I CAN’T believe Hickstead is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year – what a legacy Douglas Bunn has left. I thought the venue was unbelievable the first time I went, which was in 1970 when I was 15 years old, although it wasn’t my most successful show.
I had qualified for the junior Foxhunter final and we were hoping to arrive there in plenty of time to get acclimatized and let the pony settle in, and maybe find a small class to jump first. But it took us three days to get to Hickstead and we arrived an hour before the championship started. The truck broke down, everything went wrong and it was a disastrous journey from start to finish.
The main ring is pretty daunting for a green pony and a green rider and when I eventually rode in on my little colored pony, whose name was Crazy Horse, he saw the lake and its waterfall in the middle of the ring and stopped dead in his tracks and spun around. Just then, the hooter went and I didn’t have time to get him settled and relaxed. I think I finished with seven faults which weren’t a disaster, but we put the pony back on the truck and set off all the way home again.
This story is from the June 18, 2020 edition of Horse & Hound.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 18, 2020 edition of Horse & Hound.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The joys of spring
With the hunters roughed off, Tessa Waugh is enjoying some time pottering around among the spring blooms, defuzzing the ponies and catching up on the postman's gossip
'That golden thread, and a zest for life'
In the latest of his series about great huntsmen he knew personally, Alastair Jackson remembers Tim Langley, who spent 30 years at the Berkeley
Notable leaves us Speechless
All-weather winners switch to turf to claim the first two Classics of the season and a globe-trotting son of Frankel scoops his biggest win at the age of nine
Faultless Faurie
Emile Faurie and Bellevue's mistake-free performance secures them an emotional freestyle win while “family horse” Goldstrike continues to step up
Dean proves untouchable
A Windsor debutante brushes aside some fierce opposition and a \"quirky and feisty\" chestnut mare follows in her sister's footsteps
Fuchs claims back-to-back victories
The sensational Swiss rider is richly rewarded with a “special” double on his phenomenal grey, with Robert Whitaker best of the Brits
Super-Bert's royal return
Beloved natives are the order of the day and two coloureds triumph under saddle
Welsh stallion is the perfect Example
A stallion bred in Holland is the top inhand pony, while a Connemara shines once more at his favourite showground
Gambler is the real deal
A coloured pony breaks records, perseverance with a tricky show pony pays and a working hunter pony is a standout winner
Slip collector organiser
Fi Norbury on the childhood thrill of being mistaken for a competitor, perfect grooming and Badminton’s crowds
