Pippa Funnell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pippa FunnellMBE |
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Pippa Funnell on Billy Walk On at Bicton CCI 5* 2021
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| Full name | Philippa Rachel Funnell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  Great Britain |
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| Discipline | Eventing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 October 1968 Crowborough, East Sussex |
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Medal record
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Pippa Funnell is a famous British horse rider. Her full name is Philippa Rachel Funnell. She was born on October 7, 1968. Pippa is known for competing in a sport called eventing. Eventing is like a triathlon for horses and riders. It includes three parts: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping.
In 2003, Pippa made history. She became the first person to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. This means she won three big competitions in a row: Rolex Kentucky, Badminton, and Burghley. She also won the Badminton Horse Trials in 2002 and 2005. Pippa has won many medals, including Olympic medals. She won two team silver medals at the Olympics in 2000 and 2004. She also won an individual bronze medal in 2004.
Contents
About Pippa Funnell
Her Early Life
Pippa Funnell was born in Crowborough, East Sussex, England. This was on October 7, 1968. Her parents are Jenny and George Nolan. She grew up in a place called Mark Cross. She went to Mark Cross CE primary school. Later, she attended Wadhurst College.
When she was 16, Pippa convinced her parents to let her leave school. She then started training with Ruth McMullin. This was the start of her professional riding career.
Family Life
Pippa Funnell married William Funnell in December 1993. William is also a famous show jumper. They live in Ockley in Surrey, England. They have a special farm there. It is called a stud farm. They use it to breed horses.
In 2014, William Funnell joined his wife in the The British Horse Society Equestrian Hall of Fame. Pippa had already been added to the Hall of Fame in 2005. They were the first husband and wife team to both be honored in this way.
Pippa's Riding Career
Pippa Funnell has ridden many amazing horses. Some of her most famous horses include Supreme Rock, Primmore's Pride, and Sir Barnaby.
Early Success and Challenges
In 1987, Pippa became the European Young Rider Champion. She won this title while riding Sir Barnaby in Poland. Even with this early success, she found it hard to become a top senior rider at first. She has said that she used to get very nervous. These nerves sometimes made it difficult for her to perform her best. To help with this, she started working with a sports psychologist named Nicky Heath. This helped her to manage her nerves and focus on her riding.
Winning European and Olympic Medals
In 1999, Pippa became the European Champion. She was riding Supreme Rock at the Luhmühlen event. She won this title again in 2001 in Pau, France, also with Supreme Rock.
Pippa was also a key part of the British team. The team won a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. She was riding Supreme Rock then. In 2002, the team won a bronze medal at the World Equestrian Games. Again, Supreme Rock was her horse. At the Athens Olympics in 2004, the team won another silver medal. This time, Pippa was riding Primmore's Pride. She also won an individual bronze medal at the Athens Olympics.
The Grand Slam of Eventing
The year 2003 was a very special year for Pippa Funnell. She became the first rider ever to complete the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. This is a huge achievement in the sport. It means winning three of the biggest eventing competitions in a row. She won the Kentucky and Burghley events with Primmore's Pride. She won the Badminton event with Supreme Rock.
Winning the Grand Slam earned her a big bonus of $250,000 from Rolex. Because of her amazing wins, she was named the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year in 2003. She was also one of the top five people for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. After this, she went to Ireland. There, she won a bronze medal with her horse Walk On Star. She also helped the British team win their fifth team title in a row. At the end of 2003, Pippa was ranked the number one rider in the world.
Continued Success
Pippa Funnell has won the Badminton Horse Trials three times. She won in 2002, 2003, and 2005. She has also won both the Blenheim and Windsor Horse Trials four times each. No other rider has done this. Her horse, Primmore's Pride, also made history. It became the first horse to win its own "Grand Slam." This means Primmore's Pride won Kentucky and Burghley in 2003, and Badminton in 2005.
After 2005, many of her top horses retired. Pippa worked hard to bring up new horses. In 2010, she won her first international event in five years. She won the CCI3* at Bramham with her horse Redesigned. They finished fifth at the World Equestrian Games that year. She continued to win with new horses like Billy Llandretti and Billy Beware. In 2015, she helped Great Britain win a team silver medal at the European Championships.
Recent Achievements
Pippa Funnell competed at the Rio Olympics in 2016. She rode Billy the Biz. The British team finished fifth. In 2019, Pippa won the Burghley Horse Trials again. She was riding MGH Grafton Street and led the competition from the very first day.
Notable Horses
Pippa Funnell has had many amazing horses throughout her career. Here are some of the most well-known:
- Sir Barnaby
- Supreme Rock
- Walk On Star
- Primmore's Pride
- Ensign
- Sandman 7
- MGH Grafton Street
- Majas Hope
- Billy Walk On
Awards and Recognition
Pippa Funnell was given a special award in 2005. She was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This honor was given to her by the Queen for her great contributions to equestrian sport.
Books and Video Games
Pippa Funnell has also been involved in media and writing. She has appeared in DVDs about horse riding. In 2005, she wrote her own story in a book called Pippa Funnell: The Autobiography.
A company called Ubisoft has made a series of horse-themed video games that feature Pippa Funnell. These games let players experience what it's like to ride and care for horses. Some of the games include Pippa Funnell: Take the Reins and Pippa Funnell: Ranch Rescue.
Pippa is also the author of a series of children's books. The series is called Tilly's Pony Tails. The books are about a girl named Tilly Redbrow who loves horses. Each book tells a new adventure with horses and ponies. The books also include tips from Pippa Funnell herself about horses.
Books by Pippa Funnell
- Magic Spirit: the dream horse (2009) ISBN: 9781842557099
- Red Admiral: the racehorse (2009) ISBN: 9781842557105
- Rosie: the perfect pony (2009) ISBN: 9781842557112
- Samson: the stallion (2009) ISBN: 9781842557129
- Lucky Chance: the new foal (2009) ISBN: 9781842557136
- Solo: the super star (2010) ISBN: 9781842557143
- Pride and Joy: the event horse (2010) ISBN: 9781444000818
- Neptune: the heroic horse (2010) ISBN: 9781444000825
- Parkview Pickle: the naughty show pony (2010) ISBN: 9781444000832
- Nimrod: the circus pony (2010) ISBN: 9781444000900
- Moonshadow: the Derby winner (2011) ISBN: 9781444000917
- Autumn Glory: the new horse (2011) ISBN: 9781444000924
- Goliath: the rescue horse (2011) ISBN: 9781444002591
- Buttons: the naughty pony (2011) ISBN: 9781444002607
- Rusty: the trustworthy pony (2011) ISBN: 9781444002614
- Royal Flame: the police horse (2011) ISBN: 9781444002621
- Stripy: the zebra foal (2012) ISBN: 9781444002638
- Free Spirit: the mustang (2012) ISBN: 9781444002645
Audiobooks
These books were read aloud by sports presenter Clare Balding.
- Magic Spirit (2010) ISBN: 9781409111856
- Red Admiral (2010) ISBN: 9781409111870
- Rosie (2010) ISBN: 9781409123071
- Samson (2010) ISBN: 9781409123095
Other Books
- Pippa Funnell: The Autobiography (2005) ISBN: 9780752865195
- Ask Pippa (Questions and Answers) (2010) ISBN: 9781444002652
Images for kids
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Pippa Funnell on Billy Walk On at Bicton CCI 5* 2021
See also
In Spanish: Philippa Funnell para niños
