H&H Hero To Hero: Gemma Tattersall And Pippa Funnell

Our guest editor talks to her hero, the recent Burghley winner Pippa Funnell, about nerves, special horses and stepping off the eventing treadmill

GEMMA: How do you feel about your Burghley win now that it’s set in and how does it compare to your previous big wins?

PIPPA: My first Burghley win on Kiri [Primmore’s Pride] was so unbelievable because it was the last leg of the Rolex Grand Slam. But we all know in eventing, when you’re in that purple patch, wins seem… not easier, because they are often difficult, but I was in the heyday of my career with two very good horses in Rocky [Supreme Rock] and Kiri.

So that’s where this win was very special, because even though I’ve always thought a lot of Squirrel [MGH Grafton Street], I wasn’t expecting him to win his first five-star. But funnily enough, I was quietly confident — not of winning it, but sometimes you go into a big one with good vibes because the horses feel particularly well.

GEMMA: I’d love to know how Squirrel compares to your previous stars?

PIPPA: They were very different. Rocky and Kiri were giants. Kiri was very scopey and super on the flat. That’s where Squirrel has improved enormously. He doesn’t have the same movement in the dressage as Kiri and Rocky. He’s short-coupled and naturally built on his forehand, but as he becomes stronger, the movement comes better and his self-carriage. That’s helped with the crosscountry too — with the strength has come better balance.

GEMMA: You’ve had a couple of near wins on him, haven’t you? Such as at Tattersalls where he was cheeky.

PIPPA: There are some amazing horses who have hardly any blips on their record throughout their careers, such as Ginny Elliot’s Priceless. But that doesn’t mean you give up on horses who have hiccups. People don’t think about all the blips Rocky had and he went on to win two Badmintons and two European Championships.