The All England Jumping Course at Hickstead, known widely as Hickstead, is an equestrian centre in

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, principally known for its

showjumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes show ...

. It hosts two international competitions, the Al Shira'aa British Jumping Derby Meeting and the Longines

Royal International Horse Show The Royal International Horse Show (originally the International Horse Show) is the official horse show of the British Horse Society and consists of both showing and showjumping events. The event is held during July each year at the All England ...

. The course was the first permanent showground for equestrian sport in the country, opening in 1960. The first Hickstead Derby was held in 1961. Hickstead is best known as the home of British showjumping, though its major fixtures also feature other disciplines such as showing, carriage driving, scurry driving, side-saddle and arena eventing. Over the years, the venue has expanded its operations to include other equestrian sports like

dressage Dressage ( or ; a French term, most commonly translated to mean "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrian sport defined by ...

and arena polo, as well as hosting functions and conferences all year round. It is located adjacent to the hamlet of

Twineham Twineham is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It is located eight kilometres (5 miles) to the west of Burgess Hill. The civil parish covers an area of In the 2001 census 271 people lived in 100 h ...

, to the west of

Burgess Hill Burgess Hill is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town, Chichester. It ...

and next to the main

A23 road The A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex, England. It is managed by Transport for London for the section inside the Greater London boundary, Surrey County Council and West Sussex County Cou ...

from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

History

The All England Jumping Course was opened by Douglas Bunn, a multi-millionaire former barrister who made his money running a caravan business. Bunn purchased a site known as Hickstead Place with the intention of creating a facility to match those in the United States and Europe. The venue opened in 1960. It now has six arenas, permanent seating for over 5,000 spectators and 26 corporate hospitality suites. It has hosted the 1965 Ladies World Championships, the 1974

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

and several

European Show Jumping Championships The FEI European Show Jumping Championships is the European Championship for the equestrian discipline of show jumping. First held in 1957 in Rotterdam, and on an annual basis, it is held every two years, on the years between Olympic Games and Wo ...

British Jumping Derby

This four-day event attracts around 40,000 spectators a year, who come to watch the skill, bravery and precision of the national and international show jumpers competing for trophies (and substantial prize money). A highlight of the meeting is the British Jumping Derby, known as the Al Shira'aa Derby, which is a 1,195-metre course with tricky jumps, including the aptly named Devil's Dyke – three fences in short succession with a water-filled ditch in the middle and the difficult

Derby Bank The Hickstead Derby Bank known as the ''Derby Bank'' is an infamous jump at the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead The All England Jumping Course at Hickstead, known widely as Hickstead, is an equestrian centre in West Sussex, England, p ...

, a jump with rails on top and a slope down the front.

The British Jumping Derby is one of those events a bit like the Grand National where its not just the runners and riders that make the headlines but the course itself. It's an iconic showjumping contest, the like of which you won't find anywhere else in the world, no other course asks this much of a test of horse and rider and no other course creates this type of drama. —
Clare Balding Clare Victoria Balding (born 29 January 1971) is an English broadcaster, journalist, and author. She currently presents for BBC Sport, Channel 4, BT Sport, is the current president of the Rugby Football League (RFL) and formerly presented the ...
, ''
BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside f ...
''

Longines Royal International Horse Show

The Royal International Horse Show is the official horse show of the

British Horse Society The British Horse Society (BHS) is a membership-based equine charity, with a stated vision of "a Society which provides a strong voice for horses and people and which spreads awareness through support, training and education". It currently has ...

and consists of both showing and

events. The event is held during July each year. It is one of only three CHIO 5* events in the world, and home to the Longines FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain and the Longines King George V Gold Cup, also known as the British Grand Prix.

Other events

In 1993 the showground saw the establishment of a

arena and dressage programme known as Dressage at Hickstead. In 1998 it hosted Junior and Young Rider European Dressage Championships; and in 2003 it hosted the FEI European Dressage Championships. In 2020, Dressage at Hickstead was officially closed, but in May 2021 the main All England Jumping Course held its first British Dressage Premier League show, known as the ICE Horseboxes All England Dressage Festival. In 2006 the All England Polo Club opened. Arena (winter) Polo is played on a 100m x 50m purpose built all weather arena. It is one of the premier Arena Polo venues in the country, and has hosted the international test match on a number of occasions. Hickstead is also hired out to other show organisers throughout the year, including NSEA competitions, local branches of The Pony Club and British Riding Clubs, and other unaffiliated competitions. Each September, the Sunshine Tour unaffiliated championships take place there. In 2019, Hickstead opened a huge all-weather cross-country course, which is available for hire from October to May.

References

External links

Hickstead site
{{Authority control Sports venues in West Sussex Equestrian sports in the United Kingdom Show jumping venues Dressage venues Equestrian sports in England