Hickstead Drops Juniors From Derby Meeting
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Hickstead has dropped its Hickstead Pony Masters class, together with all junior classes usually included in the British Jumping Derby Meeting programme, as retaliation for "verbal abuse and threatening behaviour" at last year's meeting.
Instead of the Pony Masters, it is swinging its support behind the Young Rider group with the new Hickstead Young Riders Masters, which will have a prize fund of £6,000.
Hickstead director and show secretary Lizzie Bunn says that the decision was taken because of the behaviour of a "large number of junior parents and trainers" as a result of moving classes in the face of the wettest summer on record - moves that later brought praise for saving both the DFS Derby and the Longines Royal International Horse Show.
She explains: "We sometimes have to take unpopular decisions for the good of the entire show, and last year we were forced to move the final of the Pony Masters to Ring 2 to save the ground for the DFS Derby.
"The verbal abuse and threatening behaviour towards my family and staff following this decision was intolerable."
There were similar scenes, she said, when the continuing bad weather at the Royal International Horse Show forced the move of the Winter Finals to the all-weather arena.
"It is a shame that a minority group has ruined it for the majority of competitors who have enjoyed competing at Hickstead."
The new class will support the up and coming 18 to 21 year old age group, which includes riders such as William Whitaker, Daniel Neilson, Louise Saywell, Matthew Sampson, and of course the 2007 DFS Derby runner up, Andrew Mizon.
The new Masters will be run over four legs, the first two in outside rings and the third and final leg in the International Arena. The deciding round, open to the 10 highest placed combinations, will take place on the same day as the DFS Derby.
"It will give them experience of competing in front of a large crowd and in a tense atmosphere," Lizzie said.
