Top British showjumper, breeder and UAE chef d’equipe William Funnell shares his thoughts on prize money disparity and a new British star rider
The showjumping here in the UAE is in full swing, with the tour having run since well before Christmas, the Nations Cup coming up this week and then there’s the Longines League of Nations (LLN) in mid-February.
I came out at the beginning of January making it my longest stint away from home, primarily in my role as UAE chef d’equipe but I’ve been competing here too. My wife Pippa has been moaning about the weather back home, so I don’t think I’m missing much!
With many leading riders currently based here and in Qatar, the Middle East has become the winter destination of choice and it’s not hard to see why.
Last week’s Al Shira’aa International (see report, p46 H&H magazine, 29 January 2026) is the latest venue in a series that now involves Hickstead, Bolesworth, Hamburg, Lisbon and Deauville, and the show gets better every year.
Although a four-star show, it carried five-star money and Shane Breen collected a rich prize of €80,000 (£70,000) for his grand prix win.
I was surprised the Doha tour, which has been running concurrently, hasn’t attracted more riders given the fantastic level of prize money on offer there, too, but they’re not short of quality. Scott Brash’s decision to miss the London International Horse Show has been justified as he’s won every grand prix except the first one, where he was beaten by his team-mate Harry Charles.
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Scott has won on four different horses, three of them younger ones, which is exciting. While Kent Farrington is also going well in America, I can’t see him holding Scott off the world number one spot for long if Scott continues his form.
In the next wave of shows in Doha there’s €1m on offer and a €250,000 bonus for the leading rider. This week alone Scott pocketed nearly €100,000 for his five-star grand prix victory.
When you look at Sunday’s World Cup in Amsterdam where the top riders in Europe were competing for a first prize of barely half that, just €50,000, you can see why they’re struggling to attract the best competitors. The FEI World Cup Final used to be like a second championship every year but nowadays many riders simply aren’t interested in qualifying.
Adding to that, the Longines Global Champions Tour kicks off in Qatar immediately after the current tour concludes in a few weeks, making it a natural progression for riders involved in that.
I don’t know what the FEI can do to make the World Cup more enticing when there’s so much money on offer all around the world.
Team action is back
Fair play to the FEI though as the first LLN in Abu Dhabi will attract the best teams in the world, competing for €700,000 in prize money.
I’ve been working with the UAE riders to build up to that competition as well as this week’s four-star Nations Cup in Sharjah, both of which are so important being on home soil.
It’s been great to have this time to work with the lads and a couple of new horses.
It’ll be interesting to have Jessica Kürten joining as Ireland’s new chef d’equipe. Michael Blake did a great job but having been a top performer herself and trainer at the top level, I think Jessica will bring a good balance to the Irish squad.
Another winning Scot
Talking of Scotsmen winning a lot, 23-year-old Sandy McLean is making a big impression out here and he seems to be going from strength to strength with Shane Breen guiding him.
He’s solid and competitive and he has the right horsepower, including London Brilliance Horse auction purchase Calixte Heartbreaker Z, so I’m sure British chef d’equipe Di Lampard will be thrilled to have another up-and-coming rider to strengthen her hand.
Joe Stockdale will also be flying the flag for Great Britain and it was very moving for me to watch him win his first five-star grand prix out here a couple of weeks ago. He rode with his head and he and Ebanking jumped two super rounds and luckily it worked out for him. It was a very special day.
● Does the World Cup still carry the same prestige? What changes would you like to see in the global calendar? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your thoughts to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine
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The British international showjumper is the only rider to have won the Hickstead Derby five times. A British showjumping team regular, William won team gold at the 2013 European championships on his home-bred stallion Billy Congo. He has been chef d’equipe and team trainer for UAE showjumping since November 2023. He and his wife, five-star eventer Pippa Funnell, run the successful Billy Stud in Surrey.
