Hickstead unveils £2million stabling upgrade

A huge new stabling complex has been unveiled at the All England Jumping Course, Hickstead, as part of a £2million upgrade project.

Stabling experts Cheval Liberté were in charge of building the new stabling project, which includes 204 new stables housed within six barns. The other upgrades include new hard standing areas, wash down bays, as well as new shower and toilet facilities for the riders.

The barns will be used as the international stabling for the two main fixtures in the Hickstead calendar, the Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting (19-22 June) and the Agria Royal International Horse Show (22-27 July). In addition, the stabling will be available for competitors at Hickstead’s national shows as well as those attending the showground for external shows, camps and clinics.

“This project has been three years in the planning, during which we took the time to find the right contractors and the right designs, and now we've delivered what we've always wanted in terms of world-class facilities,” explained Showground Manager William Bunn. “It’s vital that Hickstead, as one of the leading showgrounds in the world, continues to compete with other venues in the sport, and this project is the latest in a series of investments we’ve made to improve the facilities including new all-weather arenas, a new grandstand, and improvements to our hospitality suites.”

During the summer months, Hickstead hosts its two major international fixtures along with three national competitions – the Hurst College National Schools Jumping Championships, the Al Shira’aa British Young Horse Championships and the All England September Tour. In recent years, Hickstead has diversified to offer corporate events and parties, as well as cross-country and showjumping training courses that are open from autumn to spring each year.

The new upgrades mean Hickstead can now offer more year-round camps, clinics and training sessions. “We are hoping to attract more branches of the Pony Club, Riding Clubs, plus coaches and instructors, who wish to organise camps and clinics here using our world class training facilities,” said William.

Arwel Davies, head of Cheval Liberté UK, added: “It's been a wonderful project to be involved in. We've been able to manufacture and install all the stabling in a matter of six months. I’ve been running Cheval Liberté UK for 20 years, and this project has been the pinnacle of my career. I'm very proud to have been able to provide the service that Hickstead required, and to deliver such a fantastic new facility.”

Grégory Rulquin, the owner and founder of Cheval Liberté, added: “As a horseman and big fan of showjumping, it has been a dream to come to Hickstead and support this project. From the beginning to the end, it's been a big team effort, and the result is just outstanding.”