Four strong performances over the Ian Stark-designed cross-country course gave the French team the edge over Great Britain.

The opening leg of the series saw a influential cross-country with lots of eliminations and no entries finishing within the time allowed.

In this final leg of the series, an all-female British team led the way, ahead of New Zealand, France and Germany.

This victory marked the second time in a row Belgium has claimed the prestigious Nations Cup prize in Arville, edging Germany and Italy.

Strong performances by Colleen Loach saw her 2nd and 3rd in the CCI4*-S; Team Australia had only one rider complete.

A keen young team won one of the most hotly-contested legs of the series among 12 squads, while some used the event as a tune-up for Pratoni.

The squad have won team and individual prizes in both their appearances in this series so far and are coached by Olympian Andrew Nicholson.

Strong cross-country and show jumping performances put the team well ahead of the Netherlands and third-placed Austria.

The FEI Eventing Nations Cup goes to the Swiss team, who prove that age is no barrier in eventing with a range of ages from 20 to 62.

A full season of team eventing kicks off at Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, this weekend as part of a test event for the World Championships.