Pippa Funnell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pippa FunnellMBE |
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Funnell on Billy Walk On at Bicton CCI 5* 2021
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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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Philippa Rachel "Pippa" Funnell is a famous British horse rider. She is known for competing in eventing, a sport where riders and horses perform in three different areas: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. In 2003, Pippa made history by becoming the first person to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. This means she won three major competitions in a row: Rolex Kentucky, Badminton, and Burghley. She also won Badminton two more times in 2002 and 2005.
Pippa Funnell has won many medals throughout her career. At the European Championships, she won two individual gold medals (in 1999 and 2001) and three team gold medals (between 1999 and 2003). She is also a three-time Olympic medalist. She won team silver medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics. In Athens, she also won an individual bronze medal. Pippa also competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Pippa Funnell was born Philippa Rachel Nolan on 7 October 1968, in Crowborough, East Sussex, England. Her parents are Jenny and George Nolan. She grew up in a place called Mark Cross and went to the local primary school there. Later, she attended Wadhurst College, a boarding school.
When she was 16, Pippa convinced her parents to let her leave school to focus on her riding career. She then trained with Ruth McMullen, a well-known equestrian.
In December 1993, Pippa married William Funnell, who is also a famous show jumper. They live in Ockley in Surrey, where they have a stud farm. A stud farm is a special place where horses are bred. In 2014, William joined Pippa in The British Horse Society Equestrian Hall of Fame, making them the first husband and wife to both be in it. Pippa was inducted in 2005.
Pippa's Amazing Career
Pippa Funnell has ridden many talented horses throughout her career. Some of her most famous horses include Supreme Rock, Primmore's Pride, Sir Barnaby, and Walk on Star.
Early Success and Challenges
Pippa became the European Young Rider Champion in 1987. She achieved this success while riding Sir Barnaby in Poland. Even with her early wins as a junior rider, she found it tough to become a top senior international rider at first. She has said that she used to get very nervous, which almost stopped her career. To help with this, she started working with a sports psychologist named Nicky Heath.
Winning European and Olympic Medals
In 1999, Pippa became the European Champion at Luhmühlen while riding Supreme Rock. She won this title again in 2001 in France, also with Supreme Rock. She was part of the British teams that won silver medals at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the Athens Olympics in 2004. She rode Supreme Rock in 2000 and Primmore's Pride in 2004. In 2002, she helped the British team win a bronze medal at the World Equestrian Games, again with Supreme Rock. At the Athens Olympics in 2004, she also won an individual bronze medal.
The Rolex Grand Slam
In 2003, Pippa Funnell made history by becoming the first rider ever to complete the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. This meant she won three of the world's biggest eventing competitions in a row: Kentucky, Badminton, and Burghley. She won Kentucky and Burghley with Primmore's Pride, and Badminton with Supreme Rock. This amazing achievement earned her a special bonus prize. As of 2017, she was still one of only two riders to have won the Grand Slam. Because of her success, she was named the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year in 2003. She also finished that year as the number one ranked rider in the world!
Pippa has won the Badminton Horse Trials three times: in 2002, 2003, and 2005. She has also won both the Blenheim and Windsor Horse Trials four times each, which is a record! Her horse, Primmore's Pride, was the first horse to win its own "Grand Slam" by winning Kentucky and Burghley in 2003, and Badminton in 2005.
Recent Achievements
After her big win at Badminton in 2005, Pippa didn't win another international event for five years. Many of her top horses retired. However, in 2010, she won her first international event in five years at the Bramham International horse trials with her new horse, Redesigned. They went on to finish 5th individually at the 2010 World Equestrian Games.
Pippa continued to find success with new horses. In 2013, she won the Tattersalls CCI3* with Billy Beware. This horse finished 6th at his first big 4-star event at Badminton in 2014. In 2015, she won her third Chatsworth CIC 3* title with Sandman7. On 13 September 2015, Pippa won her first European team medal in 12 years, helping Great Britain win Team Silver at Blair Castle with Sandman 7.
At the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, Pippa rode Billy the Biz. She was part of the British team that finished fifth, and she placed 26th individually. In 2019, Pippa won the Burghley Horse Trials again, riding MGH Grafton Street. She led the competition from the very first day!
Top Competition Results
Pippa Funnell has competed in many of the highest-level eventing competitions around the world. These tables show her results at these challenging events.
CCI 5* Results
| Results | ||||||||||||
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| Event | Kentucky | Badminton | Luhmühlen | Burghley | Pau | Adelaide | Bicton | |||||
| 1997 | 9th (Bits and Pieces) | |||||||||||
| 1998-2001 | Did not participate | |||||||||||
| 2002 |  (Supreme Rock) |
6th (Primmore's Pride) | ||||||||||
| 2003 | (Primmore's Pride) |
(Supreme Rock)
6th (Cornerman) |
(Primmore's Pride) |
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| 2004 | RET (Viceroy II) RET (Cornerman) | RET (Cornerman) | ||||||||||
| 2005 | (Primmore's Pride) |
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| 2006 | EL (Ensign) | |||||||||||
| 2007 |  (Ensign) |
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| 2008 | RET (Ensign) | RET (Ensign) | ||||||||||
| 2009 | Did not participate | |||||||||||
| 2010 | 15th (Mirage D'Elle) | |||||||||||
| 2011 | WD (Redesigned)
WD (Mirage D'Elle) |
27th (Mirage D'Elle) | 28th (Mirage D'Elle)
30th (Pure Addiction) |
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| 2012 | Did not participate | |||||||||||
| 2013 | 56th (Redesigned) | 16th (Redesigned) | ||||||||||
| 2014 | 6th (Billy Beware)
EL (Redesigned) |
RET (Mirage D'Elle)
EL (Redesigned) |
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| 2015 | 12th (Redesigned)
23rd (Second Supreme) |
WD (Redesigned)
WD (Second Supreme) |
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| 2016 | EL (Second Supreme) | |||||||||||
| 2017 | 10th (Billy The Biz) | |||||||||||
| 2018 | RET (Billy Beware) | RET (Billy Beware) | 13th (Majas Hope) | |||||||||
| 2019 | 16th (Majas Hope)
RET (Billy Walk On) |
(MGH Grafton Street)
WD (Billy Walk On) |
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| 2021 |  Billy Walk On 5th (Majas Hope) |
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| 2022 | 6th (Maybach)
14th (Majas Hope) |
RET (Billy Walk On)
EL (MGH Grafton Street) |
8th (Billy Walk On)
16th (Majas Hope) |
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| 2023 | 10th (Majas Hope)
RET (Billy Walk On) |
6th (Majas Hope) | ||||||||||
| EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew | ||||||||||||
International Championship Results
| Results | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Event | Horse | Placing | Notes | ||||||
| 1987 | European Young Rider Championships | Sir Barnaby | |
Individual | ||||||
| 1997 | European Championships | Bits and Pieces | 33rd | Individual | ||||||
| 1999 | European Championships | Supreme Rock | |
Team | ||||||
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Individual | |||||||||
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Supreme Rock | |
Team | ||||||
| 2001 | European Championships | Supreme Rock | |
Team | ||||||
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Individual | |||||||||
| 2002 | World Equestrian Games | Supreme Rock | |
Team | ||||||
| 13th | Individual | |||||||||
| 2003 | European Championships | Walk On Star | |
Team | ||||||
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Individual | |||||||||
| 2004 | Olympic Games | Primmore's Pride | |
Team | ||||||
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Individual | |||||||||
| 2005 | European Championships | Ensign | 9th | Individual | ||||||
| 2006 | World Young Horse Championships | Matter of Opinion | 28th | CCI** | ||||||
| 2008 | World Young Horse Championships | Billy Landretti | |
CCI* | ||||||
| Redesigned | |
CCI** | ||||||||
| 2008 | Eventing World Cup Final | Ensign | |
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| 2009 | World Young Horse Championships | Billy Landretti | 4th | CCI** | ||||||
| 2010 | World Young Horse Championships | Billy Shannon | 5th | CCI** | ||||||
| 2010 | World Equestrian Games | Redesigned | 5th | Individual | ||||||
| 2013 | European Championships | Mirage D'Elle | 6th | Team | ||||||
| 40th | Individual | |||||||||
| 2015 | European Championships | Sandman 7 | |
Team | ||||||
| 8th | Individual | |||||||||
| 2016 | World Young Horse Championships | Billy Walk On | |
CCI** | ||||||
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Billy The Biz | 5th | Team | ||||||
| 26th | Individual | |||||||||
| 2019 | European Championships | Majas Hope | |
Team | ||||||
| 22nd | Individual | |||||||||
| EL = Eliminated; RET = Retired; WD = Withdrew | ||||||||||
Pippa's Famous Horses
Here are some of the notable horses Pippa Funnell has ridden during her amazing career:
- 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 an MBE in the Queen's 2005 Birthday Honours. An MBE is a special award given to people in the United Kingdom for their great achievements and service to the country. Pippa received hers for her contributions to equestrian sport.
Books and Video Games
Pippa Funnell has shared her knowledge and experiences through various media. She has appeared in DVDs like Pippa Funnell, Road to the Top and The Funnell Factor. In 2005, she wrote her own story in Pippa Funnell: The Autobiography.
Video Games
The company Ubisoft has released a series of horse-themed video games featuring Pippa Funnell. These games let players experience the world of horse riding and stable management. Some of the titles include:
- Pippa Funnell (for Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance)
- Pippa Funnell: Stable Adventure (for Game Boy Advance)
- Pippa Funnell: The Stud Farm Inheritance (for PC)
- Pippa Funnell: Take the Reins (for PC and PlayStation 2)
- Pippa Funnell 3: The Golden Stirrups Challenge (also known as Horsez)
- Pippa Funnell 4: Secrets of the Ranch (for PC)
- Pippa Funnell: Ranch Rescue (released in 2007 for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii)
Children's Books
Pippa Funnell is also the author of a popular series of children's books called Tilly's Pony Tails. These books are published by Orion Children’s Books in the United Kingdom. The first two books, Magic Spirit and Red Admiral, came out in May 2009. The series has grown to include eighteen titles.
The main character in the books is Tilly Redbrow, an adopted child who absolutely loves horses and ponies. Each book tells a new adventure about Tilly and her horse friends. Besides the exciting stories, every book also includes a special section with expert tips from Pippa Funnell herself. These tips cover all sorts of things about horses and ponies, helping young readers learn more about them.
Tilly's Pony Tails Series
- 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
The first four Tilly's Pony Tails books have also been made into audiobooks. They are read by the sports presenter Clare Balding.
- Magic Spirit (2010) ISBN: 9781409111856
- Red Admiral (2010) ISBN: 9781409111870
- Rosie (2010) ISBN: 9781409123071
- Samson (2010) ISBN: 9781409123095
Special Editions
- Tilly's Horse box (2010) ISBN: 9781444001303
- Tilly's Pony Tails 1–3 (2010) ISBN: 9781444002270
- Tilly's Pony Tails Annual 2011 (2010) ISBN: 9781444001112
Other Books by Pippa Funnell
- Pippa Funnell: The Autobiography (2005) ISBN: 9780752865195
- Ask Pippa (Questions and Answers) (2010) ISBN: 9781444002652
See also
In Spanish: Philippa Funnell para niños
