Some young riders have put in sterling performances in the under-25 CCI4*-L class at Bicton Horse Trials so far today...
Twenty-one-year-old Heidi Coy posted another strong effort in the first phase of the CCI4*-L under-25 class at Bicton Horse Trials, supported by Chedington. Russal Z, a nine-year-old mare owned by David Ottewell put in a slick test to score 30.2, which is good enough for second at the moment (pictured). Heidi also holds ninth place in this section with Halenza.
“She was a really good girl — she stayed with me and it’s probably one of the best tests we’ve done this year,” explained Heidi. “She’s always struggled on the flat but she’s always really rideable, and she did everything I asked her to, so I couldn’t be more pleased. She’s a really good jumper too — she’s only little but she’s got the heart of a lion and tries so hard for me.”
Another combination to break into the top 10 this afternoon was Felicity Collins and RSH Contend OR, who scored 31.5, which is good enough to put them in fifth at the moment.
“He was really good if a little tense, but I think it’s quite difficult for us coming to this class because he moved up to five-star in 2019, and so this almost feels like it is like a step down for him,” explained Felicity of Vicky Collins and Avrina Milton’s 11-year-old. “So then I put a lot of pressure on myself, because I feel like we should be competitive, whereas if I was going to Luhmühlen to the five-star, which we were until a couple of days ago, but I couldn’t do the quarantine with so many horses at home, my aim would have been to just get through each phase. But I’m pleased — just to get our flying-changes now is great, as it has taken four years to get any sort of change out of him and we would never score higher than a four for those.”
Read the full report from Bicton in the 17 June issue of Horse & Hound magazine and keep checking back to horseandhound.co.uk for further updates and insight
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
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
Former web features editor, point-to-point editor and digital racing editor
Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.
