The Billy Stud rider Lucy Townley described finally lifting the prestigious Walwyn Novice Jumping Championship at Royal Windsor Horse Show as a “very special” moment.

She laid claim to the silverware for this six-year-old final in tremendous style, winning with the Billy Stud’s super young mare Billy At Last (by Cevin Z, out of Lux mare Tiamo) but also finishing third on her aunt Lizzie Bunn’s auction purchase Billy Mojito (by Billy Tudor, out of Dutch Capitol mare Damora Z).

“I’ve wanted to win this class for a very long time and it’s always been very lucky for me and I’ve been well placed many times, but I don’t think I’ve always had the belief to try to win it,” said Lucy, who credited the Billy Stud’s Roger McCrea and William Funnell for honing her jump-off tactics.

“What they’ve been doing in a jump-off is making me really have a plan before I go into the ring, instead of thinking ‘I want to go quicker, I want to do this’. Actually the faster riders are the ones who go in with a plan and try to ride to that plan. Be tighter – but you need to have a thought behind it. So they’ve been really helpful with that.

“So I’m so pleased it all came together today – yesterday I was trying really hard not to think about it too much because I really wanted to go well today and I was worried I’d overdo it. Roger gave me a jump yesterday and the horses were in great form, so I just thought ‘Stick with the plan, don’t overdo it in the Foxhunter [the first class of the day which qualifies for the Walwyn], get your first rounds jumped, then if you’re in the jump-off try your best.”

“Pocket rocket” proves an exciting winner

Lucy Townley (née Bunn) describes the six-year-olds Billy At Last and Billy Mojito as “complete stars” but “very different to ride”. Riding two of the five horses through to the Walwyn Novice Championship jump-off, she had a very quick turnaround, too, making her competitive performances in the ring with the two mares even more impressive.

“They are similarly related, Billy At Last is out of a Lux Z mare by Cevin Z – she won the British section of the five-year-old young horse championship and she is naturally quick, she has a great turn of foot,” said Lucy. “This jump-off really suited her because it was so flowing, it was forward and allowed them, once they were into their rhythm, to know where they were going – if it’s a bit tight on turnbacks they can get a bit lost – so it really suited.

“Then Billy Mojito, owned by my Auntie Lizzie Bunn, was bought in the Billy Stud auction as a four-year-old and Lizzie has had so much success with her purchases from the auctions, which reflects well on the whole Billy Stud and the auctions. The horses coming through from Donal Barnwell are phenomenal.

“We adore Billy Mojito, she’s such a special horse, she’s a really good jumper, she’s very careful but she wouldn’t have quite the same turn of foot and actually my jump-off with her was smoother and I was surprised with the time difference.

“But ‘Last’ is just such a little pocket rocket.

“I absolutely loved it out there but I was nervous to enjoy it because Nicole Lockhead Anderson and she’s always fast, so I really thought she was going to get me.”

Following on from her success with Mecoblue PS in the LeMieux 1.40m, Nicole Lockhead Anderson made a bold bid from last draw with the exciting Diagolda PS (Diaron x Kannan) but had to settle for second place, just 0.3sec off Lucy’s winning time.

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Young showjumper Darcy Breen picked up her first ticket for the Royal International Horse Show when she headed Saturday’s (4 March) winter JC/JD qualifier at Arena UK, Lincs, with eight-year-old mare Pixie, who she has been riding for just two months.

The 13-year-old rider’s win paved the way for her to continue her family’s legacy: Hickstead was founded by her grandfather Douglas Bunn and both her mother Chloe Breen (née Bunn) and father Shane Breen have won major classes in the international arena.

“I’d been trying for ages to qualify with my 138cm, but we never made it,” said Darcy, who has now passed her 138cm ride on to her brother.

“Because both my parents have won there, I’d really like to win as well; it would be fun to keep it going.”

Darcy faced an anxious wait after being drawn second of six in the jump-off, but held on to her lead by a huge 5.59sec. Acacia Dew (Crack De Jaurand) delivered the only other treble clear for second place.

“When I was jumping the qualifier, I didn’t actually realise it was the qualifier, I thought it was another class. My mum thought she’d told me, but she hadn’t! She called me when I went clear in the first round to let me know,” Darcy said.

“When it came to the third round, I just trusted Pixie as she’d gone clear in the other two.”

Pixie was spotted in Ireland by Michel Drea; he showed her to Shane, who liked her.

“We got her two months ago – she went to get measured and this was our first show back, so it was good to win it,” Darcy said. “She’s a really easy pony to ride.”

Darcy hopes to take Pixie up through the grades and is also campaigning another mare, Kunis, this year in children-on-horses classes.

“It’s my first year of doing children-on-horses and I’d like to aim for the European team with her,” added Darcy, whose next major outing will be at Sentower Park in Belgium at the end of the month.

• You can read the full report from Arena UK, as well as a full round-up of this week’s showjumping action in next week’s magazine, in the shops Thursday 16 March.

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Determined seven-year-old rider and ‘one in a million’ 22-year-old pony to jump in Hickstead’s famous arena

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All roads lead to Hickstead once again this week (24-29 July) for the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Great Britain at the BHS Royal International Horse Show (RIHS).

In anticipation of this most prestigious and historic of British shows, we caught up with organisers Edward and Lizzie Bunn to find out how preparations are going and to discover how Hickstead is constantly evolving. You can read the full interview in this week’s Horse & Hound (out now), but here are a few snippets of what we can all look forward to at this year’s Royal International.

• Despite the venue not having experienced rain for over six weeks, the going in every ring, including the main international arena, will be perfect. “It’s getting 30,000 gallons of water a day at the moment,” says Edward. “We put on nearly three million litres in the build-up to the Derby meeting.”
• This year, for the first time, the Longines FEI Nations Cup will feature on the Sunday.
• A new young horse championship on Sunday is offering a £10,000 prize fund. “There will be some good young horses,” says Edward. “Especially for foreigners it will be useful to get their young horses familiar with Hickstead.”
• Recent revamps at Hickstead include a new layout, including a gin bar and Ella’s Bar, in memory of Ella Popely, the young showjumper who died in a car crash in 2016.
• The big investment for this autumn is enlarging ring three and turning it into an all-weather with water splash, so that they can run arena cross-country in their off-season. “It’s a £420,000 investment, but it should become a money-spinner,” says Lizzie.
• 50,000 people and 3,500 horses will be at next week’s Royal International.
• The final word goes to Lizzie, describing what her father, the late great Douglas Bunn, would make of the family’s recent innovative exploits: “We’ve invested £2m in the showground in the past 10 years,” she says. “Dad wasn’t willing to invest: ‘If it was all right in the 60s, it’s all right in the 70s and 80s,’ — that was his stock answer. But he would love what we’ve done.”

Don’t miss the full interview with the Bunns and the rest of our build-up to the 2018 Royal International in this week’s issue of Horse & Hound, dated Thursday 19 July.

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Buddy Bunn, winner of the 2004 Hickstead Derby winner, has died.

The 21-year-old, who was owned by Hickstead founder Douglas Bunn and latterly by his son-in-law, showjumper Shane Breen, was put down yesterday (Tuesday, 14 October).

“He was one of the greats. He will be remembered with love by all who had the pleasure of being involved in his career,” said a spokesman from the Bunn family.

“He was put to sleep after a long and happy retirement.”

The bay gelding spent his competitive career with William Funnell, but John Whitaker took over the ride for the 2004 Hickstead Derby as William had a groin injury.

The combination won the Derby — beating John’s niece Ellen Whitaker who was just 18 at the time in the jump-off — despite John having only sat on him for the first time the day before.

“This was a long shot that paid off,” John said at the time. “When William Funnell phoned me, explained that he couldn’t ride because of his injury and asked me to take over, I certainly wasn’t expecting it. But full credit to the horse, he was really good.”

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A sculpture of showjumping legend Douglas Bunn is to be unveiled at this year’s Hickstead Derby meeting.

The founder of the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead died three years ago.

The sculpture, by artist Philip Blacker, will be sited next to the International Arena and will be officiallly unveiled on Saturday (23 June), by the Bunn family.

It depicts Douglas riding his most famous partner Beethoven – the only British horse to ever to be crowned world champion, when David Broome rode him to victory at La Baule in 1970.

“The art of relief sculpture has rather fallen out of use in recent years and so I was keen to do something that was unusual,” said Philip.

“I was delighted to be asked to create the memorial because I knew Douglas when he was alive and I was a great admirer.

“I felt that rather than have just a normal statue it would be better if it was in the context of Hickstead.

“The solution I felt was a relief panel of Douglas jumping a Hickstead wall on Beethoven, with the grandstand in the background.

“I thought it was important to portray him in action in his heyday, and I hope the Bunn family think it is a fitting tribute to Douglas.”

Hickstead director Lizzie Bunn added: “The All England Jumping Course was my father’s proudest achievement, so it’s fitting that this memorial statue should be sited right next to the International Arena so that all the visitors to the showground will see it as they arrive.”

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (21 June 2012)

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The Hickstead Derby track was famously based on the original Hamburg version – now in its 83rd year – after founder Douglas Bunn paid a visit to the German venue.

The Sussex version has become by far the most prestigious both in terms of prize-money and degree of difficulty.

Although the Brits and Irish have dominated in recent years – Nelson Pessoa was the last foreign rider to win back in 1996 – there is usually a smattering of international contenders. And, of course, the home riders make bids on foreign Derbys, too.

The Hamburg Derby is, unsurprisingly, the most similar to Hickstead. It is often dominated by German riders and this year was no exception.

Victory went to Nisse Luneburg on the 15-year-old Calle Cool after a jump-off with fellow countryman Torben Kohlbrandt and C-Trenton Z.

Both these riders competed at Hickstead last year and could well be back for another try.

Like Hickstead, the course at Hamburg has remained the same since its inception and, with 17 fences, is slightly longer than the British version. It contains a bank, privet oxer, a double of single poles, several walls and a double of Irish banks.

The La Baule Derby was this year won by Denis Lynch on his Derby debutant Night Train.

The course contains coloured poles mixed with rustic obstacles, including a splash through water complex, a bank with steps down and a double of Irish banks.

Falsterbo’s Derby features plenty more decorative fences and involves a route round the back of the stands before riders re-enter the arena down a steep bank.

Other fences include gates, a replica bridge and a Devil’s Dyke combination, but without a pole over the middle ditch.

While Lummen may be small on prize-money, the track is no walkover. The course takes two detours out of the arena and has several combinations, a water splash and open water – all with traditional white and rustic poles.

Tickets and info

The British Jumping Derby Meeting, featuring the Carpetright Derby, runs from Wednesday, 20 June, to Sunday, 24 June. For more information on ticket prices and timetables, go to www.hickstead.co.uk.

TV schedules

Sky Sports will be broadcasting from Hickstead on the Friday afternoon (featuring the Hickstead Master’s Challenge), Saturday (Bunn Leisure Speed Derby) and Sunday (Carpetright Derby).

To find out who’s in the running for this year’s Boomerang Trophy see the current issue of H&H (14 June 2012)

Read all the latest showjumping news

Hickstead is synonymous with showjumping. But his friends won’t be surprised to learn that Douglas Bunn — the late “master of Hickstead” — also had a very good cellar.

Now its contents are to be auctioned at Bonhams’ fine wine sale on 10 February at New Bond Street, London.

Mr Bunn founded the world famous All England Jumping Course in 1960 and the venue has recently undergone a £500,000 redevelopment in time for the 2011 season.

But Mr Bunn was also renowned for hosting lavish parties.

And a Bonhams spokesman said the contents of the cellar are testament to his “knowledge and expertise in buying fine wine”.

“There are case quantities of Lafite, Mouton, Margaux, La Mission and Leoville Las Cases from the magnificent 1982 vintage, Chave Hermitage and La Chapelle 1978 and Lafon’s Meursault,” said Richard Harvey, head of Bonhams’ wine department.

“But the cellar also contains a wide range of esoteric and interesting bottles which we are honoured to be able to offer for sale.”

Commenting on the sale, Mr Bunn’s daughter and Hickstead director Lizzie Bunn told H&H: “We had to pay for the International Arena improvements somehow!”

This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (3 February, 2011)

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Showjumper Shane Breen is back riding after he broke his jaw and fractured his skull falling from a balcony.

His wife Chloe Bunn, daughter of Hickstead founder the late Douglas Bunn, told H&H that he is recovering.

“He’s back in the saddle and riding again. He’s obviously a bit tired but he’s fine. No long-term damage done, he was very lucky,” she said.

Shane lost his footing and fell 12ft from an internal balcony in a converted barn on the Bunn family’s estate in Sussex, just before Christmas.

Shane, who rides for Ireland, still plans go to the Jumping Amsterdam international horse show in a couple of weeks time (20-23 January).

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Six pupils from St Mary’s Catholic School, Croydon, were given a behind-the-scenes tour and showjumping masterclass at the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead, West Sussex, on Monday (19 July).

The visit was part of the Sky Sports Living for Sport scheme — a free initiative available to secondary schools in the UK, which uses sport to motivate and inspire 11- to 16-year-olds to reach their full potential.

Showjumpers Lucy Bunn and David Simpson (pictured top right) talked the students through an example competition round from the Derby meeting held at the end of last month.

The students also walked the famous Hickstead Derby course to see for themselves what it is like to stand at the top of the 10ft 6in, Derby Bank and had a riding lesson in the grounds, with instructors from Albourne Equestrian Centre.

Teacher Emmanuel Ajkou said: “Today has been fantastic for the pupils. Horse riding isn’t an activity they get a lot of access to so to be given the chance to learn a little more about showjumping at such a prestigious venue is a real privilege.”

Photos by Julian Portch

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The funeral of Douglas Bunn, the founder of Hickstead, who died on Tuesday (16 June) will be held at The Chapel, Hurstpierpoint College, Sussex, on Monday 29 June at 1pm.

It will be followed by a private cremation.

The family has asked that there be no flowers, but instead donations to St Peter & St James Hospice, which cared for 81-year-old Mr Bunn during the last days of his life.

The hospice will be the beneficiary of Hickstead’s first ladies’ day, on Saturday July 25 at the Longines Royal International Horse Show.

A legendary figure in the horseworld, Mr Bunn founded the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead in 1960 and is credited with inventing team chasing.

One minute’s silence will be held for Mr Bunn at the British Derby Meeting (25-28 June).

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The horseworld is today mourning the death of Hickstead founder Douglas Bunn, who passed away at home last night after short illness, aged 81.

A legendary figure in the horseworld, Mr Bunn founded the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead in 1960, as well as the exhilarating sport of team chasing.

Horses were his life from the very start, a passion he inherited from his father. Born and brought up at Selsey Bill, Douglas’s father ensured he had ponies throughout his childhood at the family caravan park — Bunn Leisure. As he grew up, Douglas progressed to “the right horses” to help him realise his show jumping ambitions.

A barrister by trade, Douglas was known to sometimes go into court wearing breeches beneath striped trousers and gown, to hasten his exit to compete or rush home to exercise his horses.

Competing abroad led Douglas to realise show jumping in Britain was lacking a top-class facility, which lead him to open the All England Jumping Course in May 1960, and introduced his first British Jumping Derby the following year — along with the legendary 10ft 6in Derby bank, which many riders refused to jump.

More recently, Douglas introduce the Hickstead Eventing Grand Prix, where top level show jumpers and eventers compete together.

Personal friend and former H&H editor Michael Clayton said: “Douglas Bunn was undoubtedly the greatest innovator in British show jumping in the post-war years.

“He had flair as well as originality in making horse sports fun for the spectator, as well as offering a new challenge to the competitor.”

One minute’s silence will be held at the British Derby Meeting (25-28 June) and Douglas’s funeral will take place after the show.

See next week’s issue of Horse & Hound (25 June) for a full obituary.

• Share your tributes to Douglas in the H&H forum

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Douglas Bunn, master of Hickstead, was today (Thursday) awarded the Liz Dudden Trophy by the British Equestrian Writers Association (BEWA).

The award was made at the association’s annual lunch, held this year at the Queen’s Club, London.

The annual trophy, first awarded in 1993, is given to a person, other than a competitor, who has made a major contribution to equestrian sport.

Douglas, a former international rider and chef d’equipe of the British team, built and opened the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead, Sussex, in 1960.

Over the years since he has built a reputation for his Sussex showground, investing millions of pounds of his own money into its development and upkeep.

He has twice been president of the British Show Jumping Association.

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THE family behind Hickstead Showground is appealing for help to keep international team show jumping at the popular south-east venue.

The Bunns are urgently seeking sponsorship of £300,000 to bid for the new international team show jumping series planned to replace the Samsung Super League in 2009 (news, 22 May).

“It’s not even a plea to keep the top competition at Hickstead, it’s to keep it in the UK,” said Daisy Bunn, head of sponsorship at Hickstead.

“It is a crisis — as we head towards 2012 it would be a tragedy to lose the only competition in which the British public can currently watch their national team compete on home turf.”

Hickstead, founded in 1960 by Douglas Bunn, has hosted one of the International Equestrian Federation’s (FEI) Samsung Super League’s eight shows since the series was introduced in 2003.

In May, the FEI announced plans to replace the league with a new-format, richer series, which coincided with an end to Samsung’s six-year sponsorship.

But competition is hot — the FEI is proposing it will run at six venues rather than the eight existing Super League shows, and is asking each venue to guarantee €300,000 prize-money for the grand prix.

“Our current prize-fund for the grand prix is about €75,000, so it is a severe increase,” said Daisy, who was quick to add that Hickstead’s other competitions are not struggling financially nor at risk of losing existing sponsors. “Dad [Douglas Bunn] puts £300,000 into the show and he cannot afford to do it any more.”

She added: “The contract is for three years, so if lost, the UK won’t have another chance even to bid to be a venue again until 2012.”

In addition to the eight existing venues, Spruce Meadows in Calgary has confirmed to H&H it has lodged a bid to host one show in the series.

Vice president Ian Allison said: “We believe Spruce Meadows could be a candidate venue — clearly our location, logistics and a number of other well-established and pre-existing realities will necessitate some discussion.”

FEI spokesman Malina Gueorguiev told H&H the plans were still a “work in progress”.

“Initial proposals are out for consultation with riders, officials and federations,” she said. “Final proposals, including on the venues, will go to the bureau in November.”

Hickstead has recently spent more than £500,000 improving the ground in the international arena, new stabling, riders’ lounge, hospitality areas and access routes to the venue. This year, an all-time record number of spectators attended the Derby meeting, with 18,000 visitors on Saturday, 28 June alone.

If you can help Hickstead tel: 01273 834315.

www.hickstead.co.uk

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Contenders for the 2008 Queen’s Award for Equestrianism are British Olympic team trainer Yogi Breisner, Hickstead’s Douglas Bunn, chairman of the Indoor Horse Driving Trials Club Richard Carey, national hunt trainer Leslie Crawford, Riding for the Disabled’s Jill Gibson, World Horse Welfare field officer Hamish John Lochore, International Equestrian Federation vet John McEwan, chairman of the British Equestrian Federation Hugh Thomas and Major Richard Waygood, from the Household Cavalry.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (3 July, ’08)

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Mr Douglas H D Bunn was nominated for the BHS Queen’s award by the British Show Jumping Association

Douglas Bunn was born on 1 March 1928. A barrister, he has had a lifelong interest in show jumping having been chairman, president and currently honorary vice president of the British Show Jumping Association (BSJA). Douglas also served on the Executive Board from 1963 to 2000 and as an FEI Judge until 2002.

Douglas competed successfully on ponies before turning to horses. He has owned many top show jumpers, notably The Maverick, latterly ridden by Alison Dawes, and Beethoven, on whom he competed successfully himself before giving the ride to David Broome. David won the World Championships in La Baule in 1970 on Beethoven. Douglas was also chef d’equipe of many British teams.

In 1960 he opened the All England Show Jumping Course at Hickstead, incorporating in its International Arena many famous permanent obstacles. It is now home to many prestigious events in the national and international calendars including the Hickstead Derby, the British Nations Cup, the Royal International Horse Show and the Schools Show Jumping championships.

Over the years many major championships have also been held at Hickstead including:

• Ladies World Championship 1965
• Ladies European Championship 1963
• Men’s European Championships 1969 & 1973
• Junior European Championships 1971
• The European Championships 1983 & 1999
• The World Championships 1974

The Royal International Horse Show is currently enjoying four days of live television coverage with Sky Sports and the world famous Hickstead Derby is covered by the BBC.

Douglas can always be found supporting his family who now run the complex for all the events, which take place there.

Back to the list of BHS Queen’s Award nominees >>