Walk the European Eventing Championships cross-country course at Blair *PICS AND VIDEO*

Course-designer Ian Stark has been very innovative with the route for the cross-country for the Longines FEI European Eventing Championships at Blair.

Regular visitors to the Scottish site will notice that the track goes in a completely different direction to the usual challenge. It starts in a different place, takes in fresh ground and offers new ways of tackling old problems — for example, at the water at fences 11ab/12ab horses and riders go through the pond in the opposite direction to normal.

Here’s the start box, branded for title sponsor Longines.

Fence 1: Longines Flower Display

Fence 2: Mitsubishi L200s

After fence 2, horses and riders start climbing from the flat of the showground up into the hills. They keep going upwards until fence four, when they start to run back downhill.

Fence 3: Kilchoman Whisky Barrels Spread

Fence 4abc: House of Bruar Shepherds’ Bothies

Fence 4a

Fence 4b

Fence 4c

Fence 5: British Horse Society Scotland Olympic Diamond

After fence 5, competitors take a helter-skelter track through the wood.

Fence 6: Wychanger Barton Post & Rails Gate

Fence 7: The Toro Company Leaf Pit Drop

Fence 7 (side view)

Fence 7 alternative

Fence 8ab: Voltaire Design Hanging Logs and Water Splash

Fence 8b

Fence 8a alternative

Fence 8b alternative

Fence 9: Bedmax Silver Birch Oxer

Another section in woodland follows fence 9.

Fence 10: MAM Construction Wind Blown Tree

Fence dressing detail on the back of fence 10

Fence 11ab: Longines Lochan

Fence 11a

Fence 11b

Fence 12ab: Longines Fisherman’s Dream

Fence 12b

Fence 12ab alternative

The next fence is a let-up after the challenges of the water — but there is still a sharp uphill pull to reach it.

Fence 13: Equine & Country Picnic Table

Fence 14ab: Atholl Estates Castle Wall and Cannon

Fence 14a

Fence 14b

Fence 14b alternative

Fence 15: Pol Roger Stag Heads

After this fence competitors run back down onto the showground and into the main arena.

Fence 16ab: UK Sport Corners

Fence 16a

Fence 16a right side

Fence 16a left side

Fence 16b

Fence 17: Joules Brush Arrowhead

Fence 17b alternative

Fence 18ab and 19ab: Gilkes Firth of Forth Crossings and The Malcolm Group Lochan and Corner (fly through video of this fence at top of page)

Fence 18a

Looking over fence 18a to fence 18b

Fence 18b

Fence 18b alternative

Looking over fence 18b to fence 19ab

Fence 19a

Fence 19a alternative

Fence 19b

Fence 20: Baileys Horse Feeds Aintree Steeplechase Fence

This fence is by the start, so horses may feel like they have finished. However, they are off on another long pull uphill to fence 21ab/22.

Fence 21ab/22: Albert Bartlett Haggis, Neeps and Tatties

Fence 21a

Looking over fence 21a to 21b

Fence 21b

Looking over fence 21b to fence 22

Fence 22

After this fence, horses and riders are on the final run home and there are no more serious hills to climb.

Fence 23/24ab: Irish Horse Gateway Rails and Ditch Complex

Fence 23

Fence 23 alternative

Looking over fence 23 to fences 24ab

Fence 25: Clark Thomson Trakhener

Fence 26: EventScotland Hanging Keyhole

Fence 26 side view

Fence 26 alternative

Fence 27/28: Strzegom 2017 Offset Brushes

Looking over fence 27 to fence 28

Fence 28

Fence 29: Longines Final Fling

Full report from the European Championships at Blair in H&H next week, out Thursday, 17 September — 19 pages of analysis and photographs, plus columns from Harry Meade and Mike Etherington-Smith.

Pippa Roome

H&H magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.