William Funnell shares his thoughts on Nations Cup boycotts and course-design debates
Since my last column, I’ve been largely based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) training the country’s team riders in my chef d’equipe role. I’ve brought a couple of seven-year-olds and my older mare Equine America Billy Picador, all of whom have benefited from the tours here, but I certainly didn’t expect to be winning a Nations Cup with Great Britain.
The British squad was short of a rider for the recent competition at Sharjah so I ran it past the lads from the UAE and they were all for it, thinking it would egg them on as they wouldn’t want to get beaten by their trainer!
It seemed to work, although causing them to finish second in a Nations Cup by jumping a double clear myself definitely wasn’t in my contract. I haven’t been sacked yet and I hope I proved to them there’s life in this old dog yet!
I’ve jumped in many Nations Cups, but you always remember your double clears and hearing your national anthem never gets old. My team-mates Georgia Tame, Lily Attwood and Joe Stockdale jumped supremely well, and with Joe riding the up-and-coming Billy Santorini it was a proud day for The Billy Stud and especially Donal Barnwell.
The last time Joe and I jumped on a Nations Cup team together was in Sopot, Poland, in 2021. I got jumped off and broke my ankle, ruining my chance of going to the Olympics; Joe also didn’t have his finest moment.
So it shows how far Joe has come – I’ve had a lot of pleasure helping him over the years and he’s proved he’s the real deal. He has supportive owners behind him, is building up some nice horses and has all the credentials to be a top-10 rider.
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Joe has been selected to ride for Great Britain again this week (15 February) at the opening round of the Longines League of Nations (LLN) at Abu Dhabi, UAE, where I’ll be swapping my breeches for a jacket and tie with my main focus back on the UAE team competing there as the home nation.
But what a mess the FEI has made, tinkering with the former Nations Cup Super League, held at many of the most historic and prestigious venues in the world that always draw a fantastic crowd, and turning it into a sterile four-event series with a final in Barcelona. I understand why Steve Guerdat and Martin Fuchs’ have boycotted it this year.
Nothing beats representing your country in Nations Cups but the really special ones are parading for the likes of Dublin – where you have people hanging off the balconies to watch – Rome, Hickstead and Aachen. How many people will be in the grandstand at the new LLN venue of Gassin-St Tropez in September? Only the third leg at Rotterdam retains any kind of equestrian history.
As much as I support having the opening leg in the UAE, it comes at a time when the showjumping calendar is already saturated with various tours, the Globals starting up again and the World Cup indoor circuit still in full swing. The conflict was seen last week when Great Britain couldn’t field two five-star riders to fill our allocation at the Bordeaux World Cup show.
In the past we regarded the World Cup as a championship in its own right, but where does it fit in now? Whichever way you look at it, there’s another FEI event losing its way.
Peter Charles was right when he asked what they actually brought to a course. They rarely add faults but they do bring danger, which we don’t want.
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While I’m in the UAE, my wife Pippa has been recording podcasts with various names in the equestrian industry alongside Made In Chelsea’s Tristan Phipps. They seem to be going down well and it’s proving an excellent way to expose our sports to a wider audience.
● An outright ban on these two-stride vertical-oxer or more guidance for course-designers? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine
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The international showjumper is one of only five riders to have won the Hickstead Derby four times and is a regular member of the British showjumping team, winning team gold at the 2013 European championships on his home-bred Billy Congo. He and his wife Pippa Funnell are also pioneers in sport horse breeding through their Billy Stud in Surrey. A regular Horse & Hound columnist, you can read William’s views in the magazine or H&H VIP members can view them online below. Find out how to join H&H VIP
