Pippa Funnell showed the value of partnership as she piloted Billy Walk On clear around the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials cross-country course. They racked up 19.6 time-faults, despite going direct throughout.
“A few places he was a bit deliberate but I trusted him and he trusted me,” said Pippa. “There were some spectacular parts where I was full of pride, he was really brilliant, and there were other places which were a good example of not being able to count your strides, and it was a bit chippy.”
Pippa admitted it was “demoralising” to be 16 seconds down on the clock by fence five, but was prioritising a clear round, and she made it happen with a gutsy, positive ride.
“I was in a negative mindset after Badminton and didn’t have Burghley on our radar,” she said. “After [finishing third] at Gatcombe, I thought I’d enter and see what the course was like. If he wasn’t enjoying it, I could pull up.
“So it was never about the time, but now of course my competitive instinct is saying I should have gone faster. However, if we had gone fast, we might not have jumped the last two fences, and instead he finished well.”
The Walkinshaws’ Billy Walk On scrambled over the final element, the triple brush, in the Trout Hatchery, and also banked the Voltaire Design Bank to Triple Bar.
“It was all about eventing, he was honest – I believed in him and he in me,” she said. “There are a lot of big, big, big fences, and you need a horse that takes them on.”
Burghley Horse Trials cross-country: debutants shine
Burghley debutante Cornelia Dorr produced a scintillating round, the fastest of the day so far, to stop the clock for just 8.4 time-faults on Daytona Beach 8.
“I was behind on my minute markers most of the way round, but she has really good pace,” said the US rider. “It didn’t feel easy, but what a partner, she picked up.”
Another Burghley newcomer, Padraig McCarthy also clocked a decent time at this early stage, riding HHS Noble Call. They added just 13.6 time-faults in a beautifully smooth round.
“He gave me a confident ride,” said the Irish competitor. “The horse is a machine cross-country. He’s not a thoroughbred, but a good stayer and he fought and fought.
“The course is very intense at the beginning, I felt him take a big breath on three minutes – it’s that intensity and turning and the crowds. Every jump is a big jump, and that takes a lot out of the horses. But I do think we’ll see one or two in the time.”
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