This article has appeared previously with Equestrian Life. To see what is in our latest issue, please click here.

 

 

 

BY SOPHIE COLVIN // PHOTOGRAPHY SUPPLIED BY HICKSTEAD

 

It is often recounted that Douglas Bunn would appear in the traditionally rigid British court system wearing riding boots and breeches under his Barrister’s robes. He managed competing priorities brilliantly and would often leave the courtroom to go and compete in a show jumping event or to head home and exercise the horses.

 

This unwavering passion for horses would lead to the creation of one of the world’s most renowned equestrian facilities, but first he would have to set up a business to fund it all. And, that business had more to do with budget priced British holidaymakers than a Barrister’s fees.

 

Douglas passed away in 2009 at the age of 81 and the obituaries generally acknowledged him as one of the most influential people in British show jumping history. For the Bunn family – nine surviving children and 10 grandchildren – the challenge began to not only preserve their father’s legacy, but to ensure it evolved to keep the business viable for generations to come.

 

A colourful and sometimes controversial character, the man who would become known as ‘The Master of Hickstead’ was born at Selsey, West Sussex, the youngest of three brothers. His father was a fruit wholesaler and keen horseman – a passion Douglas adopted at an early age. So much so that he was taken under the wing of British show jumping great, Bill Gardner and enjoyed success from his first few competition seasons. Douglas would often ride along the beach at Selsey. A 20 acre property – largely wetlands used for grazing horses – was known as Pidney’s Marsh and was owned by Douglas’ father. This stretch of coast would play a pivotal role in creating show jumping history. 

 

Education beckoned first and Douglas went to Chichester High School and onto Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the Bar at Lincoln Inn in 1953, but never stopped competing in show jumping events. In the late 1950s he was often abroad on the show jumping circuit. Britain, he decided, lacked the venues to stage top international competitions. But, the largely voluntary and often cash-strapped equestrian organisations of the time – while working towards such development of the sport – would take longer than the driven Douglas wanted.

 

 

 

 

Funding such an undertaking was the multi-million dollar question. The coastal land at Selsey presented a potential, if risky, answer. Douglas bought it from his father. In the post-war years, caravanning was a growing and affordable family getaway, but camp sites were little more than fields with a chemical toilet at best. Douglas, with borrowed money, drained the land in 1958 and built an on-site office and clubhouse. He went on to create a complex with shops, live entertainment and eateries for what would become the largest independent holiday village in Europe and remains the core family business today. Bunn Leisure employs 300 full-time and 300 part-time staff, accommodates 12,500 in the high season and generates around A$82 million for the local economy.

 

In 1959, Douglas had also spotted a property with a manor house – parts of which date back to the thirteenth century – in the heart of Sussex in England’s south. He leveraged off the holiday business, while still working as a Barrister and competing as a member of the British show jumping team and bought Hickstead. What is arguably the home of British show jumping was born. He poured his heart and soul – and a great deal of money – into creating his dream equestrian facility. In 1960, he opened the All England Course.

Hickstead’s current Executive Director and Douglas’ eldest son, Edward, says that no expense was spared to take the property from a barn, a few tents and a roped off arena to a venue that would stage key international and national events. “If there was something that needed to be done at Hickstead, or there was something extra the property could have, there was no question about it – it was purchased,” Edward told Equestrian Life.

 

The property captured both equestrian and public attention when Douglas created the Hickstead Derby and the course instantly became one of the most notorious tests for horse and rider, thanks largely to the ‘Hickstead Derby Bank’. The timing was also ripe for the rapid growth in sports sponsorship. A number of riders refused to ride the course because of the bank and the ‘Devil’s Dyke’ – three fences in short succession with a water filled ditch in the middle. Irishman, Seamus Hayes and his horse, Goodbye III, were the first to record a clear round in 1961. Since then there have only been 54 clear rounds in the event’s 52 year history.

 

The Derby Bank was a case of Douglas wanting to show the top European nations that Britain could go one better. He’d travelled to Germany to measure ‘The Hamburg Bank’ and added a few inches. It is rumoured that the Hamburg Bank was covered in snow at the time, so Hickstead’s version ended up significantly higher. The Hickstead bank requires riders to clear a 1.04 metre hanging pole on top of the obstacle and then navigate a steep 3.20m slope down the front. It is part of the reason why the four day, action-packed, 1,195 metre course attracts around 20,000 spectators.

 

 

 

 

Douglas kept expanding and Hickstead became the venue for the British Jumping Derby and the Royal International Horse Show. He was also busy creating the popular team chasing events and an eventing grand prix. Behind the scenes, he was married three times and the father to 10 children, 9 of who survived. They have learnt the ropes and overseen the expansion of the business.

 

The six youngest children – Edward, Lizzie, John, Chloe, Daisy and Charlie – took over the main business. Edward and Lizzie run Hickstead and are the two Executive Directors, while the others carry out Directors’ roles. John is Managing Director of Bunn Leisure. Chloe, a former British international show jumper and her Irish international husband, Shane Breen, run Breen Equestrian from Hickstead. The three eldest children – Claudia, Lavinia and Theresa – maintain a keen interest in the venture. Keeping so many family members focused may seem like an impossible task. Edward says that while he and Lizzie carry the responsibility of making the business decisions, ‘everyone has a role in some way, especially around the summer show season’.

 

These days, there is a dedicated sponsorship team in place and since 1993, Hickstead has included dressage. That move has seen the property become Britain’s premier venue for national and international dressage within seven years of it beginning and has been voted as third best in the world behind Rotterdam and Aachen. It hosts the FEI Junior and Young Rider European Dressage Championships. In 2003, it became home to the FEI European Championships. 

 

It is what Edward sees as the necessity to create a year-round income. So, in 2006, the expansion continued and the All England Polo Club was built. An all-weather arena was installed to capture the growing popularity of Arena Polo. It is not only used for international tournaments, but is home to a school team and interschool competitions.

 

 

 

 

“We now have the summer show season, which is made up of the Hickstead Derby, the Longines International Horse Show and the Hurstpierpoint College National Schools and Pony Club Championships. And then in winter, we have the polo, so it all fits together nicely,” Edward says.

 

As if six arenas, permanent seating for over 5,000, 26 corporate hospitality suites, conference and entertainment facilities for up to 250 and a raft of major events aren’t enough to manage, Edward is overseeing a major refurbishment. His biggest challenge is what he terms ‘the great British weather’. But, with modern technology and soil science, a turf arena has been created that is not only horse friendly, but can stage a wider range of concerts and events.

 

 

 

 

Lizzie too says that Hickstead is a case of finding ways to continue Douglas’ legacy, or ‘diversifying the dream’, so the next generation can take over. The pressure to do so is ever-present. “The property is both a home and a business for us,” Edward says. “My father created something great, but I’m constantly aware of the responsibilities that come with managing a place like this. Of course there is pressure to continue his legacy, but never will we let Hickstead become a financial bind.”