Supreme Rock is the only horse to have won back-to-back titles, in 1999-2001 under Pippa Funnell, and his four gold medals equals the achievement of Kilbarry, The Poacher and Over To You

In his early days, Supreme Rock – “Rocky” – was an unlikely champion. Bred in Ireland by Lindy Good, by Edmund Burke out of her show hunter mare Rineen Classic, Rocky was initially designed as a hunter and fun horse for owner Emma Pitt.

Pippa recalls liking him for his scope and loose, swinging gait, which was to earn so many marks in the dressage arena, but she didn’t consider his brain sharp enough. He was laid-back and, in the early days, big and weak and found it hard to adjust his enormous stride in front of a fence and, as a result, Pippa faced many disappointments with him.

Remarkably, he hadn’t jumped a clear cross-country round at top level before the 1999 European Championships in Luhmuhlen, but Britain’s chairman of selectors, Mandy Stibbe, placed enormous faith in the combination, which was not misplaced and they led from start to finish.

Pippa recalled: “Clearing that final fence was a special moment, not just for me, but for our partnership, because Rocky had finally proved why he was worth sticking with. At last everything had gone right. Having two gold medals around my neck suddenly made all those years of slog worthwhile.”

At Pau in 2001, Pierre Michelet’s cleverly designed twisting cross-country was not Rocky’s preferred galloping style, but he handled it like a champion, the pair’s only mistake occurring in the show jumping when, in a heart-stopping moment, they crashed through the penultimate fence. But a win is a win, and history was made with another double gold.

Supreme Rock also won back-to-back Badmintons, plus Olympic team silver and world team bronze medals. He is now hunting and having fun with his owner, Emma Pitt.