Dannie Morgan and Fever Tree Solid in Small Tour at 2026 CDI Hickstead

Shows

2026 CDI Hickstead

-- Text by British Dressage, edited by Eurodressage

The 1* competition at the 2026 CDI Hickstead on 11 – 17 May 2026 showed fierce competitiveness. Dannie Morgan riding his own British bred gelding Fever Tree won the Prix St Georges and Intermediate I Freestyle with 71.275% and 76.292%; earning an international personal best in the Freestyle.

Reflecting on the experience, Dannie Morgan commented, “I was really proud of Fever Tree. As always, he tried his best in the arena for me, and it was a great show. I was really pleased with the two tests he did; I think having had the experience from competing him at CDI Hagen and having already done the Hartpury CDI earlier this year, I was a bit more confident in terms of what we could expect from our test”.

“I went in with the goal of just riding the test in a nice balance and trying to get better control in my pirouettes which I think were the best we’ve done yet. Hopefully we will have lots of time in the sport to get them a bit smaller but for now I just really wanted to focus on his confidence and balance. He did two super tests, and I opted to do the Inter I Freestyle instead of the straight just because we did that in Hagen, and I always enjoy riding through my freestyle that Tony and Kelly at Equidance created for me. Hickstead has always been one of my favourite competitions. It’s a show where you can really socialise with everyone, you get to see a lot of your friends and there’s a lot of high-level sport for you to sit and watch. Dan has done a fantastic job putting on a lot of different levels so there’s a bit of something for everyone to have a go at and enjoy- it was fantastic to be back.”

Behind Dannie, Shruti Vora (IND) finished a close second place in the Prix St Georges with 69.854% riding Magnanimous. Vora recently moved to the U.K. to start working with Becky Moody, leaving German coach and Olympian Helen Langehanenberg.

"Not all successful riders are brilliant teachers and I’ve been incredibly lucky to learn from some truly exceptional ones," Vora stated. "Working with World No. 5 Becky Moody has already been such an incredible experience. Our association has only been a few weeks, but brilliant would still be an understatement when it comes to her teaching skills, support and guidance . Becky you are beyond talented. I’ve also been fortunate to grow up under the guidance of my childhood coach Jolly Ahluwalia, who continues to be such an important part of my journey and is also part owner of Magnanimous.

In the Intermediate I Freestyle, Shruti Volta finished second behind Dannie with 74.400% and Gracie Catling riding Julia Catling’s Qwinton finished third with a score of 71.859%.

Eilberg Wins Inter I

Following their third place in the Prix St Georges (69.510%), Michael Eilberg and Jacky Kennedy DVB (by Damsey x Jazz) won the Intermediate I with 71.078%, making them the only combination in the class to break the 70% barrier. The 12-year-old mare, owned by Amanda Wu, impressed judges Freddy Leyman (GER), Alban Tissot (FRA) and Maarten Van Der Heijden (NED) to dance their way to the win, including earning a nine for their final halt.

Second place was earned by Nynn Puttisombat (THA) and Sara Gallop’s 13-year-old gelding Rock That Tango on 69.608%, and Nicolle Begovic (BIH) finished in third place riding her own Jeroen Leatherdale G to score 67.647%.