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Piggy French, British event rider
18 September, 2009
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Piggy French is an up-and-coming star of the British eventing scene.
She first rode under the Union flag at championship level at the 2001 young rider European Championships in Waregem, Belgium, finishing fourth individually and winning team gold with Flintlock II. She was also under-25 national champion in 2004 on Which Way II.
Having progressed into senior ranks, Piggy has several four-star completions under her belt — most notably 12th at Burghley in 2007 (Paris) — and has established herself as a regular winner on the national circuit. She is based in Leicestershire and makes a living buying and selling horses, supported chiefly by her father Wally and Michael Underwood.
Piggy enjoyed a giant payday in 2006 when she clinched the £25,000 cheque for winning the Liberte Shropshire Slam, a prize for any rider (or owner of a horse) with three consecutive wins in any international section at Weston Park's autumn fixture and the Sansaw CIC**.
Piggy received her first senior squad call-up when she was pulled off the reserves bench to represent Britain at the 2009 European Championships, riding Some Day Soon. She made a dazzling squad debut, claiming the individual silver medal behind fellow Brit Tina Cook.
A year later, she rode as an individual at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky on Jakata, finishing 16th.
Piggy's real name is Georgina — Piggy is a childhood nickname she received after her sisters visited her in hospital shortly after her birth and decided she looked like Piglet in Winnie the Pooh. Born in 1980, she is orginally from Norfolk and her mother Kate competed to advanced level. Her older sister Nini also events.
Piggy French videos
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