British Riders’ Sun-Kissed Potential for 2017

Among those who travelled to southern climes to launch their outdoor season this year is William Funnell, currently ranked 110th in the Longines global rankings. Over the past couple of months, the husband of Eventing legend Pippa Funnell has wracked up several CSI2* top ten finishes on the Costa Del Sol Equestrian Tour in Mijas, Andalusia on the southeastern coast of the country. And even if you haven’t seen Funnell in action, you can be sure that his horse’s name is Billy. As a breeder himself, William Funnell has dubbed all his mounts with the informal version of his own name: Billy Angelo, Billy Congo, Billy Buckingham, Billy Cool, Billy Dorito, Billy Fanta, Billy Manjaro, and Billy McCain.

For his part, Guy Williams has been busy this winter on the appropriately named Sunshine Tour in Vejer de la Frontera, on the Atlantic coast of Andalusia. Williams and Depardieu Van’t Kiezelhof won the CSI4* Grand Prix on March 19th with double clear rounds. Their victory followed another first place finish with Casper de Muze the day before. 187th-ranked Williams has been quoted in the past as saying, “Quite simply, you’ve got to want to win – every time!”, and the rider has been living up to that principle in Spain this year.

Fellow Brit Emma Stoker is currently 308th in the world but has shown her desire to move up in the rankings with her performances on the Vilamoura Atlantic Tour in Vilamoura, Portugal this year. With several victories and top ten finishes to her credit, Stoker has obviously been feeling at home with mounts like Everton de Villee on the south coast of the country. The Atlantic Tour continues until April 2nd.

Finally, Emily Moffitt has also been making waves, but this time on the other side of the Atlantic in the equestrian hotbed of Wellington, Florida with Hilfiger Van de Olmenhoeve and other partners. Taking part in CSI2*s, 3*s, 4*s and 5*s since the start of the year — including Nations Cup and Longines World Cup events — Moffitt has been impressive, with first, second and third places in the Sunshine State. In any case, the weather forecast in Wellington this weekend calls for highs of 27°C, and like the rest of her compatriots Moffitt will be hoping to turn that heat into a hot streak this year.