International dressage is set to make a return to the Hickstead in May 2026, thanks to an independent initiative led and organised by a team of dressage aficionados.
"Working in collaboration with headline sponsors Daniel Watson has personally secured the venue and is overseeing every aspect of the event’s delivery—from competition scheduling to hospitality and sponsorship," the press release stated.
The 2026 CDI Hickstead will take place 11 - 17 May 2026 and will feature CDI and CPEDI classes, alongside Premier League, young horse, national-level competitions and the Dressage Masters at Hickstead.
Hickstead last held a CDI in 2024 after which the 2025 edition was cancelled due to “exorbitant costs." The show used to run under the management of Dane Rawlins until 2018, after which the show disappeared from the FEI calendar for four years, to return in 2023.
Watson commented, "this is a rider-led project, independently organised and funded. Running a show at Hickstead will bring international dressage back to a venue that means so much to our sport."
Watson is supported in the project by Yolanda Olson.
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