video Break

“Horses and the Science of Harmony” examines the nature of harmony between horse and rider through the eyes of 3-day event rider Bubby Upton and through the lens of cutting-edge science. Horses and the Science of Harmony tells the emotional story of Bubby Upton, a rising star in British three-day eventing, who suffered a catastrophic spinal injury yet bravely fought to get back to doing what she loves…ride. Bubby’s story is woven alongside ground breaking research to educate viewers about equine behavior and optimal well-being, while simultaneously asking the question “what is it about horses that speaks so strongly to our hearts?”

Horses & the Science of Harmony features the “who’s who” of British eventing, including Mary King, Lucinda Green and Piggy March, as well as some of the top equine veterinarians and researchers in the world – all weighing in on the concept of harmony between humans and horses.

Reigning Champs and Raining Champs: Ros Canter Sails to Pau Dressage Lead

By on Oct 25, 2024 5:44 pm -

Ros Canter and Izilot DHI. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This time twelve months ago, Ros Canter and Izilot DHI cantered into the main arena at Pau – and then ceased motion abruptly when the young, notoriously spooky horse caught sight of the livestream cameraman on the long side of the ring. First, he darted backwards, and then sideways, head and long, long neck held sky high as his tiny rider tried to steady him and regain some semblance of the work she’d established in the warm-up moments earlier. The more she tried, the more Izilot – or Isaac, as he’s known at home – resisted her request to move past the offending camera. The murmurings around the arena increased: it looked very much as though it was about to be a seriously painful test to watch. Would they even make it into the ring? When they got there, would Ros stand any chance at all of navigating the test, or would they end up eliminated for resistance? 

 The bell rang, Ros turned Isaac away from the cameraman – who, unabashed and unaware, continued changing his jacket and adjusting his focal point – and headed down to A. They entered, the board was closed behind them – and then, inexplicably, Isaac got to work. It was as though the camera wasn’t even there. They ended the first phase on a score of 24.3 – good enough for second at the time – and went on to win the competition. 

This year, it was a very different Isaac who entered the arena. He might still be a spooky horse at heart – although Ros’s season-long efforts, including only schooling him away from home, and letting him live out 24/7, have helped – but now, he’s also a horse who really wants to do his job right. That much was evident as Ros cantered him confidently down the chute from the warm-up ring, and when he strode into the arena, he didn’t bat an eyelid at the crowd, the big screen, the flowers, the decorative hedges and cross-country fences – or the cameraman, who was even scarier today in head-to-toe rain gear and a bright red coat. He didn’t even spook at the arena soundtrack, which got odder and odder as the day progressed, and meant that Ros did her test to something that sounded a bit like Enya, if Enya was mad about it. 

Ros Canter and Izilot DHI. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Instead, his entrance was notable for only the positives: push, power, and fluidity, which continued on apace throughout their test and saw them finish the day on an excellent 19. That’s Ros’s best-ever five-star score (she and Isaac also put a 19.9 on the board at Burghley, which does raise some concerns that they might post the 14.3 they were trending at in their trotwork today in twelve months’ time), and it’s also enough to give the pair a 5.6 penalty margin as they begin their campaign to defend their title.

But did the test feel as straightforward as it looked?

“It’s never easy with Isaac – it’s always a challenge!” laughs Ros. “It’s like, ‘did I do enough? Did I do too much [in the warm-up]?’ And actually, today I thought we’d done a bit too much, because he was a little bit heavy on the reins out there. But he really lifted when he came into the arena and heard the clapping for Boyd Martin, and then he was really, really lovely to ride.”

During that entrance, we certainly weren’t the only ones thinking back to last year.

“What I’m really delighted about is that last year, he came in here and found the camera quite spooky, but today, I went in and he just went straight past it,” says Ros. “It shows how much he’s come on in a year.”

Ros Canter and Izilot DHI. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

That progression over the last twelve months means, she continues, that “I suppose I’m starting to get confidence, in a way, in riding him a bit more [elastic]. And so today, I was really pleased with his balance in the medium and extended trot, because he’s got quite a narrow wheel base, and so sometimes he can feel a little bit young and wobbly in those. But today, he felt really stable in it, and that was lovely.” 

Coming in as the reigning champion is always an interesting additional pressure, but for Ros, she knows that it’s best not to think too many steps ahead with Isaac – “it’s all still a fact-finding mission, in a way,” she says. “He’s desperate to jump between the flags these days, he really is, but it’s just all about if something else takes his eye and stops him from seeing the fence or takes him off his line. I know he wants to do the job for me, although the ground conditions would put a question mark in my mind – last year he was held, and we were on the top of the ground, so I was able to run him fast at the end. It’ll be interesting to see how he copes tomorrow. Sometimes we have good days; sometimes, we don’t, so we’ll just enjoy today.”

Ros Canter and Izilot DHI. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Their run here is a reroute from a Burghley that ended early at the Defender Valley, where Isaac ran out at an angled hedge that caused several issues through the day. But, says Ros, the experience wasn’t a bad one – it was just a reminder that nothing’s ever to be taken for granted with Isaac. 

“I was actually really happy with Burghley, on the whole – how he came out of the startbox, how he went through the main arena. He felt as settled and confident as he’s ever felt” she says. “I was happy with the way he took off over the ditch [before the hedge]. He just happened to jink sideways, and at five-star, you can’t afford to do that. You never really know with him – I predicted he’d spook at the stones on the left, and he spooked at the flowerpot on the right! I think my job as a rider has to just be to ride him like he’s not going to spook, and if he does and I can deal with it, great. If I can’t, well, I can’t change his personality, and I can’t change who he is, so I have to just go in with the confidence that he’ll stay on his line. It’s really a split second thing with him.”

Emily King and Valmy Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Also rerouting from Burghley, and starting her campaign very happily, is Emily King and her French-bred partner Valmy Biats, who sit equal second with Oliver Townend and his Kentucky winner Cooley Rosalent on a score of 24.6. 

“I’ve had him for a while now, and he just keeps getting better and better,” says Emily (who did her test to ‘Bet On It’ from High School Musical 2, if the day’s weird music is what you’re here for). “He knows everything in the test now. He’s so sensitive and such an overthinker that when he was a young horse and still learning stuff, he’d go in and just get tense and strong because he tried so hard. Now, I think he’s getting relaxed, and because he knows everything, I’ve got the confidence to just go in and breathe and show him off, softly, without having to override him, and without him getting strong and jeopardising the movement.”

Like Ros and Isaac, Emily was able to eke another 5% out of Valmy simply by making use of Pau’s buzzy atmosphere.

“He felt awesome in the warm-up, and when he went in the ring, the cameras and the crowd really lifted his frame without making him go hot,” she says. “I’d say it was the best feeling I’ve ever had in a test with him, and there were no big mistakes, so it was so nice to be rewarded with a good mark. I’m just so pleased with him.”

Emily King and Valmy Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Pleased, too, no doubt, are brand new owners Paula and David Evans, who are an enormously welcome addition to Emily’s team. Not only have the couple, best known for owning Andrew Hoy’s Vassily de Lassos, taken the reins (so to speak, anyway) on Valmy, they’ve also provided a new ride for Emily in Creevagh Cooley, who was previously campaigned by Andrew.

“They’re absolutely lovely new owners who were really keen on the idea of having a five star horse, and it’s just lovely for them,” says Emily. “This is their first show owning him, so I really want to get off on the right foot. We’ve done the first phase, and now we’ve just got to try and see it through – but I’m really excited for them, and I hope that Val can give them some great years of fun.”

Though most competitors are looking ahead to tomorrow’s tough conditions with grim resignation, Emily is, perhaps, the most fortuitously mounted rider in the field: not only has Valmy got form in the mud, winning Thoresby’s CCI4*-S two years running in questionable ground, but he also lives out in it year-round, merrily mooching around on his own patch of hill in the Cheshire countryside, which lends him an innate sure-footedness no matter what sort of going he encounters. 

“Val loves the mud, he lives in the mud, he is mud,” laughs Emily. “But I’ll still really have to ride how he’s feeling. It’s not a Burghley or Badminton track out there but there are serious accuracy and precision question, which will be really tough if it’s deep and the going is getting turfed up while you’re trying to stick to your lines. It’ll be a proper course and I’ll just ride what I’m feeling underneath me.”

Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

That’s much the name of the game, too, for Oliver and Rosie, who sit on the same score – though, Oliver says wryly, “we’ll probably still see some mad Frenchman having a go at turning a three-and-a-half strides into three!”

But for Rosie, and his two other rides, debutants En Taro Des Vernier (15th on 29.4) and Crazy Du Loir (57th on 36.3), he’s keeping their inexperience at the forefront of his planning – which might sound slightly odd, considering that the Irish-bred mare is already a five-star winner. But she’s also only a ten-year-old, and Oliver hopes to keep her coming out at the top for many seasons yet. 

“She’s not actually seen as much as most of the field, but she’s top, top class, and she’s not a foreign horse, so hopefully that’ll work in our favour tomorrow,” he says. “She’s still green and a baby – I know she’s a Kentucky winner, but normally, when they’ve had a result like that, they need time to recover mentally. But I think she’s very good in the brain, and taking it all in her stride.”

Her lineage, he continues, is another asset in her pocket – even if it means that this phase has taken a little bit of time to come together. 

“Her mother was a Scottish Grand National winner, so she’s 70% Thoroughbred. She’s not bred to do a dressage test, but she’s getting stronger all the time, and she’s getting more confident,” he says. “She’s very, very sensitive, and you’ve got to work around her, but at the same time, she’s definitely one that’s worth working around.”

Yasmin Ingham and Rehy DJ. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Day one leaders Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality sit fourth overnight on their 25.8, while yesterday’s runners-up, New Zealand’s Clarke Johnstone and his Paris mount Menlo Park, are fifth on 26.3. World Champion Yasmin Ingham moves into sixth place with her two-time Luhmühlen podium-placer Rehy DJ, who delivered a charismatic test with one jolly, celebratory explosion after his final halt to score a 26.5 – “I gave him a fun jump this morning to put him in the right frame of mind for today, and I’m really happy with how well he held it together in there,” she laughs – while New Zealand’s Sam Lissington takes provisional seventh on a 26.7 with Lord Seekonig. 

Samantha Lissington and Lord Seekonig. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“I was a bit playing catch-up, because the first centerline was lovely, and it was a lovely halt, but then I struck off in a muddle,” says Sam. “So I was having to claw back the rest of the test, but I think the score is pretty good considering that. But he was really good, and stayed with me the whole way. He’s quite a shy person, so it’s nice for him to be brave and show off.”

Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Eighth place overnight is held by Britain’s Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat on a score of 27.1. 

“He’s usually quite consistent with me on the flat,” says Selina, who handed the reins to Tom McEwen for the trot up as she continues to recover from a skiing injury sustained last winter. “At home he’s been diving – and he was doing it here as well – in his first half pass to his change on the straight line, so from left to right. He’s been diving left and just anticipating it, so I’ve done nothing [in the schooling ring] with it at all, and then he was on the aids in there.”

Tim Price and Jarillo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tim Price debuted smart youngster Jarillo at the level today, and was happy to wrap up his test on a score of 27.2, which is good enough for ninth overnight – and earlier marks, which nearly put the pair in the lead overnight, show just how much promise the ten-year-old has for the future. 

The busy nature of this particular five-star test, and of the step up in complexity on the flat generally, suit Jarillo’s quick, similarly busy brain, says Tim.

“It’s quite good for him – he’s sharp and he looks at things, so it always gives him something to think about. You have to have your leg on around every corner and constantly be positioning him to go. I quite like this test for a youngster, actually.”

Piggy March and Halo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Piggy March and the young stallion Halo round out the top ten on their score of 27.4, and while Piggy was thrilled with her former Blenheim champion’s performance, she was frustrated by some of the broad margins between judges at various points in the test. 

“I can’t figure it out. As a rider, we train, we do analyze test results and the same thing happened at Blenheim [with the judge at B not liking it],” she says with a sigh. “I thought maybe at Blenheim, I had him too up and out. So this time, I thought I’d keep him a bit more round at the base of the neck, and he was very in front of my leg. He was very on the buttons. I don’t know whether I’m just getting something wrong, but I’m not understanding it at the minute. We’re meant to be top athletes, we’re meant to analyze things, and you think, ‘Well, what’s right, what’s wrong?’ I know it’s personal opinions, but it’s nearly a 10% difference. So I’ve come out actually a little bit lost about what I have to do. I’m not being a dick here, but I’m not coming out going, ‘Oh, thank God, I got a good mark.’ I don’t care about the rest of the competition, it’s a complete other thing. It’s going to piss with rain. It’s going to be horrendous! It’s his first 5*. It’s irrelevant! But he’s a lovely little horse and he felt like he gave it all, so what’s my problem? We’re fine tuning the whole time. It’s like, a bit more nose, a bit more pace, a bit more…?”

Her remarks raise a good point about the clarity with which marks are given – after all, the name of the game is constant education and progression, and for a seasoned professional to be left flummoxed about how to move forward shows that there’s work that can be done all around to make sure that that transparency is readily available within the constraints of time and manpower that prevail at events. But scoring aside, Piggy was thrilled with the feeling she got in the ring. 

“I’m delighted. Oh my God, he was amazing. His brain was incredible. So rideable! He wasn’t dropping me at all. He stayed with me like, ‘I’m here to show myself off,’” she beams.

Boyd Martin and Miss Lulu Herself. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Boyd Martin came forward with his second ride of the week – and another application of concealer – to score a 30.1 with Miss Lulu Herself, putting her into 21st position after the first phase of her five-star debut. He also sits sixteenth overnight with yesterday’s ride, Fedarman B, on a score of 29.5. 

Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It was a tougher day in the office for Will Coleman and the ordinarily very consistent Off The Record, who broke to canter in the medium trot and then continued on into a test that was peppered with small mistakes. They ultimately earned a 33.2 for 39th, which might feel rather off the boil at this stage, but come tomorrow, it’ll see them well in the hunt. Yesterday’s glorious sunshine didn’t do much to firm up the already deep footing, and today, we’ve been heaped upon by the rain, which is set to continue through the night and into tomorrow, and has already prompted several changes to the tough, twisty, achingly precise course designed by Pierre Michelet. We’ve got more insights into the challenge to come ahead of tomorrow’s sport beginning at 11.30 a.m. local time (10.30 a.m. BST/5.30 a.m. EST) here – but for now, suffice it to say that tomorrow’s leaderboard will be like today’s, if today’s got stuck in a tumble dryer for a couple of hours and then spilled out onto the kitchen floor, probably into a puddle of leakage. Nice stuff! Delightful! Weird sport, this! 

The top ten at the end of dressage at Pau.

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Take a Gander at Pierre Michelet’s CCI5* Course at Les 5 Ètoiles de Pau + What Riders are Saying

By on Oct 25, 2024 3:50 pm -

Photo via CrossCountryApp.

It’s now time to turn our attention to the cross country test that awaits at Les 5 Ètoiles de Pau in the south of France, where torrential downpours have ravaged the venue with moisture. This weather turn has promoted event officials to make some amendments to Pierre Michelet’s course to ensure the safety of all riders and horses tomorrow.

Below, we’ll round up what the riders are saying about this year’s track, but first let’s take a look at its makeup.

Pierre has reversed the direction of the course this year for the first time since 2021, making for a busier first section of the track that takes riders on a different loop through the first six fences, after which they will encounter their first real opportunity to gain some time on the clock. This year’s course also features five water questions, utilizing the main water complex on three occasions and the second complex twice. Par to Pierre’s style, there are plenty of suck-it-in skinnies placed on the course, as well as multiple narrow “stump” type fences which can be prone to catching a leg here and there, especially late or early on course.

You can click through each question on course in the CrossCountryApp plan embedded below or by clicking here.

Now, let’s talk about the changes that have been made this evening by officials.

The first fence that’s been taken off is fence 17, a trakehner fence set on the racecourse section of the track, due to poor footing.

Photo via CrossCountryApp.

Also removed from the course are fence 28, a single oxer, and the A element of the 28ABCD combination — always an influential one at Pau, and it still could be even with the removal of the A element, which was a brush rolltop. The takeoff and landing spots were given as the reason for removal, and the ground crew will also place sand at the takeoff and landing of all fences in the morning to ensure more stable going for the horses.

Some changes have also been made to the roping of the track, creating a more direct route from fence 9 to 10 and again from 22 to 23, avoiding some of the more heavily saturated gallop areas in doing so.

The optimum time for this year’s course was originally set at 11:25, making it lengthier than its recent iterations, though that time is likely to be modified according to the changes that have been made. Officials will meet again in the morning to make any further adjustments needed to the track.

Let’s hear a bit from the riders as they react to Pierre’s design this year:

🇬🇧 Ros Canter – Izilot DHI – 19 – 1st / MHS Seventeen – 31.7 – 31st

I think when you’re riding wet conditions, there is an element that actually, you need to get stuck in anyway, just to help the horses and give them the best positive experience possible. But it’s also very much about taking every jump as it comes, riding the horse underneath you and being prepared to change plans along the way. Of course, it would be lovely to say I’m going to go out and try and make the time on both my horses but I think very much things will change hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second when we’re actually out on course.

🇬🇧 Emily King – Valmy Biats – 24.6 – 2nd=

I know they’re going to make some adaptations to make it kinder on the horses, but the going is still soft. Val[my Biats] he loves the mud. He lives out in the mud. He is mud! But obviously you’re going to have to really vibe with how they’re feeling. And also, I think with the going being deep, it’s not like a Burghley or Badminton track out there, but there’s serious accuracy, containment, precision questions, which, if it’s deep and you’re having to stick on your line and the going is getting turned up, it’s going to make it really tough. I think it’ll be a proper course tomorrow and we’re going to have to really ride what’s underneath us not get carried away with the time, really just go with how they’re feeling.

🇬🇧 Oliver Townend – Cooley Rosalent – 24.6 – 2nd= / En Taro Des Vernier – 29.4 – 15th / Crazy Du Loir – 36.3 – 57th

I think it’s polar opposite to what we had last week in Maryland, in terms of, Maryland was huge. This isn’t huge, but it’s obviously technical. I think on good to firm ground, the time would have been extremely difficult to get because of the twistiness and technicality of the course. I think he [Pierre Michelet] wanted you on the wing and a prayer at some of the distances. Because of the rain, now I don’t think that’s going to happen. Maybe a couple of ‘mad French’ ones might have a go at getting the three and half strides into three, but I’m on babies – two first timers and a 10-year-old so I’m just going to look after them.

🇬🇧 Tom McEwen – Brookfield Quality – 25.8 – 4th

I think this is a different test again. I actually think Luhmuhlen, considering we look at it as a foreign track, it’s very smooth and rolling and forward distances. This [Pau] you got to make a few choices. It’s not the biggest, but at the same time it’s nearly like doing two 4*S. There’s a few minutes out on the Gallop track, or whatever you call it. It’s just so intense. I think the time will be really quick. You’ve just got to be there or there abouts and then go for it on Saturday, and actually maybe the early draw with the sun on his back today and the best of the ground on Saturday might be really beneficial.

🇬🇧 Yasmin Ingham – Rehy DJ – 26.5 – 6th

It’s definitely a true, strong, five-star track. There’s plenty of places that Pierre has given you opportunity to miss your line or your distance. So it’s definitely very French built. Everything’s quite forward, but it’s nice when you get onto the race course, you can really open them up and hopefully get up on your minutes by the time you get on this side of the race course, when you’re doing this and twisting and turning again. So you’ve got to have definitely a very agile horse for this sort of track, and ones that can be quite nippy around the bends and then open up on the straights. But it looks a beautiful track.

lt’s a bit soft in places, so I definitely will have to see how it goes during the day. I mean, I’m obviously in the last half, I would say. So I’m assuming that the conditions will vary throughout the day, and whether they’ll get better or worse, I’m not sure yet, but we’ll have a plan and then if it needs to be adjusted, we’ll have A, B, C, D, etc.

🇬🇧 Selina Milnes – Cooley Snapchat – 27.1 – 8th

I don’t like the start, one two. Literally one off ? bend, two that big table. I know I can really help, [get in the air over that?], and I think that might make him a bit careful. I’m hoping. I don’t like this loop at all, down here. I’m hoping, if it rains, that’s what they’re going to take out. it’s just so twisty, and the water – you jump in, and go round again, jump in again. Not the best Pau track I’ve seen, but we’ll see. He’s pretty versatile and he’s not strong. I’m actually quite glad. The other two, you wouldn’t want to bring the other two big rangy strong ones., yeah. But he’s usually very on the aids.

🇨🇳 Alex Hua Tian – Chiko – 28.9 – 13th

I was hoping that we’d be galloping around twisty turns on the top of the ground, and I think we’re galloping around twisty turns, but in the middle of the ground. So I think we’ll see he’s, he’s, he wouldn’t be an endurance athlete specialist, which is, but he’s, he’s a great jumper. He tries so hard. He’s got huge heart. And I think he’ll have, he’ll definitely have a good crack jumping everything tomorrow

🇺🇸 Boyd Martin – Fedarman B – 29.5 – 16th= / Miss Lulu Herself – 30.1 – 21st

To have a horse like Bruno to go out first for me at Pau – I’m so confident in him, and he’d be one of the best cross country horses I’ve ever had. So I’ve got my tail up, but it’s a mission out there [on the cross country] for sure.

🇬🇧 Caroline Harris – D. Day – 33.3 – 22nd

It’s probably more twisty than Luhmuhlen. There’s a lot of roll tops on mounds, curve into corners and stuff like that. The water isn’t quite such a big jump in as Luhmuhlen – that he got a little bit scared with! But he will keep trying and trying and trying for me, bless him, so we’ll see!

🇬🇧 Kylie Roddy – SRS Kan Do – 31.4 – 29th

The first field is really wet; whether they’re going to make us go through that as many times as they’ve done at the moment, or whether they take some out, I don’t know, but it’s wet and it’s twisty in the first field. The twisting on the wet ground is going to be quite hard and you don’t want to be falling over on the flat, that’d be a silly thing to have happen. It’s going to be influential. I think Pierre Michelet has done what he always does, as in, the course is very different but he makes you decide whether you’re going to sit and ride straight for a stride before you turn or whether you turn up off the blind and see what your horse can do. Lots of water crossings this time. The first water is very strong – you’ll know where you’re at when you come out of there, whether you’ve got one that’s on it or whether you’ve got one that you’re going to have to work a bit harder on. I think we’ve got five waters in total this time, the two on the racecourse and you come back in and you cross the last water twice. Whenever you go through the water, the time’s always hard anyway, so with five waters and some wet ground we could see a very different leaderboard tomorrow.

Cheg Darlington contributed to this report.

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