A very happy and emotional Pippa as she finished the cross country at Blair Castle on Sandman 7
Pippa Funnell is no stranger to disappointment in the lead up to major championships but hopefully her luck is changing in 2016
Pippa missed out on competing as part of the British team on home turf at London 2012 due to injuries to her two selected horses, Redesigned and Billy Shannon and in July 2014 she had to pull out of the British squad aiming for the World Equestrian Games in Normandy due to Billy Beware becoming lame
However the former European champion, Athens 2004 Olympic medallist and the only winner of the Rolex Grand Slam, is keeping all her fingers and toes crossed for better luck this year as we head towards Rio 2016
“I was delighted with last year” says Pippa but admits “I rather started the beginning of last year thinking ‘I’m not sure if I want to go into this year’. I was literally thinking ‘Do I want to keep eventing?’ but I’ve been lucky because when you’re on that downward curve and feel despondent then suddenly one of the young ones says ‘Hey mum, we’re here’ ”
This was certainly the case with her 10 year old gelding Sandman 7 that won the CIC3* at Chatsworth and followed it by a strong finish in eighth place at the FEI European Championships at Blair Castle. We talked to Pippa at Hartpury where she had been one of the demo riders at the International Eventing Forum about her hopes for her team of horses this year
