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

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.

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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.