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Showjumping is quickly installing itself as a sport for the nation to grab hold of and cherish, as the winning combination of reality TV and British success takes hold.

With more and more people sitting up and taking notice of the sport thanks to the BBC Sport Relief show Only Fools on Horses, our riders and their equine friends are making sure the people watching at home can see what they are made of.

The world famous DFS Derby was one event where riders showcased their skills recently, with William Funnell, of Dorking, Surrey, taking top honours.

William was one of only three out of 24 starters to make it through to the jump-off. In what proved to be a tough competition, William and Julie Slade’s Cortaflex Mondriaan were the only pair to leave all of the fences standing in the jump-off. The achievement was made all the more outstanding as Cortaflex Mondriaan has only just returned to competition after colic surgery last December.

David McPherson on Bob’s Diamond took second place, with Geoff Billington on Cassabachus coming in third

But it is William Funnell who is riding high at the moment, perhaps more than any other rider. His DFS victory came hot on the heels of his participation in a good team showing for Britain at the Samsung Super League Nations Cup in Rotterdam.

William and his teammates brothers Michael and John Whitaker and Warwickshire-based Nick Skelton finished in equal fifth place with Germany in the competition. Switzerland took first place, but the Brits gave a solid performance to come in on 20 penalties.

And young British riders have been given a boost too, with the news that High Street store Next is to support them by dressing them on the opening night of the Accenture Junior and Young Rider European Championships in Athens. Both the junior and young rider teams have had a good season so far and the commitment of such a brand is testament to this. The youngsters are being seriously considered as a good chance for gold at the European Championships, boosting British hopes for the future, particularly as many of these youngsters will have come of age by the time London hosts the Olympics in 2012.

But ex-Olympians and celebrity faces have also been helping to give showjumping the billing it deserves as the BBC’s programme gets underway. Former gold medallist in the hurdles, Sally Gunnell is one of the stars of Only Fools on Horses, despite taking a nasty tumble as she crashed into a jump at the beginning of the show – not quite what one would expect from somebody more used to jumping over hurdles.

Two of the stars realised the sport was a lot harder than it looked when they suffered injuries that resulted in their retiring from the show. Business mogul Duncan Bannatyne had to be replaced by Pop Idol judge Nikki Chapman after fracturing his elbow, and comedian Felix Dexter stepped down after hurting his back.

Showjumper Tim Stockdale has been training the celebrities and said that falls were happening on a regular basis, especially as the riders were being given bigger and tricky jumps to attempt.

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