It wasn’t altogether Ros’ week in Avenches.
Last to go for the team, she and Alby performed a superb dressage test, to lie in second place at the end of the first phase on a score of 20.6, just 0.4 behind the leaders. One of the last to set out across country the pair was storming round the twisty cross country course when, towards the end of the track, Alby ran past an arrowhead, doing the same at another arrowhead a fence later.
Alby redeemed himself on the final day, jumping an immaculate show jumping clear, the team taking gold.
Ros told Horse & Hound: “I think he probably got a bit demoralised by the twisting and turning, with the size of horse he is.
“This was a twistier track than Strzegom [2017 Europeans] and places like that, and he is a Badminton and Burghley horse. I think the knock-on effect probably meant his eyes were just running on the floor a bit and not up. He was amazing until then.”
Ros said she would need to look back at the video to see the detail of what happened at the fences.
“I still love him to bits and I still think he’s got some big runs left in him. Thank goodness for my team-mates!”