William Funnell, pictured riding Equine America Billy Picador at Hickstead in 2024, was part of the winning British Nations Cup team in the United Arab Emirates.
Great Britain landed its opening team showjumping contest of 2025, the CSIO4* Sharjah Nations Cup presented by Longines, in the United Arab Emirates yesterday (2 February). The competition marked a return to the British fold for team showjumping stalwart William Funnell, who last jumped in a Nations Cup two years ago, and his exceptional double clear with Equine America Billy Picador proved pivotal to Great Britain’s victory.
“The strength of the team is brilliant, so credit to them all,” said Great Britain’s chef d’equipe Di Lampard.
The British squad was led out by pathfinder Joe Stockdale with Renske Quelhorst’s exciting nine-year-old Billy Santorini, who was jumping in his first Nations Cup. The pair jumped for four faults and a clear.
Georgia Tame, 27, was contesting only her second show with 10-year-old Be Golden, having helped to produce the son of Golden Hawk, out of Shane Breen’s great mare Zarnita, in his younger days for Breen Equestrian. The pair picked up 16 faults in round one but returned for a smashing clear in round two, just picking up one time-fault.
Johnnie Walker, an 11-year-old Harley VDL gelding, was another horse making his team debut having been beautifully produced by Lily Attwood, and the pair posted a crucial clear in the opening round before their eight faults in round two became the drop score.
Having stepped aside from jumping in team competitions while he took the role of chef d’equipe to the UAE showjumping team on their journey to the Paris 2024 Olympics, William Funnell made a welcome return to the British squad, jumping a brilliant double clear on the squad’s second Billy Stud-bred horse, the 13-year-old mare Equine America Billy Picador. Picador, like Santorini, is by Billy Mexico but out of Animo mare Bidorette.
Finishing on a team score of five faults, Great Britain won gold, ahead of the UAE riders in second, three penalties adrift. The three-rider squads of Belgium and Germany took third and fourth respectively, and Ireland finished fifth.
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Nations Cup showjumping thriller: great team spirit
Di Lampard told H&H the win was “a fantastic start to the season”.
“It was a real mix of new and old and the fact every rider contributed is great,” she said. “It was fantastic to see Billy Santorini starting his Nations Cup career so well with Joe Stockdale, he looks very promising and Joe is really maturing. The horse hasn’t been competed a lot but has been very carefully produced and it just shows that when you get the foundations right, they can step up.
“Georgia hasn’t been riding Be Golden very long so it was a great show of her horsemanship – it was just towards the end of the first round that it started to unravel, but she was supported well in the second round and she’s a great rider.”
A surprise return to the British team
Di described Lily Attwood’s journey to the top with Johnnie Walker as “a feather in her cap”, adding that there was “no bigger surprise than having William riding for us again”.
“He was fantastic and it just goes to show that he still wants to ride and to do it well, and what an example he sets; I told him what a brilliant performance it was and for all of his pupils to see. To pick things back up at Nations Cups after a couple of years out is amazing, but especially to do it with a double clear. It just looked so good,” she said.
Great Britain wins the Nations Cup of Sharjah.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
“I must confess I didn’t ask William initially to ride in the team because last year he had his other commitments and couldn’t do it. But it wasn’t until they were talking among themselves out there in the UAE and Stanny van Paesschen said to me he thought William might ride on the team if asked. So it was a really good team spirit out there that got this team together.”
William Funnell’s last Nations Cup showjumping appearance for Great Britain came two years ago and this time around he was also acting as chef d’equipe to the runners-up UAE, resulting in some friendly rivalry between the top two teams.
“I cantered in for my second round knowing that Great Britain could win, but if I had once fence down, the UAE would win, so it was a bit of a win-win situation!” William told H&H. “It was fantastic to have two Billy Mexico horses on the team – both Santorini and Picador are horses my wife Pippa Funnell produced and I thought Joe did a fantastic job, he’s really come of age as a rider, whether it’s riding his young ones or the horses he knows. He’s doing a sterling job and Santorini looks to have a big future for him.
“It wasn’t my plan to jump the Nations Cup but it was great to be able to support the British team as well as the UAE team – I actually thought having me on the team would egg the UAE riders on a bit, because they didn’t want to get beaten by me!”
Next stop, Longines League Of Nations
The next team contest for Great Britain will be the five-star Longines League of Nations, which kicks off in Abu Dhabi on 15 February. Joe Stockdale will be back in action, this time with Ebanking, and he will be joined by Tim Gredley on Imperial HBF, Donald Whitaker on either Picasso VD Zwartbleshoeve or Millfield Colette, and Robert Murphy riding either Hulde G or Kannem JA Z.
“Hopefully we see some nice partnerships coming through to introduce and hopefully everybody can keep hold of the horses; everything’s looking good,” said Di. “Off the back of the Games, I think it has put a bounce in everybody’s step.”
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
