{"id":1686,"date":"2022-07-07T10:54:22","date_gmt":"2022-07-07T09:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/?p=1686"},"modified":"2025-06-09T09:24:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T08:24:24","slug":"hoys-senior-foxhunter-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/hoys-senior-foxhunter-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"History of the Foxhunter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Senior Foxhunter Championship<\/strong> is the most prestigious young horse championship in Great Britain; widely known as “the one everyone wants to win”<\/strong>. A true showcase for breeders and young horse producers<\/strong> alike, the Foxhunter Roll of Honour includes horses and riders that have gone on to succeed at the very top of the sport, including the Olympics, European, and World Championships.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who was ‘Foxhunter’?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Despite the name, the Foxhunter Championship has nothing to do with fox-hunting. ‘Foxhunter’ was a British Olympic gold-medal-winning horse<\/strong> ridden by Sir Harry Llewellyn. The pair captured the hearts of 70,000 spectators and the British public when jumping the final clear round to clinch the gold medal<\/strong> for the British team, cementing their place in history as one of showjumping’s most beloved pairings. The iconic class at HOYS isn’t the only memorial to Foxhunter; Sir Harry bred Welsh ponies under the ‘Foxhunter’ moniker, in addition to opening a series of Foxhunter restaurants and caf\u00e9s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Foxhunter championship was founded by Harry to make use of some of the trophies<\/strong> the pair had won, with the fences set at 1.10m to encourage more hunting people to take up showjumping. From humble beginnings in South Wales<\/strong> to one of the most illustrious titles in British showjumping, the class has developed into a wonderful legacy for one of showjumping’s best-loved equine heroes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When is the championship?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Redpost Equestrian Senior Foxhunter Championship Final will be held at the Horse of the Year Show on Thursday 6th October 2022.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Redpost Rider Oliver Tuff winning the 2018 Senior Foxhunter Championship with Darino B<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Did you know?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
  • Only five riders have won the Foxhunter final more than once<\/strong>, and of these, only two riders – Doug Iggulden and Nick Skelton<\/strong> – have achieved back-to-back wins<\/strong>. The other riders with multiple titles are William Funnell, Michael Whitaker,<\/strong> and Laura Renwick.<\/strong><\/li>
  • William Funnell holds the record for the most wins<\/strong> – three – having won on Once More (1984), Mondriaan (2001), and Billy Balou (2012).<\/li>
  • The Foxhunter Championship was started in 1954 and has (so far) not missed a year <\/strong>since its inception – that’s 68 winners!<\/li>
  • As of 2021, 17 women have won the Foxhunter final<\/strong>, including 2021 winner Lucy Townley. Lucy is the grand-daughter of Hickstead founder Douglas Bunn, who won this class in 1962 on Beethoven.<\/li>
  • There are 10 Second Rounds in the 2022 calendar, for a total of 20 tickets, plus four to qualify from the Masters, meaning 24 combinations could compete for the title<\/strong> in October.<\/li>
  • Horses & riders who have qualified from the first rounds can compete in up to four Second Rounds.<\/strong><\/li>
  • 1962 winners Beethoven and Douglas Bunn went on to win the World Championships<\/strong> in 1970 at La Baule for Great Britain.<\/li>
  • Pennywort, who won in 1970 under Paula Graham, was the grand-dam of the brilliant Milton<\/strong>, who would go on to be the first horse outside of racing win \u00a31 million in prize money.<\/li>
  • Sultan V, the ride of 2009 winner Bruce Menzies, jumped at the London 2012 Olympics<\/strong> and won a team bronze <\/strong>for Saudi Arabia.<\/li>
  • The only Foxhunter winner <\/strong>to later win the Hickstead Derby<\/strong> is Mondriaan<\/strong>, who won the Foxhunter in 2001 and went on to win the Derby three times – in 2006, 2008, and 2009.<\/li>
  • 1999 winner Luidam was on three winning Nations Cup teams<\/strong> \u2014 Dublin 2004, Aachen 2003 and St Gallen 2003 – and competed at the 2003 Europeans and 2006 World Equestrian Games.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Sally Goding rides Nintendo van de Ijse to sixth place in the 2021 Senior Foxhunter Final<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Who’s qualified for the 2022 final?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Qualification is well underway for the 2022 Redpost Equestrian Foxhunter Final, and we’ll be updating the list of qualified horses & riders here. We’re excited that Redpost Rider Alice Watson will head to the final on her exciting young horse, Cintrix du Ruisseau!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Graham Babes<\/td>MONKS I AM CASALL<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Jessica Botham<\/td>MANZANITA<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Damien Charles<\/td>DESERT ENCOUNTER OL<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Mark Edwards<\/td>DILLINGER NE<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Mark Edwards<\/td>ROYALE TALE<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Sally Goding<\/td>SPRING WILLOW<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Patrick Hickey<\/td>Z7 PORSCHE<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Ronnie Lee Jones<\/td>KEY WEST RSH<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Amy Morris<\/td>LETS HOPE II<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Robert Murphy<\/td>CHAWTON<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Robert Murphy<\/td>DEE JAY II<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Robert Murphy<\/td>IMBEER<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Jake Saywell<\/td>KABAYA LADY<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Louise Saywell<\/td>KING BLUE<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Paul Sims<\/td>MAXIMA Z<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    James Smith<\/td>HOLLY<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Christopher Smith<\/td>MESSARADO BLUE<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    James Smith<\/td>PRINCE MALKO M<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Faye Ella Sutton<\/td>SPIDER I<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Alex Thompson<\/td>IN A HURRY<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Joseph Trunkfield<\/td>OH LA LA VAN OVERIS<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Beth Vernon<\/td>CORNET’S GIRLENSKY<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Alice Pamela Charlotte Watson<\/td>CINTRIX DU RUISSEAU<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr>
    Courtney Young<\/td>ISLANDWOOD ROXY ELLA<\/td>Confirmed<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
    Qualified horses & riders correct on 4 October 2022<\/sub><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    How big are the fences?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    • In the First Rounds<\/strong>, the fences are 1.20m<\/strong>, with two fences at 1.25m<\/strong>, and a maximum spread of 1.40m, or 1.80m for a triple bar. All first rounds must include a water tray <\/strong>or water jump<\/strong> with a spread between 1.2-3.0m (2.75m if jumping indoors). This water jump must have at least two poles over it, plus a take off element.<\/li>
    • In the Second Rounds and at the Masters<\/strong>, the fences go up to 1.30m<\/strong>, with a maximum width of 1.45m (or 1.80m for a triple bar). Second Rounds must include a true water with a spread of 3.65m<\/strong>, with two poles over, that will be judged as a water fence. The Masters will include a water tray<\/strong>, rather than a water.<\/li>
    • At the Foxhunter Final, the jumps go up again! <\/strong>This time they reach a towering 1.45m<\/strong> (about the same height as Danny DeVito!) with maximum spread of 1.60m. There isn’t room for a full water jump in the HOYS arena, but there will be a water tray.<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      What are the rules & how do you qualify?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
      • The Foxhunter<\/strong> series is open to all seven-year-old horses<\/strong> (or younger) – for 2022, this means horses born in or after 2015 – plus any older horses<\/strong> registered in Grade C that have won fewer than 700 points.<\/li>
      • Horses older than seven must have fewer than 700 BS points<\/strong> to be eligible. Horses seven or younger can have any number of points.<\/li>
      • Riders can be adults or juniors.<\/strong> The youngest rider to win the Foxhunter Final is Redpost Rider Oliver Tuff, who won on Darino B in 2018 at the age of 15.<\/li>
      • Horses must jump four double clears at First Round Qualifiers <\/strong>during the qualifying period to qualify for ‘Second Rounds’. A ‘double clear’ means that the horse must jump clear in the first round and clear in the jump off, with no time penalties. The qualifying period is from 1 May in the previous year until 30 April in the year of the final.<\/li>
      • In the Second Round qualifiers<\/strong>, the top two horses will qualify<\/strong> for the Foxhunter Championship Final<\/strong> at HOYS in October. This qualification does pass down the line<\/strong> if one or more of the top-placed horses has already qualified.<\/li>
      • Also in the Second Round qualifiers, the top five horses<\/strong> will qualify for the Foxhunter Masters<\/strong>, which is held at the British Showjumping National Championships<\/strong> in August.<\/li>
      • A horse that jumps clear in all three rounds of a Second Round <\/strong>(but is not in the top five) will also qualify for the Masters.<\/strong> <\/li>
      • The top four horses in the Foxhunter Masters<\/strong> at the BS National Championships will qualify for the Foxhunter Final at HOYS.<\/strong> This is the last chance<\/strong> to secure a coveted ticket to the final<\/strong>, so is always a hotly contested class!<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Correct as per the British Showjumping Rulebook in June 2022 – we advise that you confirm the rules and fence heights before entering!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Who are the past winners?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

        The past winners of the Foxhunter Senior Championship reads like a “who’s who?” of British Showjumping. Do you dream of adding your name to the list?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        • 1954 – Frances Stanbury and Dreamboat<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1955 – Miss B.P. Rose and Royal Lord<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1956 – J. Weaver and Andrew Cobb Esq<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1957 – Miss A. Barker and Lucky Sam<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1958 – A. John and Rambler IV<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1959 – Capt. P.T. Holland and Savernake<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1960 – Doug Iggulden and Bawbee Of Edinbarnet<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1961 – Doug Iggulden and The Barrhead Builder<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1962 – Douglas Bunn and Beethoven<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1963 – Miss A. Roger Smith and Rockwell<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1964 – Miss J. Nash and Lights Out<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1965 – Miss A. Ross and Topaz III<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1966 – David Broome and Top Of The Morning<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1967 – Mr G. Spiers and Miranda XIV<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1968 – Steve Hadley and Flying Wild<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1969 – Caroline Bradley and Walky Talky<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1970 – Paula Graham and Pennywort<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1971 – Harvey Smith and Mannering<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1972 – Miss L. Clower and Miss Tina<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1973 – Graham Fletcher and Hold Hard<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1974 – Harvey Smith and Olympic Star<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1975 – Willie Sheret MBE and St Corry<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1976 – P. Richardson and Ryehill<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1977 – Miss Mallory Spens and Port Paddy<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1978 – Stuart Davidson and La Belle Femme<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1979 – Malcolm Pyrah and Saucy Brown<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1980 – Derek Ricketts and Corals Morning Glory<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1981 – John Whitaker and Hopscotch<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1982 – Geoff Goodwin and Caf\u00e9 Noir<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1983 – Mennel Watson and Charlie Brummel<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1984 – William Funnell and Once More<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1985 – Liz Edgar and Everest Asher<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1986 – Geoff Billington and Edisford Bridge<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1987 – Emma-Jane Mac and Everest Oyster<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1988 – Nick Skelton and Don Kelly<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1989 – Nick Skelton and Cut Loose<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1990 – Nigel Coupe and Balou<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1991 – Michael Whitaker and Henderson O\u2019Flynn<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1992 – Malcolm Pyrah and Itziweeni<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1993 – John Popely and Fleurance<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1994 – Peter Murphy and Valentino R<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1995 – Michael Whitaker and Everest Ashley<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1996 – Duncan Inglis and Honnie<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1997 – John Renwick and Temple What A Flash<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1998 – Damian Charles and Carnival Spirit II<\/strong><\/li>
        • 1999 – John Popely and Luidam<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2000 – Robert Smith and Senator Marius Claudius<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2001 – William Funnell and Mondriaan<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2002 – Joe Clee and Unbelievable Darco<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2003 – Helen Tredwell and Opportunity B<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2004 – David McPherson and Lowen Herz<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2005 – Philip Spivey and Romanov II<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2006 – Laura Renwick and Limelight De Breve<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2007 – Simon Nicholson and Marcolas G<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2008 – Scott Brash and Sauron ML<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2009 – Bruce Menzies and Sultan V<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2010 – Laura Renwick and Parvati De Breve<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2011 – Guy Williams and Djakarta<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2012 – William Funnell and Billy Balou<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2013 – Simon Buckley and Wordsworth II<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2014 – Jude Burgess and Carvelo Z<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2015 – Robert Maguire and Anastasia Van Der Helle<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2016 – Laura Pritchard and Horse Victorys Fayot<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2017 – Matthew Sampson and Ebolensky<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2018 – Oliver Tuff and Darino B<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2019 – Simon Crippen and Premier Titanium<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2020 – Tim Davies and Nielson<\/strong><\/li>
        • 2021 – Lucy Townley and Billy Nikon<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Ever wondered about the History behind one of the most prestigious young horse championships? Find out everything you could want to know, here!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":1706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,316,5],"tags":[296],"class_list":{"0":"post-1686","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-redpost-events","8":"category-foxhunter-championship","9":"category-redpost-news-events","10":"tag-foxhunter-championship"},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2022\/07\/fletcher-foxhunter.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Redpost","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/author\/stormjohnson\/"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1686"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14506,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1686\/revisions\/14506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/redp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}