Bigwood and Donna Bella in an Upward Trajectory at 2026 CDI Hickstead

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2026 CDI Hickstead

-- Text by British Dressage, edited by Eurodressage

British international senior riders took to Hickstead for the second domestic CDI of the season, supporting huge entries as we returned to the iconic venue for three days of world-class performances on 11 – 17 May 2026.

Upward Trajectory

In a standout performance before a competitive international field at Hickstead CDI3*, Sussex-based Fiona Bigwood showcased her homebred 10-year-old mare Donna Bella (by Don Juan de Hus x Gribaldi) to take a decisive double victory in both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special. Building on their success at CDIO5* Fontainebleau (FRA) in April, the elegant mare demonstrated increasing confidence and expression, producing two international personal bests of 73.130% in the Grand Prix and 72.808% in the Special.

The combination only made their international debut last year at Hartpury CDI3*, where they finished second in the Special, and have continued an impressive upward trajectory since.

“It was only her fourth ever international” explained Fiona, “she hasn’t really had that much exposure, but she was just brilliant. She just has such a good attitude, she is so honest to ride and was really listening to me in the arena. She has been getting better and better each time she has been going out and it’s really lovely to see her developing throughout the season. I bred her from my Olympic mare Orthilia and they are just so similar to train, and I also have got Bella’s daughter, who won the Four Year Old qualifier, that is the exact same to train. It’s really great to see that attitude being passed down the dam line, not just in the ridden work, but also to handle on the ground and their general characteristics are the same.”

Fiona then went on further to say, “It was brilliant to be back competing at Hickstead, we all really missed it. It is just such an amazing event, and you could feel the excitement and enthusiasm of the competitors to be back there. Everyone just had such a good time, and there was a lot of high praise to the organisers. The atmosphere at Hickstead really compares to some of the international venues across Europe and we are so lucky to have it so close to home. I also had the rest of my family there competing in the CDIU25 and Premier League, and a para rider who is based with us in the CPEDI so it felt really special to have everyone there in one place. A huge thank you go to the organisers for all their hard work putting on such a special event”.

Close Behind

Close behind, Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin secured second place in both classes with Ellie McCarthy’s 12-year-old gelding Brave Heart II (by Bordeaux x Tuschinski). The relatively new partnership, who made their international debut together at Wellington CDI3* last November, continues to gain consistency, scoring 72.804% in the Grand Prix and 70.787% in the Special.

Laura Tomlinson finished third in the Grand Prix, riding Ursula Bechtolsheimer’s 10-year-old gelding Forest Hill (by Fursten-look x United) with a final score of 69.696%.