Pippa Funnell.

© British Eventing

By Equestrian Life

Leading UK event rider Pippa Funnell has had to pull out of Badminton, with her only ride — Billy Beware — suffering minor issues in the lead up to the event. She felt that his preparation wasn’t going as well as she would have liked, and that it was therefore in the best interests of the horse to withdraw.

By withdrawing, Pippa left space for a rider on the waitlist — Badminton first timer Willa Newton and Chance Remark — to earn a start at the prestigious event.

One of the UK’s most successful eventers, Pippa was the first rider to take out the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing (Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley in succession) in 2003. Other notable achievements include: being crowned the Badminton winner on two occasions (in 2002 and 2005); winning two individual gold medals and three team gold medals at the European Championships; and securing three Olympic medals.

The full list of entries and withdrawals can be viewed here.
 

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