“Apologies for not having a diary for last week but I literally didn't have any spare time to write it.  The days leading up to Pau were filled with organising, galloping, lessons, and preparing for the last event of the year so I thought I would dictate it on the way to Pau, but as we were travelling through the night we didn't manage to do it then either!

Muscle spasms

I had some brilliant lessons with Anna Ross-Davies before I left but for some reason on Friday afternoon I developed terrible muscle spasm in my back and couldn't actually ride on Saturday and Sunday.  This is not ideal leading up to 2 horses in the 4*.  I managed to find a local physio (thank you, Lena) to help me Saturday and Sunday, and I also went swimming which seemed to loosen it up.  By Monday morning I could just about ride so felt fit to go!

We left for the South of France at 2pm, and picked up Emily Baldwin who lives about 10 minutes away and finally after hours of driving, arrived in Pau at 11am the next day.  I know we are not supposed to get the horses off the lorry at night, but we did three times to let them walk a bit and graze.  They came off the lorry really well and I think it makes a big difference to them.  The weather was considerably warmer than in England, who says that eventing in November is crazy! 

A back up for Jasper

Having 2 horses in the 4* was superb for me. I have finally found a back up horse for Jasper. Kenny and Jasper were incredibly relaxed working up to the beginning of the competition, probably a little tired from the travelling and also that it was suddenly warmer.  We were able to work on good surfaces and the event had a lovely laid back feel to it.  I walked the cross country course and was rather surprised at the difficulty of it.  People had warned me that there would be lots of angles and turns, but I had never seen so many in one course and also the big drops then turns to fences.  I knew this wouldn't be a walk in the park and I would need a bit of luck as well as good riding.

Kenny was the first to go - a new experience for me.  He performed a very nice test with the exception of one extra flying change.  He scored 66 penalties, perhaps a little harsh because there were some very nice movements; I think if he had been drawn later he would have scored much better marks.  Jasper was his usual brilliant self and was nearly faultless throughout the test with the exception of two changes which I could have ridden a little more forward.  He scored a 42.8 and left me only one mark behind the joint leaders - Ruth Edge and Karin Donkers - probably the best dressage riders on the circuit. 

A challenge for Kenny

They also had a 2* competition which let me have time to look at the cross country course and the ground considering it had been lightly raining that morning.  There were several falls on the flat in one particular area which was also part of our course so I knew where to be careful on the turns.  The ground was generally very good, quite sandy but certainly slippery on top so we used some big studs behind.  I warmed Kenny up for half an hour quietly jumping fences on turns and angles as much as possible so I could get him used to the course that lay ahead.  The questions came thick and fast on the course so I had to be well prepared.  Kenny started very well, the fourth fence was a right hand corner which he jumped a little right over but still went between the flags.  We had several interspaced fences which used to be his Achilles heel, but he jumped them absolutely beautifully. 

Coming out of the first water there was a very acute angle after a step which he misread, and muddled over it very genuinely.  He proceeded to jump superbly over the middle part of the course.  We had a related distance from a white gate to a big house with a drop behind it, three sharp left strides to another house and he turned as well as he could but we got there on three and a bit and quite understandably stopped at the last part.  He continued and jumped the straight way through the second water foot perfectly and yet more difficult angle combinations.  We jumped into the last water over a large boat and I tried the straight way out of the water up a big step and over a big boat. Perhaps this was a step too far later on in the course and possibly I should have taken the long route, which we then duly did after a stop, and then were suddenly pulled up before the next fence to be told by the jump judge that you were only allowed two stops on this particular course.  I disagreed and said I am sure we are allowed three but by the time they had realised they had made a mistake I had been walking for three minutes and after he had been galloping for nine-and-a-half minutes, it is not very easy or safe to start again as he was in the in-between stage of recovering and still very tired, and really should have been washed off at that point.  I was disappointed and confused as to what had just happened and walked back to the stables.  I was really proud of him as he coped easily with the dimensions and will aim for Luhmuhlen next year. 

Course caused carnage

I watched several riders after me and it is not unfair to say that the course caused carnage, there were problems evenly distributed throughout the course which is often a sign of a good cross country course, but perhaps five inside the top 16 with a stop says quite a lot.  Nonetheless I was confident Jasper would tackle the course well which he duly did.  I set off at maximum speed knowing that I would like to take a couple of long routes towards the end of the course.  He jumps better and better with age and was absolutely perfect around the beginning of the course.  In hindsight, I should have been steadier between the white rails and the house to try and get a smaller jump over the house to turn.  He ballooned the first house and consequently I couldn't turn in time.  I knew I could still finish in a good position with a stop so went as quickly and carefully as possible to the finish.  We finished in 16th place after cross country and I knew if I jumped a good show jumping course in the usual difficult Pau track, I could move up a few places.  Sadly this competition just wasn't meant to be as Jasper was quite sore on Sunday morning and I withdrew him from the vet’s inspection.  I am still unaware of where I finished in the HSBC rankings but for me my horse’s welfare is more important than anything.  I am so pleased with the way Jasper performed - he truly is an amazing horse and this year has been phenomenal with him and it would have been a tall order to expect to finish so high up again in his 12th 4*. 

Tankers Town is injured

Our lorry suffered ill fate as Emily developed flu on the Friday and wasn't able to continue after dressage.  Luckily we were still in good spirits on the way home and arrived back in England still cheerful at 10 a.m. Monday morning.  Unfortunately the weather wasn't quite so cheerful; I hope it improves for the rest of the winter!

I enjoyed the trip to Pau.  I have learnt a lot about horses that are suitable for this competition for the future and I am still really proud of both my horses and it is onwards and upwards for Kenny from here.

Sadly Jasper has suffered an injury, only time will tell when he is able to come back (here's hoping it is a soon as possible - he certainly isn't ready to retire yet!).  I will do my very best to ensure that he is up and running in 2011.”