A rider is using her passion for horses to raise funds for brain tumour research, in memory of her son who died aged 27.
Christine Nicholls has organised the The Ollie Nicholls Showing Show, taking place at Broads Equestrian Centre, Barnby, Suffolk, on 8 September, in memory of Ollie, who died in November 2023.
The show is raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity, a global research-led charity “committed to saving and improving lives”.
Christine told H&H that Ollie was diagnosed with a stage three cancerous brain tumour in April 2022, and died 19 months later.
“Ollie was an amazing, bright, loving person. He was the baby of our family and losing him at 27 knocked us all for six,” she said.
“Ollie started riding at the age of 11 at a local riding school, then rode for the next four years before taking up his passion for skateboarding. He still used to spend a lot of his spare time at our yard, and even towards the end Ollie, however unwell he was, still managed to come to see the horses daily. His happy place was at home with us and his two dogs Rosie & Lola.”
The show, which Christine plans to run annually, has 29 classes including ridden and in-hand sections, plus championships. There will also be a raffle with prizes donated from a number of equestrian retailers and local businesses.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Christine is also starting a winter dressage league at Broads Equestrian in October, with the proceeds going to The Brain Tumour Charity.
“I am absolutely humbled at the support we have had from major companies and smaller businesses. I thank them all – without them we wouldn’t be able to run the show,” she said.
“We are hopeful that one day more can be done for others that are unlucky enough to find themselves in the same position that Ollie was. Ollie will always be remembered. He was kind, thoughtful and funny; one of those people that you will only ever meet once in a lifetime. That’s Ollie Nicholls!”
For more information and to enter the show contact: ollienichollsshowingshow@yahoo.com.
To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout the Paralympic Games, Burghley, Horse of the Year Show and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
