William Fox-Pitt

William Fox-Pitt’s family had a strong tradition in eventing as his father Oliver competed at the top level whilst his mother, Marietta Speed, rode at the 1967 European Championships and was considered for selection for the Mexico Olympics. Educated at Eton College and the University of London, Fox-Pitt excelled in the junior (under 18) and young rider (under 21) age divisions winning European Championship medal in each class. His breakthrough at senior level came in 1994 when he won the Burghley Horse Trails whilst the following year he won the first of his six European Championship team titles. His resume also includes team gold and individual silver at the 2010 World Equestrian Games as well a silver and bronze from the previous two editions of those championships. The only rider to have won five of the six annual four star (highest level) events, he has won Burghley a record six times (on six different horses), won Badminton twice in 2004 and 2015, has ended the year as the world’s top rider on four separate occasions (2002, 2009-10, 2014), and been the British number one 11 times. He won the team silver medal, and Individual bronze medal at the 2014 World Equestrian Games

His major disappointments have come at the Olympic Games, most notably in 2004 when his star horse, Tamarillo, was ruled out by injury before the show jumping phase when in a position to challenge for individual honours. He did, however, win a silver medal in the team event, and at Beijing four years added a team bronze before winning a second silver at London 2012. Sadly, at his fifth Olympics, stretching back to 1996, in Rio, yielded no medals. William is married to television horse racing presenter Alice Plunkett, and since 2005 they have been running Fox-Pitt Eventing in Dorset.