OLYMPIC RIDERS IN TRIALS

MEMBERS of Britain's Olympic Three-Day-Event silver medal team at Athens compete in a field of more than 400 top international and local riders on July 1 and 2 at Eridge Horse Trials near Tunbridge Wells.
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd Jun 2006, 14:31 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 22:42 BST

Wadhurst-born Pippa Funnell is joined by fellow Olympians William Fox-Pitt and Mary King, as well as other international stars bound for the World Equestrian Games in August, including Ireland's Sacha Pemble (Paddockwood, Kent) the recent winner of Punchestown International three star three-day-event.

Other international riders are entered from New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland, Germany and Sweden.

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Eridge is the ninth event in the South East Eventers League and among the local challengers are 2002 and 2004 league winner Clare Lewis (East Sussex), Ellie Hughes (Matfield, Kent), Tony Warr (Tonbridge, Kent), Francis Whittington and his sister Bryony (Rotherfield), Gemma Tattersall (Hailsham), Kristina Cook (Findon, West Sussex), Alice Dunsdon (Ewhurst, Surrey), Cressida Clague-Reading (Haslemere, Surrey) and Nicola Wilson (Milland, Hants).

The exciting cross-country phase, with lots of challenging new fences and wonderful viewing, runs throughout both days from 10am. Saturday sees pre-novices and novices including the juniors in action. The experienced horses compete in the open intermediate on Sunday, when there are also intermediate and novice sections.

Sunday's Dodson and Horrell Novice Regional Final is a qualifier for the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park (August 4 to 6), with Eridge's terrain an ideal test of the stamina required for the novice championship.

This is the 12th successive year that South East Equestrian Services have run Eridge Horse Trials in the picturesque park on the 5000 acre Abergavenny family estate.

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