'A good decision on soft ground'

Andrew Nicholson reflects on last week's European Championships

- Pippa Roome

OPINION

THE site for the European Championships – Haras du Pin – was a vast improvement from when it hosted the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in 2014. This time, all the stabling was permanent, there were lots of all-weather arenas and other touches, such as a nice restaurant coffee bar overlooking the dressage arenas.

I thought the fences on the first half of the cross-country course were very big; perhaps a warning from designer Pierre le Goupil that his Olympic track next year might not be too small, either. He had used all the hilly areas in a nice way, and the entire course was on undulating ground.

It was just unfortunate that it has rained in that area of France like it has here this summer, which meant plenty of green grass, but that the ground was soft enough already before heavy rain on Friday afternoon and night.

Andrew Nicholson has won Burghley five times and took top honours at Badminton in 2017. He has won two Olympic team bronze medals and a team silver and is cross-country coach to the Swiss eventing team.