Olympic gold medallist among entries for the British Young Horse Championships

Scott Brash, part of the gold medal-winning showjumping team at the Paris Olympics, is among the entries for the British Young Horse Championships at Hickstead (9-12 August).

A prize fund of nearly £80,000 has attracted entries from lots of top names in the sport, such as Ireland’s Shane Breen, Jessica Burke, Anthony Condon and David Simpson, and British stars Amy Inglis, Nicole Lockhead Anderson, Laura Renwick, Holly Smith and Lucy Townley. Two members of the Whitaker family are due to compete – namely William and George.  

The show, which is taking place at the All England Jumping Course for the first time, has finals for four- to seven-year-old horses, including the Prestige Italia Six Year Old Championship for the Big Star Trophy. The Finals are the UK qualifier for the World Breeding Championship for Young Horses, which takes place in Lanaken in Belgium next month.

“We are grateful to all the riders and owners for supporting this show in its new home here at Hickstead,” said Lizzie Bunn, the executive director of the All England Jumping Course. “It will be a true celebration of British Breeding and of the equine talent we have in this country. Spectators are very welcome, and it will be a great opportunity to spot some future stars in action.”

British Showjumping have put forward additional prizes for the breeders of the top five British-bred horses in their respective finals, while William Funnell will also award a £5,000 bonus to the highest-placed four- and five-year-old horse purchased in a Billy Stud auction. There will also be a showcase by the Billy Stud on the Sunday evening previewing the auction lots to be sold on Wednesday 14th August, along with food stands, a bar and live music.  

In the Al Shira’aa British Four Year Old Championship on the Sunday, horses will be assessed by two expert judges, Carron Nicol and Robbert Ehrens. They will be looking for horses' jumping technique, natural ability, future potential and rideability.

Spectator admission and parking is free of charge for the duration of the show, while a selection of tradestands and street food vans will be in attendance. Friday and Saturday feature the qualifiers and a selection of open classes, while the Al Shira'aa British 4 Year Old Championship and the Breen Equestrian British 7 Year Old Championship form the highlight of the Sunday. The show draws to a close on Monday with the Billy Stud Auction British 5 Year Old Championship and the Prestige Italia British 6 Year Old Championship, as well as a 1.40m Grand Prix.

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