One year and lots of baaaad ponies. Who says we don’t give the people what they want?
Here at EN we’re suckers for tradition, and something that’s become de rigeur over the past few years is the sharing of an Instagram Top Nine. What better way to remember some of the lost moments of the year gone by (and what better way to momentarily curtail the ‘going into 2020 with 20/20 vision!’ posts, while we’re at it)? Sometimes you can spot a recurring theme in a top nine, and in the case of our own, you certainly can: 2019 has been a banner year for horses behaving exceptionally badly at trot-ups. Let’s take a closer look at the posts that made the grade this season.
#9: ‘I Love It When You Call Me Big Pippa’
2,236 likes procured Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street their first appearance in our top nine, in this photo taken by Nico Morgan at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. Why was it so popular? Because poor Pip, who had halted in the wrong spot and was trying to mime putting a gun to her temple, actually ended up giving us some straight up rapper vibes. We got, um, carried away, posted the above on the ‘gram, and then Pip herself weighed in with both some fire lyrics and a requested edit to the text. We. Love. Her.
(Of course, Pip would lead the dressage despite her error, and then go on to win the event – but she never stopped mentioning her foray into the world of hip-hop throughout the week. Consider us firmly encouraged in our persistent silliness.)
Jonelle Price and Faerie Dianimo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
#8: Superman That…Arrowhead
Sometimes a photo gains in popularity purely for its awesome displays of athleticism, and this example, taken at Aachen by Tilly Berendt, certainly fits the bill. 2,457 of you were impressed by the fearsome and fabulous Jonelle Price and her 2018 Luhmühlen winner Faerie Dianimo, who skipped through the incredibly difficult first water with characteristic grit and gumption. Once again, Jonelle’s pretty little mare proved that an unconventional style means nothing in the grand scheme of things, and the pair would go on to finish eighth and help the Kiwi team to second place in this most revered of CCI4*-S competitions.
#7: Rain, Rain, Go Away
Mmmm, eventing in the spring. Shannon Brinkmann was our photographer in situ at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event this spring, and her snap of a seriously soggy Leslie Law and Voltaire de Tre’ earned 2,572 likes – mostly, we suspect, from very warm and dry people enjoying a little bit of schadenfreude.
Though it was an inauspicious start to the week, they wouldn’t stay soggy for long – and Leslie and the striking ten-year-old would go on to finish tenth. Naaaaht bad going.
Louise Harwood and Balladeer Miller Man. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
#6: Let’s Go Fly a Kite
Louise ‘Wiggy’ Harwood is a tiny woman with a penchant for oversized – and occasionally, over-adrenalised – horses. When Balladeer Miller Man served up some serious sass on the Badminton runway, Wiggy dealt with it like a woman who has been there before, and the (Eventing) nation looked on in awe. 2,753 likes later, and this photo by Tilly Berendt is our sixth most-liked of 2019. We hear that Balladeer Miller Man has taken over from Pluto as the smallest and feistiest planet orbiting the sun.
Tim Price: the horse whisperer. (???) Photo by Tilly Berendt.
#5: No Panic, All Disco
Remind us to always keep Tim Price around – he’s certainly useful (and hilarious) in a crisis. Or so Izzy Taylor found at Badminton, when Springpower decided to make his own way home from the far end of the trot-up strip. He wouldn’t get far, however: the fast-thinking Kiwi, still attached to his own horse, Bango, threw out the star jump to end all star jumps, catching the horse and roundly saving the day. Just look at that face – that’s a man used to putting a toddler on the naughty step.
This shot, taken by Tilly Berendt, garnered 2,785 likes and more than a few whispers about appearances on Dancing with the Stars.
Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z make it happen. Photo by William Carey.
#4: You Are Now Flying Air Deniro
2,852 people liked this epic shot of Liz Halliday-Sharp and Deniro Z, who grew wings to clear the colossal – and enormously influential – Maltings question at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. It was a great week for US riders, with eleven of our own in the hunt. Two would finish in the top ten, while Liz and Niro would wind up in a very respectable 15th place, chasing away the irritating rotten-luck demons that had been following them around earlier in the season. A formidable effort from them both at this hotly-debated combination would cement the talented gelding’s worth as a true five-star competitor. William Carey was well-placed to capture the moment – we recommend zooming in to check out the facial expressions going on in the background, too!
Pippa Funnell and MGH Grafton Street win Burghley. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.
#3: Pippa Takes it All
One of our most popular photos of the year encapsulated one of the most popular wins of the year: this fab photo by Nico Morgan captured the split second that Pippa Funnell landed from the final fence and realised she’d won the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, 16 years after her last win at the level, which saw her take the first Grand Slam back in 2003.
What was even more special were the circumstances in which she won: she led from pillar to post with MGH Grafton Street, a five-star debutant who’d garnered a reputation for himself as a bit of a heartbreaker across the country. But Pippa, riding a wave of confidence after a brilliant trip to the Europeans the week prior, gave him the ride of his life over one of the biggest courses we’ve ever seen, proving that you can overcome anything – confidence wobbles, self-doubt, and iffy records – to make your wildest dreams come true. We’re not too proud to admit we cried, and 3,101 of you seemed to be on much the same page.
Ben Hobday and Harelaw Wizard. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
#2: A Clydesdale at Badminton
British trot-ups did big numbers this year, and this photo by Tilly Berendt – which earned 3,110 likes – combined three popular Bs: Badminton, Ben Hobday, and a BIG HORSE. Ben’s Harelaw Wizard – who, like Mulrys Error before him, is part-Clydesdale – won the much-coveted ‘Feet Most Closely Resembling Dinner Plates’ prize in EN’s prestigious Golden Chinch Awards.
There’s something to be said for those tootsies of his, though – he jumped a super clear across the country to ultimately finish 37th, and then went on to finish 21st at Burghley. Four clears out of four runs at five-star – we’re off to buy ourselves a supercob.
The Ground Jury can’t give you bad marks in the dressage if you trample them, I suppose. Photo by Shelby Allen.
#1: The Young and the Restless
A trip to the wild, wild west (um, Rebecca Farm) ended up as an impromptu visit to the rodeo, when Claire Howard‘s Euro Star decided to liven up proceedings at the NAYC first horse inspection. But she needn’t sell him as a reiner just yet – the Area III duo finished 13th in the CCI2*-L after three solid phases, just missing out on a place in the top ten when the pesky final rail fell. These poles ain’t loyal, man.
This perfectly-timed shot, which probably warrants its own rave soundtrack, was taken by Shelby Allen and racked up an impressive 5,623 likes. Claire, for what it’s worth, you won’t be the first person to make your big EN debut with a hilarious trot-up photo and then go on to big things. We’re looking at you, Will Rawlin.
