Otago rider Susie Latta and her New Zealand endurance team-mates will have a spectacular backdrop for their 160km race at the World Equestrian Games in France today.
One of the five loops of the race takes competitors past Mont Saint-Michel, one of France's great landmarks and a world heritage site.
Latta is joined in the one-day marathon by mother and daughter Andrea and Georgia Smith (Mangaweka), Alison Higgins (Nelson) and Braden Cameron (Wellington).
The Smiths are the first such combination to represent the sport at an equestrian championship together, and at 17, Georgia is believed to be the youngest rider in the event's history.
Andrea Smith rode the test event at the Sartilly venue last year, gathering vital intelligence for the team.
''It is not going to be a straight foot race in Normandy, which is great for teams like us,'' endurance chef d'equipe Tony Parsons said.
''It's going to require a lot of mental toughness.''
There was plenty of rain when the team arrived at the endurance stables on Monday, but that did not bother Parsons.
''This is endurance riding. It rains...we just get on with it.''
The horses had all travelled extremely well and the few weeks the New Zealanders had had at their Brittany base had been beneficial, Parsons said.
''We're in as good a shape as we could be. Anything can happen on the day, and we are well prepared for that.''
The 160km race will be run over five loops, instead of the usual six, at Sartilly, about 100km from the main games venue in Caen. It has attracted 173 entries from 47 nations.
Horses will be checked by veterinarians at the end of each loop.
