Each day between now and the New Year we’re counting down the top 20 most popular videos shared on EN in 2021. The #9 spot goes to this video, which garnered 2,088 views when it was originally posted on March 2, 2021.
I thought it appropriate to dedicate a weekly video to just a few of the bold women who have achieved milestones in the sport of eventing, in celebration of Women’s History Month. To kick things off, I dug into the archives to find this gem of a video montage looking back on British rider Pippa Funnell’s historic Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing win in 2003.
Pippa picked up the Grand Slam win – which requires a rider to win Kentucky, Badminton, and Burghley in any consecutive order – just a few years after its inception in 1999, and since then Germany’s Michael Jung has been the only other rider to achieve this (2016). While many riders have come close (Andrew Hoy, Oliver Townend, William Fox-Pitt, and Andrew Nicholson have all won two consecutive legs), the prize remains elusive for most.
These days, Pippa’s hardly hanging about on her past success; in fact, she’s the reigning Burghley champion having picked up the win in 2019 aboard MGH Grafton Street. And really, the Grand Slam could be Pippa’s to chase once again: while modifications to the Grand Slam in light of coronavirus cancellations have not been announced, her status as the last winner of Burghley could come into play should she make the trek to Kentucky – and win – this spring.
