Find out what Pippa Funnell said after her test on the 2019 Burghley winner MGH Grafton Street
Pippa Funnell has put in the best Bicton Horse Trials dressage test of the afternoon so far to slot into 12th in the CCI4*-S at this event supported by Chedington.
Riding Jane and Jonathan Clarke’s 2019 Burghley Horse Trials winner MGH Grafton Street, Pippa scored 25.9 in this highly competitive Chedington-sponsored section.
“He was better than me,” she said afterwards, alluding to the fact this was her fourth dressage test over the two days at Bicton. “It sounds silly because you ride four in a day at one-day events, but when you have four at a bigger event and they stay away, they know it’s something different so they all need more work.”
“I was absolutely fine but with the heat as well, I did feel a bit ‘another one’ and I think I lost a little bit of my posture – it was nowhere near a Burghley test and I don’t think I got him quite where I wanted him to the connection. But he still does a nice test and I’m still happy enough.”
Pippa’s great friend Tina Cook rode her test immediately before her and showed some lovely work with Billy The Red, but a break to canter at the start of the extended trot and some fragility in walk brought her marks down. She sits 18th on 26.9.
Tom McEwen (Toledo De Kerser) and Ros Canter (Allstar B) share fourth on 23, with Piggy March (Brookfield Inocent) and Kitty King (Vendredi Biats) in equal sixth on 23.1.
Oliver Townend holds eighth on Cooley Master Class, who is on the Olympic eventing reserve nomination list, pending a confirmation result qualification which he hopes to secure here this weekend.
Chris Burton is ninth for Australia on Clever Louis, with Alex appearing on the leaderboard again in 10th on PSH Convivial, who is likely to be his second choice horse for the Tokyo Olympics behind Don Geniro.
France’s Barbara Sayous, currently second in the Bicton under-25s, says British-bred Opposition Filmstar is ‘complicated’, but wants to do a
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Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.
