Phillip Miller and Caritiar Z, winners of the All England Grand Prix in 2015. Please credit Julian Portch Photography
Top riders line up for Hickstead’s season finale
Some of the top showjumpers from the UK and Ireland will return to the All England Jumping Course in West Sussex this week for the final show of the Hickstead season.
The All England Jumping Championships (1-4 September) return for their sixth year, with a host of national classes starting at 1m in height going up to a 1.40m Grand Prix.
Among the top names taking part are recent Hickstead Derby winners Trevor Breen, Guy Williams and Phillip Miller, with the latter hoping to defend his title in Sunday’s All England Grand Prix. Trevor’s brother Shane will also be competing at his ‘home show’ – his business Breen Equestrian is based at Hickstead Place.
Other riders competing at the show include Tim Stockdale, the winner of the Longines King George V Gold Cup in 2010 and a member of this year’s Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup team at Hickstead. London 2012 gold medallist and three-time winner of the Hickstead Derby Peter Charles is also entered, along with his children Harry and Scarlett, who are fast-rising stars in the sport of showjumping.
David Simpson and Louise Pavitt, who got married earlier this month, and Louise’s sister Nicole Pavitt will be in action, and none of the three are strangers to success in the International Arena.
As well as classes for top riders, the show also features classes for grassroots riders and novice horses. Aside from a 1.40m class on Thursday, the action doesn’t get going in the International Arena until Friday, when the championships for the Four-, Five- and Six & Seven-Year-Olds take place.
Saturday’s highlight is the Douglas Bunn 1.35m Challenge, which includes several of Hickstead’s permanent obstacles – making it the perfect introduction for a future Equestrian.com Derby star. The show concludes on Sunday with the All England Grand Prix, a 1.40m class with a prize fund of £6,000.
Entry and parking are completely free of charge, and selected tradestands will be open throughout the show. For timetables click here and for results and start lists visit here.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.