The Grand Slam of Eventing, sponsored by Rolex, consists of three of the top CCI5*-L (previously CCI4*, due to a rating change effective January 1, 2019. Note that the nature of the competitions remains the same regardless of the change in name) equestrian eventing competitions in the world. Pippa Funnell in 2003 and Michael Jung in 2016, are the only riders to have achieved the Grand Slam since its inception in 1999. To win the Grand Slam, a rider must consecutively win all three events, although they are permitted to ride different horses in each competition. This is especially important, since the Badminton Horse Trials is only one week after Kentucky, and the horse would not have sufficient time to recover between the two competitions, especially since they would have to be flown overseas in that time.
The three events that make up the Grand Slam are:
Winners receive an extra $350,000, in addition to their winnings from each event.
The Grand Slam of Eventing began in 1999, and has since only been won by two riders.
Pippa Funnell (GBR):
Michael Jung (GER):
Andrew Hoy (AUS):
Oliver Townend (GBR):
William Fox-Pitt (GBR):
Andrew Nicholson (NZL):
Pre 1999:
Having picked up the Grand Slam concept, which was originally launched by the three events acting in concert, the company have since established themselves as a leading sponsor within Three Day Eventing. Furthermore, they were title sponsors of the Rolex Kentucky Horse Trials until they abandoned eventing title sponsorship across the globe and dropped the sponsorship. The Rolex Kentucky Horse Trials is now the Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event, since Land Rover picked up the sponsorship. Rolex was the title sponsor of the event from 1981 to 2017. Rolex remains the official timepiece of the event.
The Badminton Horse Trials is a five-day event, one of only seven annual Concours Complet International (CCI) Five Star events as classified by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI). It takes place in May each year in the park of Badminton House, the seat of the Duke of Beaufort in South Gloucestershire, England.
The Defender Burghley Horse Trials is an annual three-day event held at Burghley House near Stamford, Lincolnshire, England, currently in early September. Defender Burghley Horse Trials is classified by the FEI as one of the seven leading three-day events in the world. It has competition at CCI5*-L level. The prize for first place is currently £110,000. Prize money is given down to 20th place.
Philippa Rachel "Pippa" Funnell MBE is an equestrian sportswoman who competes in eventing. In 2003, she became the first person to win the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing. She also won Badminton in 2002 and 2005. At the European Championships, she has won two Individual golds (1999–2001) and three team golds (1999–2003). She is a three-time Olympic medallist, winning team silver in 2000 and 2004, and an individual bronze in 2004. She also competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Mary Elizabeth King is a British equestrian who competes in eventing. She has represented Great Britain at six Olympics from 1992 to 2012, winning team silver in 2004 and 2012, and team bronze in 2008. At the World Equestrian Games, she won team gold in 1994 and 2010, and team silver in 2006. She has also won four team golds and one team bronze medal at the European Eventing Championships.
The Kentucky Three-Day Event, currently the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event due to sponsorship, is an eventing competition held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Land Rover Kentucky is a CCI5*-L eventing competition. Five stars is the highest level of competition in the sport, the same level of competition as Eventing at the Olympics and the World Equestrian Games. The event is sponsored by Land Rover. Prize money of $400,000 is distributed among the top placings with $110,000 as well as a Rolex watch awarded to the first place horse and rider. The winning rider also gets a 12-month lease of a Land Rover
William Speed Lane Fox-Pitt is an English equestrian who competes in eventing. His career highlights include winning three Olympic medals in the team event, with silver in 2004 and 2012, and bronze in 2008. At the World Equestrian Games, he won team gold and individual silver in 2010, and team silver and individual bronze in 2014. He also won World team medals in 2002 and 2006. At the European Championships, he has won six team gold medals, as well as Individual silver in 1997 and 2005, and Individual bronze in 2013. He is the recordman CCI*****'s winner with 14 grand slam titles. In 2011, he became the first rider to win five different five-star events, having won the Burghley Horse Trials a record six times, Rolex Kentucky three times, Stars of Pau twice, the Badminton Horse Trials twice, and the Luhmühlen Horse Trials once (2008). A serious fall in 2015 left him in a coma for two weeks, but he came back to make the British eventing team and attend the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours.
The Blenheim Horse Trials is an annual international three-day event held in the park of Blenheim Palace, at Woodstock, England. It is rated CCI***.
JJ Babu was a Thoroughbred gelding that excelled in the sport of eventing, under American rider Bruce Davidson.
Eagle Lion 1985-2013 was an event horse that has competed at the highest level of the sport with great success. He stood 16.1 hh (169 cm).
Toytown was a British event horse owned and ridden by Zara Phillips.
Lucinda Fredericks is an equestrian athlete who competes in eventing. Having formerly competed for Great Britain, she now represents Australia. Riding Headley Britannia, she has won three CCI 4* events; winning Burghley in 2006, Badminton in 2007 and Rolex Kentucky in 2009. She won an Olympic silver medal in the team event at Beijing 2008, and also competed at the 2012 London Olympics.
Supreme Rock was an Irish Sport Horse, bred by Lindy Nixon-Gray Ireland & ridden by Pippa Funnell in four event competitions for Great Britain. He was put down in early April 2013 aged 25. He was a 16.3 hands bay gelding. He was retired in 2005 at the Badminton Horse Trials. He is remembered primarily for his role in Funnell's completion of the Grand Slam of Eventing, winning the Badminton Horse Trials, the Rolex Kentucky Three Day and The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. He is also the only horse ever to have won two European Championship titles back-to-back – Luhmühlen (Germany) in 1999, and Pau (France) in 2001 – as well as being one of a select group of horses to have won Badminton Horse Trials twice in 2002 and 2003. The high point of his career with Funnell was winning team Silver at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Tilly's Pony Tails is a series of children's books, published by Orion Children's Books in the United Kingdom. The series was created by equestrian sportswoman Pippa Funnell.
Jonathan "Jock" Paget is a New Zealand equestrian who won a bronze medal in Team eventing at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2013 he became only the second rider to win the Badminton Horse Trials on debut after fellow New Zealander Mark Todd.
Michael Jung is a German equestrian who competes in eventing and show jumping. A four-time Olympic gold medallist, he won individual and team gold at the 2012 London Olympics, followed by individual gold and team silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and the individual gold for the third time at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was inducted into the Eventing Rider Association Hall of Fame in 2013, and in 2016 he became only the second rider in history to win the Grand Slam of Eventing.
Primmore's Pride was a 7/8 Thoroughbred gelding. He was foaled in 1993, bred by Roger & Joanna Day, the offspring of Mayhill (sire) and Primmore Hill (dam). He was owned by Denise & Roger Lincoln and ridden by Pippa Funnell, who achieved the Grand Slam of eventing in 2003 by winning the Rolex Kentucky Three Day, Badminton Horse Trials, and Burghley Horse Trials while riding Primmore's Pride.
There are assorted accomplishments titled a "Grand Slam" in equestrian competition:
Oliver David Townend is a British eventing rider competing at the international three-day level. His wins include team gold at the 2007, 2009 and 2017 European Championships and his wins in the Badminton Horse Trials, Burghley Horse Trials, and the Kentucky Three Day Event. He also represented Britain at the World Equestrian Games in 2006 and 2014. He was the Event Rider Masters series champion in 2016. He has been eventing's world number one twice, in 2009 and again in 2018, and British number one seven times since 2009.
Laura Collett is a British equestrian who competes in eventing.
The Bicton Arena International 5*, known for sponsorship reasons as the Chedington Bicton Park 5* Horse Trials was a CCI 5* eventing competition held as a one-off replacement for the Burghley Horse Trials in 2021, following the cancellation of both UK 5* events in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event was won by Gemma Tattersall riding Chilli Knight.