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HorseFest tickets
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HICKSTEAD’S DRESSAGE FESTIVAL EXPANDS 12th-15th May
After the inaugural I.C.E Horseboxes All England Dressage Festival at Hickstead last year, the show is back with an extended format for 2022.
This year’s event takes place with an additional day of national classes having been added to the schedule. While the British Dressage Premier League fixture includes classes from Advanced Medium up to Grand Prix level, the additional day offers riders from Novice to Medium level the chance to compete at the iconic Hickstead showground.
www.hickstead.co.uk
Photo: ABDigitalUKPhotography
Tickets are on sale for the 2022 Fairfax & Favor Rockingham International Horse Trials, taking place in Rockingham Castle’s stunning Great Park.
Alongside the international classes, Rockingham is proud to be hosting the first pilot of BE’s Intermediate Masters Series.
www.rockinghamcastlehorsetrials.com
WIN! WIN!
ONE LUCKY READER TO WIN WEEKEND TICKETS AND CAMPING TO HORSEFEST
Have you heard about HorseFest, the fantastic new annual festival, taking place from 8th-10th July at Kelsall Hill in Cheshire? In this issue we have one pair of weekend tickets up for grabs and included in the prize is a car pass and the opportunity for you to bring your tent and camp overnight to enjoy the magical night time atmosphere and entertainment. HorseFest, presented by John Oates Horseboxes, is a fantastic new, weekend festival, designed to celebrate all things horse! A must attend for all those horse fans with an interest in the equine world, HorseFest will bring together a magical mix of equestrian experts, elite riders and horse owners, to learn, have fun, celebrate and create special memories over a summer weekend. If eventing is your passion then there’s no better name than superstar Mary King who will be passing on her skills and expertise. When it comes to dressage and proving that with hard work and dedication you really can make it big in the sport, there’s no better advocate than Steph Croxford. Well remembered for her brilliant partnership with Mr President, Steph will no doubt impart her knowledge in the fun manner she is known for. Eventer turned show jumper, Jay Halim is always great fun to be around and there’s no doubt his demonstrations will be relatable for HorseFest goers. At night, unwind, relax or dance the night away with music and entertainment, or get involved with fun quizzes as you treat yourself to a drink or two! www.horsefest.org
To enter: Visit www.absolutehorsemagazine.com and click on the Competitions page. Entries open 1st May and close 30th June 2022. Full terms and conditions are available on our website.
HICKSTEAD
DERBYIn numbers!
THIS YEAR WE’LL SEE THE 60TH RUNNING OF THE AL SHIRA’AA DERBY, ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC CLASSES IN SHOWJUMPING. WE TAKE A LOOK BACK OVER THE DECADES AT THE HICKSTEAD DERBY IN NUMBERS.
1961 - The year the first Hickstead Derby took place. A year after opening the All England Jumping Course, Hickstead founder Douglas Bunn decided he wanted to create a jumping Derby – a sporting event that the public would take to its heart like the Grand National or the Boat race. Having been inspired by watching old cine reel footage of the Hamburg Derby, he set about designing the course, drawing inspiration from local landmarks as well as the hunting field. 1 - The number of eyes Adventure De Kannan had by the time he won the Derby. Trevor Breen’s great campaigner had won most of Hickstead’s famous classes and kept coming tantalisingly close to winning the Derby. Addy finally did so in 2014, just a few months after an operation to remove one of his eyes.
60 - The number of entrants in the first Derby. Despite misgivings about the Derby Bank, which was unlike anything British riders had faced before, a large field came forward for the first event, no doubt drawn by the sizeable prize fund for that time. It was won by Ireland’s Seamus Hayes and Goodbye III, with Seamus declaring beforehand that he had come to show the other riders ‘How to jump the bloody bank!’ 2m - The width of the oxer (fence 2), the privet hedge (fence 6) and the final rustic spread (fence 16).
14.2hh - The height of Stroller, the pony ridden by Marion Coakes (later Mould). The pair won the Derby in 1967, but during their career they jumped three clear rounds in total round the Derby course, finishing second twice and third once. 10ft 6in - The height of the famous Derby Bank. Douglas Bunn had headed to Hamburg on New Year’s Eve 1960 to set about measuring their Derby course in a snowstorm. Hickstead’s Bank ended up being six inches higher than Hamburg’s version, though it’s unclear whether that was due to the falling snow making his measurements tricky, or just because of Douglas’s competitive nature! 2 - The number of fingers Harvey Smith held up in his infamous V-sign salute! Having won the Derby in 1970, Harvey was so convinced of winning again the following year he didn’t bother to bring back the trophy. Douglas Bunn was furious, and the trophy was eventually sent for. When Harvey did indeed win for a second time on board
Mattie Brown, he crossed the finish line and put two fingers up in the direction of the Master’s
Box. Harvey said the gesture was merely a ‘v for victory’, but it caused outrage and very nearly saw him stripped of the title.
4 - The number of wins that Eddie Macken and Boomerang had in a row. Lifting the trophy every year from 1976 to 1979, making them the best Derby combination of all time.
1963 - Perhaps the craziest Derby year of all! There were no clears that year, although David Barker and Mister Softee (later ridden by David Broome) left all the fences standing but slipped and fell on the flat. Ted Edgar jumped round the course one-handed, having hurt an arm in a schooling accident that left him in a sling. Four riders went through to the jump-off, with Nelson Pessoa and Gran Geste the fastest of these. Not that the Brazilian could receive his trophy, as it was stolen from a shop window in central London before the class!
5 - Only five women have ever won the Derby. Pat Smythe (1962), Marion Coakes (1967), Alison Dawes (1968 and 1973), Anneli Drummond-Hay (1969) and Tina Fletcher (2011). 60 - Nelson Pessoa, who netted two early wins in 1963 and 1965, then had a 31-year wait for his third title. His win on Loro Piana Vivaldi in 1996 came when he was 60-years-old, making him the oldest rider to win. He’d also had a heart attack the year previously, and had to jump the course while wearing a heart monitor to ensure his heart rate didn’t get too high!
19 - Michael Pender, who won the latest renewal of the Al Shira’aa Derby in 2019, was nineteen at the time of winning, making him the youngest winner of all. Two 20-year-olds have also lifted the title – Michael Whitaker (1980) and Marion Coakes (1967).
2 - Only two combinations have jumped a double clear in the Derby but not won on that occasion. Tim Stockdale and Wiston Bridget (2000) and
Tina Fletcher and Promised Land (2010). Fortunately Tina made up for it a year later when finally lifting the trophy. 21 - The oldest horse to win the Derby was John Whitaker’s Gammon, who was 21-yearsold when he won in 1998. Two years later, John won again with another veteran – the great Welham, who by then was twenty.
5 - Five famous riders hold the shared record of four wins apiece. Though only Eddie Macken’s wins were consecutive. The others are Harvey Smith, John Whitaker, Michael Whitaker and William Funnell.
2 - The number of mares to win. John Popely’s Bluebird (1997) and Peter Charles’ Corrada, who won three times in a row from 20012003. 3 - Three members of the Whitaker family have their name on the famous trophy. John, Michael and William. 60 - This year will see the 60th running of the Al Shira’aa Derby. It was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the only years that the class hasn’t run since its inception.
This year’s Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting takes place from 23rd-26th June, with the Derby forming the grand finale to the show on the Sunday afternoon. Tickets are on sale now from www.hickstead.co.uk
