From poles that 'twang', resident newts and motorway fences turned into showjumps, Victoria Spicer investigates 15 things that you might not know about the most famous course in British showjumping...
1. The British Jumping Derby course is 1,195m long and riders have 180sec to complete the course. In total there are 16 fences and 23 jumping efforts.
2. The All England Jumping Course was first opened in 1960, with the famous Derby bank added a year later. However, a number of Derby fences were built at this time, including the double of water ditches, the Road Jump and the Devil's Dyke. These permanent fences were included to give British showjumpers the chance to jump the sort of fences that they were encountering on the Continent.
3. The course is virtually unchanged since it was first held in 1961. There has only been 61 clear rounds in that time (as of June 2018).
4. Fence one is known as The Cornishman and consists of a 4ft 8in stone wall with a single pole on top of it, positioned right in the middle of the ring. It is designed to be easy but its had its share of refusals and knock downs over the years.
5. The highest fences on the course are the black gate (fence 4), the wall (fence 5), the rails at the bottom of the bank (fence 9), the Derby rails (fence 12) and the Balustrade (fence 14), which all stand at 5ft 3in.
6. The widest fences are the oxer (fence 2), the privet hedge (fence 6) and the final rustic spread (fence 16) - all are 6ft 6in, which takes some reach! The privet hedge can often catch horses out as it is just past the entrance to the ring, going away from 'home'. In 2012 the hedge was trimmed back to be lower than the poles, to try to deter horses from banking it.
7. Although it is not the tallest fence on the course, the Devil's Dyke is widely regarded as the trickiest. The first fence (4ft 9in) has a drop, the middle rails (standing 4ft 9in) are over a water ditch, and the final rails stand at 4ft 8in and are jumped uphill.
8. The water jump was originally 16ft wide and was the first permanent Olympic-sized water jump to be built in Britain. It now measures 15ft wide and has been made shallower - the water used to be knee level. Bizarrely, some great crested newts like to set up home in the water jump and the local amphibian society has to come every year to take them away.
9. The story of the building of the Hickstead Derby bank is legendary. Douglas Bunn, the founder of Hickstead, had seen film footage of the Hamburg Derby and decided to visit the German showground to measure the bank and replicate it back home in West Sussex. He arrived on New Year's Eve when it was snowing, and went round the showground measuring fences - much to the bemusement of the show's officials. The layer of snow on top of the Hamburg bank must have affected Douglas's measurements, as Hickstead's bank stands 6in taller than its German counterpart. The rails at the bottom of the Hickstead Derby bank are two strides away from the bottom of the bank, but the Hamburg Derby bank's equivalent upright stands just one stride away.
10. The Devil's Dyke is based on a local tourist attraction, a valley in the South Downs which looks a bit like a canyon. The poles used to be made of silver birch and would 'twang' when hit - these days they are standard poles without any give in them.
11. The Derby rails (fence 12) are based along some rails Douglas saw when driving along the Bagshot Bypass. He decided they'd make a good showjump - so he stopped his car to measure the railings and then made a replica at Hickstead.
12. The Road Jump used to be called the Table, and includes a jump up on to a raised platform and then a drop down on the other side. Both fences used to have ditches underneath, but these were filled in for safety reasons.
13. While the fences still look like the same solid, daunting jumps they always have, the top rails have all been switched to lightweight versions (which fall more easily!), while safety cups are used as well.
14. There are several gates in the Derby course, including the black gate at fence four and the penultimate double of white gates. The latter are set on a very long stride and catch many horses out, especially because they're on an uphill gradient and the horses are tiring towards the end of the course. Douglas Bunn wanted to include fences that people could identify with - they'd know how big a five bar gate is and could appreciate its size, compared to just endless coloured poles.
15. In the event of a jump-off, riders miss out the double of water ditches (3), the road jump, bank and rails (7, 8 and 9), the open ditch and the balustrade (13 and 14).
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The view from the Press Office - June 2022
Hickstead's Press Officer Victoria Goff reflects on a fabulous week at the Al Shira'aa Hickstead Derby Meeting.
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Doing the double
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Teenage Dreams
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The 60th Hickstead Derby
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Harriet Nuttall Q&A
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Holly Smith Q&A
Alex Irwin caught up with Hickstead star Holly Smith at the Science Supplements All England Jumping Championships
The unstoppable Irish
Victoria Goff looks back at Ireland's stunning win in the 2018 Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Great Britain, and goes back into the history books to remember the other memorable Irish wins at Hickstead
William’s fabulous four
William Funnell joined the elite band of four-time winners of the Hickstead Derby last summer. Victoria Goff spoke to him about what it means to join the likes of Harvey Smith, Eddie Macken and brothers John and Michael Whitaker.
Top Speed
We take a look back over the history of the British Speed Derby.
By Victoria Goff
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Five riders share the record of having four wins in the Hickstead Derby. Victoria Goff takes a look through the archives to relive these legendary performances.
Coming of age
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A Platinum President
The BHS President Martin Clunes is a regular visitor to Hickstead. Victoria Goff finds out more about his role at the British Horse Society, and why he loves coming to our shows
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Perfect Timing
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Miss Consistent
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Fiesta Time
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Worth the wait
Victoria Goff describes the wait Nigel Coupe had before he finally become the Al Shira'aa Derby Champion in 2017.
Doing it for Ella
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Race against time
Victoria Goff takes a look back at some of the famous Hickstead Derby jump-offs that have taken place over the years.
A New Era
Victoria Goff finds out more about Al Shira'aa, the title sponsors of the Hickstead Derby
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The Al Shira’aa Derby drew our June fixture to a close, and what a way to round off four fabulous sunny days of showjumping and showing. We take a look back at some of the best moments of this year’s show.
#RoadToHickstead contenders reveal...
We ask some of our leading Al Shira'aa Derby contenders some killer questions.
Harriet and Nigel go head-to-head
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Can you spot our Mystery Guests?
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Billy the King
Ireland's Billy Twomey enjoyed an amazing run of success at the 2016 BHS Royal International Horse Show, including a win in the Longines BHS King George V Gold Cup. Victoria Goff spoke to him about his golden run.
A home from home
Hickstead is very familiar stomping ground for David Simpson, the Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner in 2016. Victoria Goff spoke to him about winning on 'home territory'.
The One to Watch
In the run up to the 2017 Longines Royal International Horse Show, Hickstead Press Officer Victoria Goff caught up with Amlin Plus Eventers' Challenge winner Esib Power.
The nation's favourites
Earlier this year, we asked you to vote for your favourite Derby-winning horses. Victoria Spicer counts down your top 10.
An unforgettable Adventure
Adventure De Kannan is one of the most successful Hickstead horses of recent times. Victoria Goff looks back at the remarkable career of the one-eyed wonder horse
William Whitaker: How to win the Derby
The 2016 Hickstead Derby winner William Whitaker shares his winning formula!
William Whitaker: Advice for Hickstead newcomers
If you haven't ridden at the All England Jumping Course before, reigning Hickstead Derby champion William Whitaker shares his insights into competing here.
William Whitaker: The perfect warm-up
The current Hickstead Derby champion William Whitaker explains how to nail your warm-up routine, both at home and at competitions.
William Whitaker: Winning a jump-off
Want to nail those jump-off rounds? Hickstead Derby 2016 champion William Whitaker shares his advice, and suggests two training exercises to improve your performance against the clock.
William Whitaker's training secrets
In the run up to this year’s Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting, reigning Derby champion William Whitaker shares his showjumping training insights.
Words by Victoria Spicer, photos by Daisy Honeybunn
6 links between Hickstead and the Grand National
The home of British Showjumping and the most famous race on earth have more in common than you might think, writes Victoria Spicer...
A winning debut
Chloe Winchester, winner of the Templant Events Queen Elizabeth II Cup in 2015, chats to Victoria Spicer about her winning debut at Hickstead
Elizabeth the first
Last year Elizabeth 'Beezie' Madden became the first woman ever to win the Longines King George V Gold Cup. In 2015, she did it again. Hickstead's Press Officer Victoria Spicer caught up with America's first lady of showjumping.
12 moments we loved at this year's Derby meeting
There was rain, there was mud, but much more importantly there was some brilliant competition at this year's Equestrian.com Hickstead Derby Meeting. We choose our top 12 moments from this year's show.
Back on top
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Three in a row
Journalist Andrew Baldock takes a look back over the Hickstead archives at the three riders who have won the Derby three times in succession - and finds out which other riders came close...
A cool guy
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Eight great Derby rivalries
There have been some amazing clashes in the 56 years of the Hickstead Derby. Pippa Cuckson takes a look at some of the great rivalries over the years...
Breen’s Derby dream comes true
Hickstead's Press Officer Victoria Spicer chats to the 2014 winner of the Equestrian.com Derby, Trevor Breen.
Five Minutes with Fran Callan
Continuing our new Five Minutes With... series, we caught up with Fran Callan, the head travelling groom for Trevor Breen. As part of her job, she looks after Hickstead megastar and reigning Equestrian.com Derby winner Adventure De Kannan...
Miller's tale
Victoria Spicer meets Phillip Miller, winner of the 2013 Hickstead Derby, to talk about his rise from riding school lessons to Hickstead champion.
A lesson with Derby winner Phillip Miller
When we ran an exclusive Hickstead Derby Community competition to win a lesson with the 2013 Derby winner Phillip Miller, we had a great response. In the end, we selected 25-year-old Jodine Brooks from Kent and her seven-year-old Dutch gelding, Camorasun.
15 facts about the Derby course
From poles that 'twang', resident newts and motorway fences turned into showjumps, Victoria Spicer investigates 15 things that you might not know about the most famous course in British showjumping...
Five minutes with Phillip Miller
Her latest victim in the 'Five Minutes With Series…', Daisy sits down with natural born comedian and Hickstead Derby superstar, 2013 winner Phillip Miller…
Five minutes with Bob Ellis
Daisy Bunn is back in the interviewer's chair this week with Hickstead's very own Bob The Buider, world renowned, Olympic course builder Bob Ellis...
10 iconic Derby moments
Last seen disappearing into our dusky archives, Hickstead Press Officer and journalist Victoria Goff has put together a review of 10 of our most iconic Derby moments over the years
Five Minutes with Steve Wilde
Continuing our new Five Minutes With... interview series, Hickstead Director Daisy Bunn sits down with Hickstead's 'golden tonsils', commentator and Director of Ceremonies Steve Wilde...
Five minutes with Daisy Bunn
As part of a new series, exclusively for our HDC members, Hickstead Director Daisy Bunn is going to catch key members of the Hickstead team for mini 5 minute interviews, to give our members a unique, behind-the-scenes take on everything Hickstead. Who better to start with than Daisy herself!
The best of the best
Equestrian journalist Charlotte Ricca-Smith asks Hickstead Derby winners to name the performance - apart from their own! - that impressed them most.
A Hickstead first
In 2013, Paul Beecher became the first person to produce a clear round having been drawn first to go in the Hickstead Derby, then go on to win the class. Victoria Spicer spoke to him about his achievement.
A National treasure
Harvey Smith is the only man to have won both the Hickstead Derby and trained a Grand National winner. Victoria Spicer reflects on his remarkable achievement.
Olympic heroes
Did you know that three out of the four showjumping gold medallists from London 2012 are past winners of the Hickstead Derby? Victoria Spicer catches up with them to find out what those wins meant.
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