Hurst Riders Shine at Hickstead with Championship Success Over the Bank Holiday Heatwave

Over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, the NSEA held their championship show at Hickstead, for which students have spent the winter months earning their qualifications. On the Saturday, Hurst Equestrian had two teams stepping up: one in the Bloomfields Mini 70–75cm Team & Individual Eventers’ Challenge Championships, and another in the 1m Hickstead Elite Final.

The day began with the Eventers’ Challenge Championships, where Amelia B, Ella S, and Amelie P tackled a demanding 16‑jump course. All three rode excellent rounds, with Ella and Amelie producing superb clears. Amelia delivered a strong performance too, with just one hesitation resulting in four faults. With the course proving tough across the board, only three teams finished on a zero score. This meant the Hurst team secured a very respectable 7th place out of 27 teams. A fantastic achievement.

Later in the day, it was the turn of the Hickstead Elite 1m Show Jumping Team. This two‑round class required teams to jump a single‑phase course, with the top ten progressing to round two. Hurst led the way after the first round and were one of only two teams to finish on a zero score. The second round was even more challenging, with no team managing a clean sheet. Hurst finished on 16 faults overall, placing them 5th. Congratulations to Danielle I, Isla A, Lars D, and Scarlett SH. A special mention goes to Lars for jumping double clear over such a testing track in extreme heat.

On Bank Holiday Monday, more Hurst riders returned for the NSEA showjumping qualifier classes for the October Championships. In the 70cm class, Ella S and Dennis continued their strong form following their Arena Eventing success, finishing 5th and only narrowly missing an individual qualification. Rosanna A also jumped brilliantly, delivering a very fast round but unfortunately rolling a pole, making her the fastest rider on four faults.

In the 90cm qualifier, Rosie C and Hungarios Bruce produced a superb clear to win the class and secure their place at the October Championships. Rosie’s success continued into the 1m class, where she finished 2nd, earning her a second individual qualification of the day. Well done, Rosie!

Lars D also returned on Monday after his Saturday performance, finishing 5th in the 1m class, just one place off qualification.

Well done to all riders who braved the heatwave for this show and produced yet another fantastic set of results.