Sport & Results
Pau Horse Trials: Five-Star Cross-Country with Four Water Combinations
Pierre Michelet's cross-country course demands speed and precise lines. Riders will face 31 numbered obstacles over 6,270 meters.
Equidara editorial team · 22 October 2026 · 1 min read
At the Pau Horse Trials, competitors can expect a five-star cross-country course featuring 31 numbered obstacles and four water combinations. This is according to Horse & Hound in their course walk report on designer Pierre Michelet's track. The course spans 6,270 meters, with an optimum time of eleven minutes.
Speed Alone Won't Be Enough
According to Horse & Hound, the terrain at Pau's Domaine de Sers allows for galloping at a good pace. However, turns and narrow obstacles will make it challenging to achieve the optimum time. The course starts near the stadium, leads to the racecourse, and concludes with three obstacles in the main arena.
The first major question comes at obstacle 4: a combination featuring a small hedge, a large drop, and a ditch. A longer alternative route bypasses this section but will incur time penalties. Combination 17ABC demands precise riding over multiple elements, including narrow obstacles and a ditch.
Tough Challenges Right to the End
The third water combination requires a clean line. It includes angled brush fences set in the water, which riders must approach with accuracy.
Combination 28ABCDE also tests competitors late on the course. According to Horse & Hound, it features a house, a steep downhill, a tight corner, and another angled brush fence. Riders who have conserved their horse's energy up to this point will have an advantage, as the final obstacles before the finish line await them in the main arena.
Sources
- Ooh, ahh and oh-la-la: 7 key questions on Pau’s five-star cross-country test (Horse & Hound) (21.10.2026)
- Titelfoto: Pierre Louis Léger Vauthier, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Equidara editorial team. Last checked: 22 October 2026.
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