The competition is just as tight in the 7-year-old World Championship. Having led the standings since the start of dressage yesterday, having been the fifth combination to go, reigning 6-year-old World Champion Tara van het Leliehof and Lara de Liedekerke-Meier (BEL) were joined at the top of the leaderboard late in the afternoon by Jeroboam Wal and Alexis Goury (FRA), on a score of 28.6 penalty points. Bueno and Hector Payne (GBR) are hot on their heels, just 0.4 points behind on 29 penalty points – the equivalent of one second over the time allowed on the cross-country course. The top ten are separated by just four points, the equivalent of one show jumping rail.

Tomorrow, all eyes turn to the iconic cross-country test. As every year, the 6-year-olds will be first out on course from 10 am, followed by the 7-year-olds from 1 pm.

For these young horses, tackling the beautifully decorated obstacles at the Mondial du Lion Crédit Mutuel and experiencing a large crowd for the first time are essential milestones in their development as future champions, as all the riders emphasise.

“Pressure is a privilege” – Lara de Liedekerke-Meier, speaking about her joint-lead position and her status as a favourite, partnered with last year’s 6-year-old World Champion.