Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street danced their way to the top of the Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials results on the first day of dressage at the German CCI5*.
Pippa, fresh from her Bramham win, partnered her 2019 Burghley winner into the provisional lead on a score of 23.1. The mark is just shy of their personal best of 22.8 at this level, which they achieved on route to lifting the Burghley trophy four years ago.
“I think it just goes to show that it does these older horses so much good when their jockeys can go away the week before to Bramham,” said Pippa, with a smile.
“I personally think it was one of his best – if not the best test – he’s ever done.
“I’m always trying not to overwork my horses. So I worked him in a jumping saddle for the last couple of days to keep him happy, because he gets bored if I do too much sitting trot.
“It’s not often I really enjoy dressage, but I really enjoyed riding that test. I felt I could go for the movements and he felt really secure. And I know he’s a very different type to some of the big impressive moving horses. He’s got that little short neck that all the time you’re trying to get to look longer. But you’ve got to live with what they were made with and make the best of that, and he’s lovely in his brain to ride in this atmosphere.”
It has been quite a journey to this point for the partnership. The Burghley win, on the horse’s five-star debut, came just before the pandemic. The following year, Pippa had time out through illness and the horse then sustained a bruised pedal bone at Hartpury, ruling him out for the rest of that season.
“I think probably in his brain there was a little lack of confidence, and then through that I had that nasty fall at Badminton in 2022. We lost a bit of confidence, to be honest,” said Pippa. “I think we just lost our way a little bit.”
That was the reason behind the decision to head for Blenheim CCI4*-L last year, rather than an autumn five-star. The plan paid off and the pair came into 2023 with their mojo restored.
“This spring I said to the owners Jonathan and Jane Clarke, who have been such great supporters of mine and are very dear friends, ‘let’s not make a plan and just see how he comes out’,” said Pippa.
“I haven’t actually run a very quick cross-country, a lot of it has just been about getting the ride better and building confidence. The way he’s been jumping, the Clarks and I thought ‘let’s come here’.”
Luhmühlen Horse Trials: ‘The horses keep me motivated’
Luhmühlen Horse Trials is a special place for Pippa. It’s here she enjoyed two career defining moments – her first major three-day win in 1991 aboard Sir Barnaby, and the European champion title she claimed with the great Supreme Rock in 1999. As she returns to the German five-star following the boost scoring her fourth Bramham title days earlier, she reflects on the feeling that confidence gives – and what underpins her continued drive.
“This whole sport is so much about confidence and I think people underestimate how when you have not great spins, or that even actually you can lose confidence from other people having falls,” said Pippa.
“There’s no question that when you’re on a roll and your confidence is higher, it helps enormously. But not necessarily with the actual riding part – it helps more with the demons beforehand.
“This year I feel I’m in a better place than last year, because the past two years I’ve been beating myself up and keeping on questioning whether I should keep going in the sport, because of my age.
“This year, I actually thought there’s no pressure on me as to whether I need to keep going or not. The horses keep me motivated and when you’ve had horses for a long time, they’re your best mates. If I stopped tomorrow, those horses are going to have to go somewhere – I can’t expect to keep them as my pets if I retire.
“The golden rule is to keep having fun and enjoying the moments. I’ve got my fingers crossed for Saturday – I know it can go either way in this sport – but hopefully I’ll go out and get my competitive instinct going.”
Kitty King and Vendredi Biats are provisional second at this stage on 26.8, with Laura Collett and Dacapo holding third on 29.7.
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Pippa Funnell wins fourth Bramham, 31 years after first: ‘I can’t tell you how special winning a big one is at my stage’
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