Alan Smith's book Hickstead: A Golden Celebration was specially commissioned to kick off the celebrations of our momentous golden anniversary in 2010. Equestrian correspondent at the Daily Telegraph from 1960 until his retirement in 2008, Alan Smith has been a regular fixture at Hickstead since its conception.
During his tenure he saw the showground grow from being a single roped arena, with a telephone nailed to a tree with which to make his daily reports, into one of the world's top equestrian venues. Douglas Bunn's dream of establishing a showground that would prepare British show jumping riders, and horses, for the challenges they found in Europe could not have come to fruition at a more beneficial time.
It is no coincidence that Britain's international challenge, and the sport generally, thrived as a direct result of Hickstead's creation. But Douglas, wanted more than that: he wanted to stage competitions unlike any that had previously been held in Britain, and in the British Jumping Derby he produced a contest that quickly became recognised as a classic.
During its first half-century, Hickstead has encompassed almost every sort of equestrian competition, from jumping, dressage and cross-country to driving, showing and, most recently, polo: all to the high standard that Douglas insisted upon from the start.
In this book Alan Smith has brought together the multi-faceted story of Britain's premier showground, with a foreword by H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh, former President of the International Equestrian Federation.
Full to the brim with fabulous pictures and personal recollections from both the past and present of the equestrian world's elite, the book remains a must-have for any equestrian fan.
Click here to purchase the book
