Dressage stage puts James and General in command

Petra James led after yesterday's first day of dressage at the Windsor International Horse Trials, proving that she has put in some effective work since she last came here in May 2000. Riding the same horse, Peter Dickson's home-bred General Jackson, she was lying only 22nd when the event was abandoned after the dressage phase last year.

Thirty-year-old James, from Newport in Pembrokeshire where her mother runs a trekking centre, said that she owes her improvement to Di Belton-Elliot who has been giving her lessons. She now has a 5.2-point advantage over Ireland's Alison Kissock on Dun An Ri, with Vicky Brake third on Daisy of Wicklow.

James had been given a good grounding when she spent about five years working for Tina Sederholm at Waterstock House in Oxfordshire, where she had lessons with two distinguished Swedish trainers, Lars Sederholm (Tina's father) and Yogi Breisner. Later she worked for the Spanish Olympic rider, Luis Alvarez Cervera, and for David O'Connor of the United States, the individual Olympic gold medallist in Sydney.

The last time James rode here was back in her junior days, when she "fell off in the water". She is hoping for better luck over tomorrow's cross-country course in only her second senior three-day event.

William Fox-Pitt, now lying fourth on Sir Robert Ogden's ex-racehorse Diablo au Corps, is the only rider to be partnering three horses here. "On Monday I was going to have to choose which two to bring, which was a decision I did not want to make," Fox-Pitt said yesterday. He was spared the problem when Devina Cannon, organiser of the event, said that she would be able to accommodate all three horses.

Cannon's ingenuity saved the day earlier this week, when it proved impossible to hire the fencing to surround the dressage arenas. She therefore despatched John Seear, the ground manager, to a DIY store where he purchased some white fencing which measured exactly 14ins high, which is the regulation minimum.

WINDSOR INTERNATIONAL HORSE TRIALS (Berks). Standings after first day of dressage: Horse and Hound Copper Horse Section: 1 General Jackson (P James, GB) 47.8 penalties; 2 Dun An Ri (A Kissock, Irl) 53.0; 3 Daisy of Wicklow (V Brake, GB) 55.4; 4 Diable au Corps (W Fox-Pitt, GB) 56.0; 5 Commission Run (S Jennings, GB) 57.2; 6 West Farthing (P Shanks, GB) 57.4. Mentor Corporation Castle Section: 1 Joli Roger III (A Nicholson, NZ) 53.2; 2 Eleda Rising (C King, GB) 54.6; 3 James the Cat (F Hooper, GB) 60.0.