The Heroes of Hickstead

As the 2008 Samsung Super League with FEI series moves to the All England Show Jumping Course at Hickstead this week, we take a look at a few of the most famous and best-loved names associated with this popular British venue in bygone days....

SIR HARRY LLEWELLYN AND FOXHUNTER

Sir Harry Morton Llewellyn, OBE was born in 1911 in Aberdare, South Wales and forged one of the most legendary show jumping partnerships of all time with the great Foxhunter.

Educated at Oundle School and later at Trinity College, Oxford, Sir Harry was more often to be found race-riding instead of attending lectures and was on the brink of retirement as a jockey when coming across the chestnut gelding Ego with whom he finished second in the Aintree Grand National in 1936. 

He served as liaison officer to Field Marshall Montgomery during WW2 before resuming his riding career, this time in the show jumping ring, and although his partnership with Foxhunter, whom he bought in 1947, lasted only five years they were five spectacularly successful ones. They competed all over Europe and North America, winning the Grand Prix in Paris, Nice and Lucerne and were three-time winners of the prestigious King George V Cup while also excelling in puissance events. Together they represented Great Britain in 34 Nations Cups and in 1952 won team gold at the Helsinki Olympic Games to the delight of the British pubic who loved them dearly.

Foxhunter died in 1959, and when Sir Harry passed away 40 years later his ashes were scattered over the great horse's grave on the Blorenge Mountain above Abergavenny.

MARION COAKES AND STROLLER

The daughter of a Hampshire farmer, Marion was born into a horse-loving family in 1947 and learned to ride on a donkey at the age of three. She is best-remembered for her successes with the lion-hearted pony Stroller whose diminutive stature disguised an enormous jump. 

Stroller was imported from Ireland and was bought by Marion's father, Ralph Coakes, in 1960 as an eight-year-old. Marion followed her brothers, John and Douglas, into the British junior show jumping team but at the end of her junior career her father wanted to sell Stroller and to replace him with a horse. Marion didn't want to let him go and, fortunately, some sales opportunities failed to materialise so, together, the 14.1hh pony and his naturally talented rider emerged onto the horse scene with the most incredible results.

In their second senior season they were on three winning Nations' Cup teams and helped secure the Presidents Cup, which was then the team World Championship. When Marion was just 18, she rode Stroller to win the Ladies World Championship at Hickstead sealing a fantastic year during which she also claimed the first of two victories in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, took the Leading Combination award in Dublin and Leading Lady Rider title at Warsaw and Copenhagen. In 1970 the duo scooped the honours in the infamous Hamburg Derby.

Their greatest triumph was taking individual silver at the Mexico Olympic Games in 1968 but this was a precarious outing as Stroller was suffering from a damaged, decaying tooth and he had to be medicated prior to the competition in which he jumped clear in the first round before lowering two fences second time out to finish runner-up to America's Bill Steinkraus and Snowbound. In the team competition Stroller refused for the first time in his life, and then fell after a second refusal. This was put down to his dental discomfort and he never did anything like that again, going on to compete brilliantly until his retirement in 1970.

The stress of international competition had not taken a heavy toll on this wonderful exponent of the sport who was clearly more comfortable operating over bigger fences than the ones for which he was designed, and he lived on to the ripe old age of 36.  The story of Marion and the pony who could take on, and beat, the best in the world is the stuff of every girl's dream and they are remembered with great fondness by generations of horse people.

DAVID BROOME, CBE, AND MISTER SOFTEE

The Welsh wizard remains one of the most respected riders of all time. David Broome's extraordinary horsemanship set him apart from all the rest during his long and illustrious career.

Born in Cardiff in Wales in 1940, he was taught to ride by his father, Fred, who was himself an expert horseman, and at the age of 19 he was already the leading money-winner in Britain partnering his first top-class horse, Wildfire. The following year, with Sunsalve, he recorded the first of his six King George V Cup victories, but this prolific champion's list of achievement are legion.

David won the European Championships in 1961, 1967 and 1969 and Britain's first individual Olympic medal when taking bronze in Rome in 1960, a feat he repeated in Mexico eight years later. He won the individual World Championship title in 1970 riding Beethoven and, eight years later, was a member of the winning World Championship team when partnering Philco in Dublin.

A great supporter of Irish-bred jumpers, he once said his favourite horse was Sportsman but it is for his partnership with Mister Softee that David is often best recalled. Owned by John Massarella and bought at Dublin Horse Show as a youngster Mister Softee enjoyed a glittering career during which he and David won the King George V Cup in 1966 and back-to-back Dublin Grand Prix titles in both 1967 and 1968. He took individual European gold in Rotterdam in 1967 and at Hickstead in 1969 and topped the World Cup Qualifiers in Birmingham and Amsterdam in the 1979/1980 season. David and Mister Softee were only two fences off the gold medal when finishing third at those Mexico Olympic Games.

Now retired as a rider, David continues to work as an administrator in the sport and, already awarded a CBE, he was the 2007 recipient of the coveted Ryan's Son Trophy which is presented every year at the Christmas show at Olympia in London by John Whitaker and his wife Clare to honour those who have made an exceptional contribution to equestrianism.

HARVEY SMITH AND MATTIE BROWN

Harvey Smith and Hickstead will always be intrinsically linked as a result of one memorable moment. When the outspoken, rebellious Yorkshireman made what he afterwards insisted was a "V for Victory" sign towards the judges box after winning his second consecutive Hickstead Derby in 1971, the Churchillian gesture was interpreted otherwise by the authorities leading to a great controversy. However all this served to do was to attract huge publicity to the sport and to endear the larger-than-life anti-establishment figure to the public forever.

The incident happened in the aftermath of Harvey's explanation to the judges that he had forgotten to bring with him the Derby trophy which he had first won the previous year. A disagreement ensued, making the rider all-the-more determined to win again and, when he did, the sign was directed – on live TV – in the direction of the judges. He was disqualified as a result, but subsequently reinstated as the winner following a hearing during which he produced a file of pictures showing Winston Churchill making his trademark V-sign for victory. 

Harvey's reputation as the "hard man" of show jumping was well-earned - the set of his jaw and his formidable glare was enough to leave people quaking in their boots - but his success rate was exceptional and the public adored him for his feisty nature.

Born in December 1938 and certainly not with a silver spoon in his mouth, he was about seven years of age when first sitting on the local milk pony and his show jumping career began in 1954 with Farmer's Boy, a horse bought for £40 at York Sales and who, in 1957, was the only British entry to jump clear in the King's Cup at White City. Another bargain buy, Warpaint, brought him further success and, although completely self-taught, Harvey's career went from strength to strength.

Olympic honours eluded him but he earned five European Championship medals during his sparkling career including individual bronze in Rome in 1963 riding O'Malley, individual silver in Rotterdam in 1967 riding Harvester, individual silver in Aachen in 1971 riding Mattie Brown and team silver at both Vienna in 1977 and Hickstead in 1983. 

Mattie Brown was his companion on that fateful Hickstead afternoon in 1971, so he has gone into the annals not just for his jumping prowess but also for his role in one of the most amusing moments in the history of the sport.

Always the showman, Harvey embarked on brief careers as both a singer and a wrestler. His wrestling debut in the Royal Hall in Harrogate when fighting Cockey Kay, the "Lancashire Thunderbolt", was billed as the Battle of the Pennines and attracted 1,300 spectators but these days, along with his wife Sue, he is involved in fewer pitched battles as he successfully trains race-horses on his farm at High Eldwick on the Yorkshire moors. 

His colourful personality lent a great deal to the sport during his career and his absence is keenly felt.  His uncompromising attitude and his will to win, which led to plenty of confrontations with the powers of the time, may well be summed up in his own words when he said "as far as I'm concerned, losers don't count!"

By Louise Parkes