Five-star first-timer completes Pau after ‘the longest six weeks’ in bed last year

Imo Brook, who broke her pelvis last June, completed her first five-star at Pau Horse Trials last week, just over a year after the accident.

The 23-year-old was riding San Solo in the under-25 class at Bramham Horse Trials in 2023 when she fell across country. She was taken to Leeds Infirmary, where two doctors operated on her and she had her pelvis pinned and plated.

“I was in bed for six weeks – which was the longest six weeks ever – and then had six weeks walking on crutches, so it was three months in total before I could walk unaided,” she says.

“I was lucky the British Eventing Support Trust got me 20 sessions at the Injured Jockeys Fund’s Oaksey House to aid my recovery, which was amazing as you don’t realise how much muscle you lose just lying in bed.

“It was the end of the season so I took my time and you can’t tell now it ever happened – I can run, ride eight horses a day – and I’m sure it’s because I didn’t race back to anything.”

San Solo had a slight injury at the start of this season, so as Imo was coming back, he was off work. But he was able to start competing in June and contest the CCI4*-S at Hartpury and the CCI4*-L at Blenheim Horse Trials, where Imo needed to secure her minimum eligibility result if she was to tackle her first five-star at Pau.

Imo says: “Looking back to Bramham, we’ve tried to enjoy every event this year. We’ve had a vague plan, but haven’t got our heads too wrapped up in it if things didn’t go right and we had to change the plan. It’s been a weird year with Georgie Campbell and Saffron Cresswell’s fall, and I think somehow all that has made me take a more relaxed view on everything and it’s all gone to plan, which it doesn’t usually when we all get so fixated on it.”

After Blenheim, Imo Brook scrambled to find herself a travel companion for Pau Horse Trials and went out with New Zealand rider Ginny Thomasen. It was her first trip to compete abroad.

The dressage didn’t to to plan when Solo “lost his head” when he saw a camera moving during his walk, so the pair scored 42.4 and were well down the leaderboard.

But this competition will always be remembered for the exceptionally wet cross-country conditions.

“I remember waking up on Friday night thinking, ‘This can’t be real, please stop raining’,” says Imo, who was 55th to go so had to pick her route to try to find some fresh ground.

“Solo was just amazing and never really got too tired. I’ve never ridden in conditions like that – one moment you were floating above the water, the next sinking in it. But it was hats off to Pau for keeping it all on the road because none of the jumps rode much different for me, it was just getting to them.

“I took a long route at the first water because with the first combination at fences four, five and six having been taken out, I knew Solo would be keen at the start and I always had at the back of my mind if he jumped in a bit strong I’d take long route. So that added some more time but he’s so straight and just loves it. He knows the white and red flags and goes between them.”

The pair finished with a jumping clear and 34 time-faults; no one made the optimum.

“I’ve always known he’s a very good showjumper, so I put pressure on myself, and this year he’d had a rail down in four of his six events before Pau, so to jump clear on Sunday was the best bit of the whole week,” says Imo. “He tried so hard and to jump in a crowd like that was such good experience for me as I’ve never ridden in anything like that.”

Although it would be her dream to compete at Badminton Horse Trials, Imo is not qualified for next year as she would have had to finish in the top 50% at Pau and her 39th place was just below the cut-off. She will consider returning to Bramham or going to Luhmühlen Horse Trials next spring, but it’s likely she will head to Bramham as it will be her final chance to ride in the under-25 class.

Imo does not event full time – she has just two BE100 horses to compete, one for herself and one for an owner, as well as Solo. She drives for Weyhill Horse Transport company and rides out racehorses for trainers Alan King and Simon Earle.

“I’m lucky it’s all within horses, but it’s diverse and I enjoy doing everything,” says Imo, who is based at her parents’ home between Swindon and Cirencester. “Solo is my horse of a lifetime and racing might be a route I go further into in the future. I love riding out but don’t think I could do it every day and I find the driving really interesting, going to the sales and racing. I couldn’t do it all without the help of my mum at home.”

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