Showjumping made a very welcome return to the hallowed turf of Hickstead last week (2-6 September) for the Science Supplements All England Jumping Championships and we enjoyed seeing some of the country’s top talent in action once again.
But some of our favourite classes of the year take place down on the showground’s River Lawn where the sport’s future champions, all aged 10 and under, tackle the coloured fences in the Total Waste Management mini challenge.
Many of the surnames will be familiar — Breen, Williams, Pinchen and Whitaker — and the next generation always impress on some of the cutest ponies, from the Thelwell-esque to mini Frankels.
The weekend’s winners included Nero and Gracie Dwyer in the 60cm, Rose and Amy Baker in the 30cm, Shannon and Olivia Newington over the 20cm cross-poles, with Mya Clarke claiming victory on Alice In Wonderland in the lead-rein jumping, and they all earned a treasured Hickstead rosette to start their collection. Congratulations all, and here are just some of our favourite moments, captured by Spidge Event Photography.
1. Just quacking around: Ollie Breen, son of Trevor and Caroline Breen and younger brother to Mia, who was also in action over the bigger fences in the mini challenge, makes a big impression at his first show.
2. Annabel Widdowson and her own pint-sized version of the family’s famous Big Star clear the obstacles in fine style.
3. Maisie Simmons is ready for action — and we absolutely love her heart-shaped buttons, very smart indeed!
4. Mum Yazmin Pinchen had a busy few days competing in the International Arena, but a young and very dapper Harry Pinchen-McCulloch also took his turn in the spotlight in the mini challenge.
Don’t miss the full report from the Science Supplements All England Jumping Championships at Hickstead in this week’s issue of Horse & Hound (out Thursday 10 September).
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