“Sounds nice,” we both say wistfully, shivering in our heavy jackets at the Winter Championships. Early April in Solihull is invariably cold, and this time it was freezing. The prospect of another chilly night sleeping in the lorry looms uninvitingly ahead, and the seed of a wild idea is planted.

“Why not?” we ask each other. “If she can do it, then why can’t we?” My ‘partner in crime’, Nikki, is Merlin’s owner.

First, we need permission from BD. I spend months working myself up to telephoning David Trott, and when he says: “I can’t see why not”, I nearly collapse with relief. By now it’s October, and I am suddenly eager to have everything organised. Little do I know…

Next, I call Lianne, International Officer at BD. My name goes on the list. “We arrange everything,” she assures me. “Stabling, hotel, car hire; you just have to get yourself out there.”

The Tour starts in February. When I’ve heard nothing by the middle of November I call Lianne. “The schedule will be out in December”, she assures me.

Mid-December, Nikki rushes into the tack room with a load of pages printed from a website she’s found. “Entries close tomorrow!” she says, thrusting the pages at me. “Lianne’s not in this week,” BD tells me. “But she’s left a message to anyone calling to say that entries do not close until January, so don’t worry.” I can’t help it, I worry.

The schedule finally arrives by email and clarifies things: nominated entries, made by your National Federation, are the December date. Early January for confirmed entries, mid-January the deadline for payment. Phew!

More of the paper work arrives – both you and the horse have to be registered with the FEI, and the horse must have an FEI passport (around £200 just to put an FEI cover on your existing passport!). But – you can’t register the horse without the passport, and you can’t get the passport unless he’s registered! OK, send it all together and let them sort it out.

But wait – they need his existing passport with full vaccination records on it. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has a full vaccination history on the original card, and not in his recently acquired passport. “No problem”, Lianne reassures me. “A vet can transfer his records onto the passport.”

The rest of the forms look intimidating; how to chose accommodation from a list with no idea what it’s like? We go for cheap and near the showground on the assumption we won’t be there much. When do we want it from? I don’t know – I’ve no idea when Merlin will arrive, or even how he will arrive at this point, and now the entry money is due. I call BD. “Lianne isn’t in this week – she’s moving house. She says it can all wait until next week”.

I call other competitors, searching for a lift. All the lorries are full. Finally I can no longer cope with the uncertainty; I call Parkers International and book Merlin to travel by commercial transport – I’m assured the cost is little different to doing it on your own (about £1000 per horse each way) and it’s a lot less hassle.

Coming back, though, that’s a different matter. The show finishes on March 18th, the stables close on 19th. Can I book a firm collection date? No, that will depend on collection of other horses in Spain.

Back to calling other riders. I’m assured there’s bound to be someone with space on their lorry coming home, but no one will commit. One Irish rider says she will certainly bring me back – if she comes back. She may go on to a show in Germany. When will she know? I ask. “Not until I know what scores I’m getting in Spain.”

Looks like we’re going out with no idea how we’re getting back!

Labelling everything makes it feel like Pony Club camp again, and now it’s 1st of February and I still haven’t been able to book flights as dates are so fluid. Parkers want to go earlier, so Merlin is leaving two days before I expected. I shall be in Scotland when he leaves, delivering my dogs to their holiday home, and now I have to change hotel and car hire booking dates, but at least my Union flag has arrived!

“The white rabbit has left the hutch!” is the cryptic text message that arrives whilst I sit waiting for my plane down from Inverness and reality gives me a stab of panic: Merlin has gone – there’s no turning back now!

Flying into Gibraltar gives us a lovely view of the picturesque coastline (complete with vast wind farms) and the mountains beyond. It’s sunny, and despite the pilot’s warning of a ‘slightly chilly morning’ it feels warm to us!

Having never received a straight answer over whether we could pick up the hire car from the airport we wander out of the airport and walk across the border, dragging the huge cases we’ve bought for the month. I spot a lady lurking with a small car and a clipboard by the side of the road – yes, that’s our hire car.

Up at the main arena they are still building the judges boxes and spectator stands, and a couple of horses are working in the huge warm up. Storks wheel majestically overhead: every pylon has a nest on top.

We go into the office. “We weren’t expecting you today,” they say, but that doesn’t surprise me – none of my emails were acknowledged and when I tried to talk to them on the phone, they asked me to send emails instead!

Parkers finally arrive with four other Brit lorries in convoy. We have to wait to unload whilst a container (tack room) is detached from the stable roof it has become entangled with while being dragged into position. Merlin’s legs look a bit wobbly coming down the ramp, and he’s lost some weight, but he settles easily into his stable.

We head off to find our Hostal, which won’t know we’re arriving today either! Vejer de la Frontera is a beautiful old town of white buildings on the top of a cliff, only 5km from the showground. Nikki spots a sign to the Hostal as soon as we enter the town and after a couple of hairpin bends, there it is, high up with a fab view. It is very clean and neat, the only problem no one speaks any English, but we manage with sign language and the odd word of Spanish from my long-distant GCSE. There is no catering, but food in the town is healthy, in plentiful supply and very cheap and we retire for the night, happy with how the day has gone.

The weather is baking hot – the Tour is really living up to its name, but one problem we have not anticipated is the mosquitoes; Merlin is quickly covered in itchy swellings. Bug rugs are a necessity they don’t warn you about.

Laundry is another issue – services on the showground and in town are very expensive, so it’s hand washing in the basin back at the Hostal every day, and hanging clothes on lines stretched across our balcony, hoping it doesn’t blow away in the frequent very strong winds.

The Provisional schedule comes out: trot-up for the CDI*** is on Wednesday, and our first PSG will be either Thursday or Friday depending on the draw, with the Inter 1 on either Saturday or Sunday.

There is no doubt when we are told that working in an international environment with lots of gorgeous horses, some ridden very well, some not so, you do find your standards rising, both your own goals and your horse’s responses. Merlin is producing some moments of really quality work and he certainly does not look out of place here. Of course, we haven’t done a class yet…

Time? What time? It’s a free-for-all! Turn up and get in the queue, like trying to get in the ring to do clear round show jumping.

I never knew a trot up could be so nerve racking! I’m dry mouthed and shaking with anxiety as two of our fellows are sent to the holding box for vet inspections and re-presents.

By just after 7pm they do the draw for the PSG and I discover I am in the first half tomorrow at 16.24. Pity, as he felt a bit tired today, but there’s nothing I can do about it. There are 42 horses in the class, and that’s not all the Small Tour horses – some people are just doing the Inter 1.

It finally arrives: our first day of International competition! The weather is overcast today, a lovely day for riding, as the temperature is just comfortable in a light jacket. I have privately set myself the goal of 63%, and finishing in the top half of the class.

My nerves are not settled as I go up to the arena by Carl Hester saying ‘good luck’ and Richard Davison standing on the sidelines watching. The bell rings and here we go – riding our first International test for Great Britain.

We start cautiously. Power levels and cadence improve as we both relax. Then we are in medium trot and it’s gorgeous! But wait – he spooks and suddenly we are in an unscheduled canter.

I carefully bring him back to trot and focus on the rhythm – then the bell rings. I’ve forgotten the halt and rein back! Typical rookie mistake. Oh dear, try again.

He halts nicely when I ask for it (!) though the rein back steps drag a bit. The rest of the trot work goes well, finishing with a really lovely extended trot, uphill and totally on my seat.

Canter goes well until I turn onto the diagonal for the first half pirouette. Merlin would like to do extended canter instead! I take time collecting him, almost over-doing it so he nearly stops. We recover without quite breaking and make a slightly laboured pirouette. The second one is fine, as are the tempi changes. Finally he gets to do the extended canter – it is such a novelty having these new power levels I am a little over-cautious and bring him back probably a bit soon, but the change is good, and again he obliges by parking quite well and standing still.

Our score comes out at 62.67% - not bad considering the errors, and not far off my goal. By the end of the class the next day, we finish 19th out of the 42, so right on target. The winning score is 68%. Whilst there were some really poor rides, we also saw some smart looking tests that finished with scores in the 62 – 64% range, so if I remember the test next time perhaps I can pull up a few places!

The Irish rider I spoke to before has offered to take Merlin home although she’s not sure exactly when she will leave, so now we have two options (Parkers are taking a load back as well), though both are probably leaving the day after our flights are due. At least he will get home somehow!

The second week classes don’t go so well, 61 – 62% scores, though still in the top half. I think I put too much pressure on myself after our good start. By the third week I have relaxed again, and our scores go back up, and FANTASTIC! I finish the 3 weeks 13th out of 47 and qualify for the Final!

We are third to go in the KUR (freestyle to music). Merlin feels good as we go up to the arena. The bell goes, we enter and halt.

But at least we did it! And if we can raise the money, we will be back in a couple of years to contest the Big Tour!

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