Biography

Gloucestershire-based Italian rider Vittoria Panizzon (32) who last competed at Badminton in 2013, has represented her country at Pony, Junior, Young rider and Senior levels. She has recently relocated and is now based near Ledbury, having bought her own yard.

Vittoria’s father was Italian, her mother Scottish and she grew up in Italy and started riding aged six. In 2000 she was the winner of the Junior European Eventing Championships in Italy after which aged 17, with her mother, she moved to the UK to finish her education and to further her eventing career. For ten-years she was based with her trainer Sarah Bullen in Hampshire. She graduated in 2005 from Bristol University with a degree in Biology and is a member of the Italian Air Force sport group with the rank of First Aviator

In 2003 with Rock Model she was second in the Young Rider European Championships and since 2005 has been a member of the Italian national senior squad at major championships.  She was a member of the team that won bronze in the 2007 European Championships and represented Italy at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. In London with Borough Pennyz, she was 11th and Borough Pennyz was the highest placed mare.

The pair was 8th at the 2013 European Championships and Pennyz was BE’s leading mare at the end of the year. They were selected for the 2014 WEG in France but had to withdraw immediately before their dressage test when Pennyz went lame.

Vittoria trains with Sarah Bullen and Lizzie Murray

Borough Pennyz is 13-year-old British-bred mare. Bred by her owner Sally Bullen she is by the Billy Stud’s jumping stallion Cevin Z out of a homebred mare by Dutch Gold. She has been produced by Vittoria and came to prominence when winning the seven-year-old two-star championship at Osberton in 2010. In 2013 the pair won the pre Badminton CIC3* at Belton – The Grantham Cup. Last year (2015) she was the highest scoring mare of the year at the SHB(GB) mare gradings. Through embryo transfer – a prize won at Badminton 2013 donated by Beaufort Embryo – Pennyz has a yearling filly by advanced event stallion Weston Justice.

Vittoria also rides Pennyz half-brother Borough Free Flight (by Catherston Liberator) – in 2014 they won the CCI1* at Ballindenisk.