You are invited to join The Billy Stud team on Monday 9th May at 1.30pm at our Forest Green base (Jordans Farm, RH5 5SB) to view the latest online auction Spring collection. We will be showing the horses under saddle jumping round a course, access to the stable area will also be available. If you are not able… Continue reading Spring Collection Viewing Day – Monday 9th May 2022
Thursday the 7th October became a day of huge celebrations for The Billy Stud as Lucy Townley and Billy Nikon were crowned HOYS Foxhunter Champions 2021!!! In a 7 horse jump off, Lucy and Nikon claimed victory from final draw! It’s the class that everyone wants to win, it’s seen previous champions go… Continue reading Billy Nikon – 2021 HOYS Foxhunter CHAMPION!
Billy Marionette rounded off her fantastic 2021 season with a 5th place finish in the Newcomers Final at Horse of the Year Show! With a Hickstead championship and a Lanaken qualification under her belt this season already, it was so well deserved for this 6 year old mare to finish on such a high! Their… Continue reading Top finish for Billy Marionette at HOYS!
The final online auction collection of 2021 has been published at www.thebillystudauction.co.uk. The collection includes ten 3 year olds and, for the first time ever, 4 broodmares who are in foal for 2022. “We are asked frequently if we would ever sell any of our broodmares and until now we haven’t felt the time… Continue reading All eyes on the final online auction of 2021 from The Billy Stud!
The Clarke Family’s Billy Franklin (Cevin Z x Riesling du Monselet) culminated her 2 week Hickstead September tour by winning the title of Best Mare in the 6 Year Old Championships! Ridden by daughter, Chuffy Clarke, the pair jumped an immaculate double clear to claim the title. Billy Franklin was purchased in the 2020 Elite… Continue reading Billy Franklin awarded Best Mare at Hickstead!
The latest Billy Stud online auction came to a thrilling conclusion on Friday evening with the sale of 4 year old Billy Bonnie Blue (Billy Tudor x Lancelot) topping the bill at an impressive £80,000! He will join The Clarke family’s impressive string of young Billy horses including Billy Franklin who was awarded Best Mare… Continue reading Billy Bonnie Blue tops The Billy Stud Online Auction!
If ever there was a horse that deserved to wear the winners rug then it’s most definitely BILLY MARIONETTE!!!!! We were absolutely delighted to see her be crowned 6 year old Champion during the first week of the Hickstead September tour! Lucy and her Cevin Z sired mare were last to go in the jump… Continue reading Billy Marionette 6 Year Old Champion!
Following a hugely successful weekend at Bolesworth Young Horse Championships we have no less than 4 of our own Billy Stud horses headed for The World Breeding Championships in Lanaken! In the 5 year old class it was the exciting Billy Legend (Cevin Z x Riesling du Monselet) who rounded off a foot perfect week… Continue reading World Breeding Championships Beckon for Young Billy’s!
The team were on top form at the recent Kent County show. The feature class on day 1 was the 1.50m Area Trial where a quality field came forward. It was a double clear from Lucy and Billy Guilder (Billy Congo x Cavalier Royale) that took the top honours. The 8 year old Billy Bud… Continue reading Unbeatable Billy’s at Kent County
The lovely 6 year old Billy Marionette had her well deserved moment in the spotlight last week at Keysoe as she claimed her spot in the Newcomers final at HOYS. She has been knocking on the door all season qualifying for the National Championships, The Big Star Final and placing in the 6 year… Continue reading Billy Marionette heads for HOYS
Yard Addresses
Cobbetts Farm
Lyefield Lane
Forest Green
Dorking
Surrey
RH55SN
Jordans Farm
Horsham Road
Forest Green
Dorking
Surrey
RH5 5SB
Contact
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If you would like to enquire about training with us, please fill out the form below and a member of our team will be in touch with you shortly.
Pippa Funnell
Twenty years after winning her first National Championship with Sir Barnaby, Pippa Funnell is firmly established as one of the world’s leading three day event riders.
Throughout a long career, Pippa has consistently been at the top of 3 Day Eventing having cemented her place back in 2003 when she achieved a landmark record by winning the Rolex Grand Slam (consecutive wins at Rolex Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley). As well as a healthy bonus from Rolex, Pippa earned herself a place in the history books as the first person to achieve this feat.
A year later she broke yet more records when she became the first person to win the Blenheim International Horse Trials for an incredible fourth time. This was followed by success at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where she helped the team to Silver before taking the individual Bronze medal. Her list of achievements has continued to expand, with Pippa repeatedly placing well at all the major events, and includes claiming both the Badminton and Windsor titles on more than one occasion.
With her best selling autobiography and her range of ‘Pippa Funnell’ computer games continuing to top the game sales charts it’s clear that Pippa’s determination, drive and devotion to her sport, is proving an inspiration to many. Pippa’s appeal continues to grow and with the launch of ‘Tilly’s Pony Tails’, her popularity is set to expand further still.
Away from eventing Pippa has also received many awards which include the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year Award, the Sports Journalist Association Pat Besford Award for Outstanding Individual Sporting Achievement, as well as being named BBC South’s Sports Personality of the Year and reaching the last five of the overall BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
Pippa was awarded an MBE in 2005.
Pippa is married to international show jumper, William Funnell.
Donal Barnwell
Donal was brought up in a farming family in Co Wexford in the heart of Irelands horse industry and from an early age was involved with horses. He went to agricultural college, graduated and farmed pigs commercially for 3 years until he could resist a career with horses no longer.
His first job was with the late Pat Cash, where he spent 3 years learning the business and developing his own unique philosophy and outlook on selection, breeding and training. Being a farmers son and a stock man gives Donal a unique perspective on horses and accounts for ability to see potential in a horse which others may miss.
Donal is recognised as having one of the best eyes in the business. Overall athleticism and conformation is important but Donal also looks at the head and eye to get a real feel for a horse. Donal moved to England 25 years ago to work for one of Pat Cash’s clients near Maidenhead. Donal developed the business and extended his business contacts in England before setting out on his own.
18 years ago he set up on his own from rented dealing yards near Chichester and 10 years ago moved to his current yard in Kirdford, West Sussex. Historically Donal has specialised in eventers although with The Billy Stud he has broadened out into breeding competition horses for all disciplines.
William Funnell
William began riding ponies as a child on the family farm in Ashford, Kent. He was born into a farming and hunting family. When he was not doing farm duties he would ride the family ponies. At the age of 16 he has the choice of leaving school to start farming, or showjumping. When Cyril Light of the Brendon Stud in Sussex offered him a job as second stable jockey to show jumper Simon Trent, he chose the latter option.
He has had success at the highest level in international show jumping, 2013 has been a great year so far, especially with Billy Congo. After finishing 4th in the London leg of the global champions tour, William went on to jump triple clear in Cannes to finish second, and an unlucky pole in the final round in Monte Carlo prevented him winning the class, but another 2nd place finish meant that he moved up to fourth in the global champions tour ranking list, with over £150,000 worth of winnings from the 2013 global tour season alone. William and Billy Congo finished off the summer in style by being part of the Gold medal winning team at the European Championships.
William and Cortaflex Mondriaan joined the elite ranks of three time Hickstead Derby winner adding the 2009 championship to their wins in 2006 and 2008. Last to go in the international arena they achieved the only clear round of the day and the first clear in the Hickstead Derby for five years, a great achievement for William and his team and their sponsors.
William Funnel is a world-renowned show jumping rider with over 20 years experience at the top of his sport. He has won over 20 International titles and has represented his country all over the world at the highest levels.
He has represented Great Britain on 27 different occasions involving 2 European Champonships and has won over 50 International competitions.
William has been bringing on young horses for some 20 years and has his own philosophy on how this should be done.
Young horses need time to mature and should not be rushed. William tries to give them much more time out in the fields so there bones, ligaments and muscles develop as they would in the wild and at a “natural rate”. While this means that they may mature later than horses of similar age which have been brought on quicker Williams feels they have a more substantial foundation of bone and muscle on which to build.
Each horse is brought on slowly and carefully depending to its attitude and development. All the horses undergo similar work at a early age and are not streamed into eventers or show jumpers. This happens at a much later stage with William taking charge of those that may be destined for show jumping and Pippa Funnell managing the development of those that seem to have the latent skill as eventers. Even when streamed William feels that cross discipline work can still help bring a horse on.
