It's water jumps that really scare me to death

It’s not their size. It’s not their technical challenge. It’s not even the fact that over four miles of the cross country course they hit you one after the other after the other with barely a let up.

No, it’s the jump into the lake in front of Badminton House. And even then Louise’s concern is not the usual one of coming a cropper in front of the largest audience gathered about a single obstacle.

It’s because she can’t swim.

She said: “I hate water. I’m really worried I’m going to get a ducking there, so I have to sit extra tight.”

It was this fear of water that stopped her becoming a top tetrathlete in her Pony Club days.

After all, she had all the other attributes. She was a skilled rider and an even more skilled runner, twice cross-country champion for Worcestershire and Herefordshire schools and Welsh universities cross-country champion, too. It was just the swimming.

“Never mind,” she said with a laugh. Louise laughs a lot and her bubbly personality has made this 32-year-old from the Herefordshire village of Eardisley, one of the most popular competitors on the evening circuit. This year will be her third trip to Badminton.

She first competed two years ago on Partly Pickled, finishing 23 and picking up the Lawrence Rook Trophy for the best British first timer. Last year was a less successful outing, when Bit of a Barney ran out at a fence demoting her to 44th. This year she is back on Pickled and hoping to improve on his 2007 outing. Almost uniquely among the top echelon of British eventers, both these horses are home-breds by the owner and they are full brothers, too.

Louise said: “We bred both of them out of a point-to-point mare my mother bought. They’re quite tall horses. I have this theory that because I’m not very big (about 5ft 1ins in her socks) they make the fences look smaller. I’m not sure that it always works though.”

She was born into a horsey family with her mum a former showjumper as well as a racehorse trainer. Louise began eventing with the Radnor and West Hereford Pony Club and did the usual round of mounted games, showjumping and dressage.

In fact she began affiliated evening at the young age of 16 and was a member of the Welsh junior team. She became a professional rider and instructor in 2007 and since 2004 has been ranked in the UK top 30 eventers.

Before that, Louise went to Cardiff University and gained a BSc in applied biology and followed it with a PGDip in applied equine science at the Royal Agricultural College and then worked in marketing.

So she’s certainly no one-trick pony.

She said: “I think my best moment so far has been winning the Blair Castle three-star event in 2005. Although winning the Welsh Championships in 2003 and 2008 was also great.”

But of course Badminton is in a class of its own. Louise said: “I always try to be calm in the period leading up to it but when you get there and see the fences it starts to get really scary. On the other hand when you’ve ridden a good round and everything has gone well it’s brilliant.”

This year Louise will be among a clutch of local riders hoping for success.

Rosie Thomas from Bockleton, near Tenbury Wells, is going again on Barry’s Best, while Leominster vet James Robinson is having another try on the old campaigner Comanche. But it will be interesting to see how Carolyne Ryan- Bell from Abbots Morton, near Evesham, gets on.

In the late 1990s she cut a swathe through British eventing’s crosscountry courses on the legendary Hooray Henry II, who jumped for fun.

Since then, top horses have been difficult to find but there are hopes for the Irish-bred grey Rathmoyle King, in which Carolyne has a third share.

Whatever the outcome, it will undoubtedly be another top competition on the Duke of Beaufort’s beautiful estate just south of Stroud, Gloucestershire.

The undoubted highlights of a starstudded entry list for the 60th anniversary of the famous event are the return of three times winner and double Olympic gold medallist Mark Todd after a nine-year absence and the entry of reigning World Champions Zara Phillips and Toytown, back in competition after the injury that kept the horse out of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Other past winning riders entered include Lucinda Fredericks with Headley Britannia and Rodney Powell on Zin Zan II, in addition to Mary King and William Fox-Pitt.

Ten nations will be represented in the Badminton Horse Trials this year.

Matt Ryan, Olympic individual gold medallist from Barcelona, Spain, still represents Australia, but is hoping to change nationality to tie in with his long British residence and he will be out to impress the British selectors this time.

Mark Todd will have five fellow New Zealanders up against him, with Andrew Nicholson as keen as ever to cap his record 26 completions with a first Mitsubishi Motors Trophy.

It all points to a really tremendous four days of exciting competition.

The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials run from Thursday, May 7, to Sunday, May 10, with dressage on the first two days, cross country on the Saturday and the final show jumping phase on the Sunday.