The French had a plan when their team leaders decided not to put Virginie Simon on their team at the European Endurance Championships in Punchestown, Ireland: They wanted her to go for the individual gold medal. And on Sept. 19, she accomplished her task, followed 5 minutes later by French team riders Emilie Lambert, Sunny Demedy and Barbara Lissarague, a result that gave the French the team gold medal and the three individual medals. The endurance championships were held simultaneously with the Open European Championships and with the European Eventing Championships, where France also claimed the team silver and individual gold medals. The 100-mile endurance course wove through the rocky, verdant terrain of County Kildare, with six loops returning all but once to the main vet gate at Punchestown, where spectators could watch competitors cool and restore their horses before continuing on. The terrain included grasslands, rolling fields, rocky inclines and asphalt. The ride took about two hours longer than anticipated, because of wet conditions and slippery going. Simon, a horse breeder and riding trekking guide, has three children. “It was a magnificent course and a great day out,” she said. “We knew in advance that it would be a difficult and technical course.” Simon, 36, chose her horse, Elza De Gion, 12, when he was 5 weeks old. She was actually the fourth rider to finish