Over the stable door: Bride prepares herself for a turf engagement before the wedding

Her weight is slithering off through the amount of work she's doing and my wooden equicizer horse has never been kicked and thrashed so hard since the days when the ex-jockey Ollie Pears owned it. Ali's fianc, Christopher Bartle, has become a racing widow – fortunately he doesn't mind taking his turn. He trains the German event team and spends half his time flying between the two countries.

"There is unfinished business for me at Cheltenham," Chris explained as we sat in a French airport waiting to board the Leeds flight recently. I was returning from the sales and he from a three-day event in Lyon. "I never got further than the third last when I rode there, so Alison must lay the ghost."

He was referring to his ride aboard Ballynatray in the Kim Muir Amateur Chase when he fell three fences from home. Chris, 58, is better known for winning Badminton in 1998 and remains the highest placed British Dressage rider in Olympic history, coming sixth in the 1984 Los Angeles games with Wily Trout.

He now concentrates on teaching event riders with incredible success. He has trained the German teams since 2001 and steered them to Olympic gold in the 2008 Olympics. His local pupils include Northallerton-based Nicola Wilson who recently won the World Equestrian games in Kentucky on Opposition Buzz.

On leaving university in the mid-70s, Chris decided to try his hand in the racing game and rode out for Tony Gillam at Roecliffe, near Boroughbridge. At the time Tony was training Red Rum while he enjoyed a spell running over hurdles.

"We could never have guessed just a few seasons later the old boy would become such a national hero," Chris laughed.

Riding as an amateur for a couple of seasons, Chris gained a number of victories under rules, before deciding to return to his eventing roots.

"When I realised I was neither good enough nor light enough I knew it was time to give up," he modestly admitted before falling soundly asleep for the duration of our flight home. Goodness, I've bored him to sleep I thought. But when he began dribbling some way over the Channel I was reassured he must be genuinely exhausted.

Our hen's ride in the charity race is Winged Farasi. It will be a useful warm up in his preparation for hurdles in a few weeks time. He is a wilful horse but I like him for his waywardness. The best ones aren't usually straightforward. At home there is a knack to riding him, if you lean forward and kick when setting off he immediately pulls himself up to a standstill. Instead, I stand up and pull, then he is quite amiable. It took me a few months to fathom out how his brain worked. Fortunately when he's on the racetrack the light turns to green.

An equine dentist, Sally Kingsley, visited the yard this week. Sally is also a qualified vet and extremely competent with difficult horses. I have known her since pony club and she happens to be attending the hen weekend at Cheltenham. She was to treat our headstrong runner but as she drilled away at his roughened molars I could see Winged Farasi's look of loathing. I hope he doesn't recognise her in the paddock next week.

Thanks to everyone who donated to The Greatwood Charity.

Jo Foster trains horses at Brookleigh Farm, Menston.

CW 6/11/10