Hickstead set for Longines Royal International Horse Show

With Her Majesty The Queen as patron, Hickstead has hosted the Longines Royal International Horse Show since 1992. The show is the official Horse Show of The British Horse Society, and having celebrated its centenary in 2007 is one of the oldest horse shows in the world.

The Longines Royal International Horse Show uniquely sees the elite of many equestrian disciplines compete side by side: from the thrills and spills of international showjumping to the elegance and glamour of champion showing horses and ponies, to the buzz of the country's best scurry ponies to event riders galloping across-country.

The international showjumping classes get underway from Thursday onwards, with the highlight of this day being the new-look Amlin Plus Eventers’ Challenge, back at Hickstead by popular demand.

Friday’s feature class is the seventh and penultimate leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Europe Division One, presented by Longines. International teams of four riders from several nations will be competing for points all geared to qualifying for the FEI Nations Cup series final in Barcelona in September.

It is the only chance British equestrian fans will have to see their team compete on home soil this year in this competition. The British team of Holly Gillott, Ben Maher, Jessica Mendoza, Michael Whitaker and Guy Williams will go up against Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy who also can all grab qualifying points at this leg of the series. Belgium, France and USA are also sending teams to the show to compete in this fixture but are not allocated to earn points towards qualification at this round.

Saturday’s Templant Events Queen Elizabeth II Cup is one of the most coveted titles in the national showjumping circuit, while Sunday’s finale is the Longines King George V Gold Cup, one of the oldest and most prestigious classes in the world.

Twelve months ago, USA’s Beezie Madden made history by becoming the first female winner of the King George V Gold Cup and she is set to return this year to defend her title.

The Longines Royal International Horse Show also plays host to hundreds of national showjumping classes, including the peak of winter national showjumping qualifiers - the British Showjumping Winter Finals.

Ladies’ day is held on the Saturday of the Longines Royal International Horse Show, held in aid of the Mark Davies Injured Riders’ Fund. Show visitors are encouraged to dress to impress, with a host of prizes on offer to the most elegantly attired ladies.