A new era for Hickstead with historic Agria deal

One of the oldest and most historic horse shows in the world has a new sponsor – with the world’s oldest equine insurer, Agria, taking the title sponsorship of both the Royal International Horse Show and the Nations Cup of Great Britain.

Agria, the company behind the UK’s only lifetime equine insurance policies, joined Hickstead’s stable of sponsors in 2023, taking naming rights on several major international showjumping classes as well as being the sponsor of Ring Five. This new deal marks a significant increase in their support of the All England Jumping Course, with the company now becoming the overall sponsor of Hickstead’s July event as well as its feature competition.

The Agria Royal International Horse Show will run from the 23-28 July 2024, with the Agria Nations Cup of Great Britain taking place on Friday 26 July. This year will see the 50th running of this historic competition at Hickstead, where British riders will compete as a team against other leading showjumping nations for a prize fund of €200,000, supported partly by Agria’s sponsorship.
As well as top class international classes, this show includes championship showing, national showjumping, scurry driving, and arena eventing.

“We are enormously grateful to Agria for increasing their support of Hickstead,” said Hickstead Director Lizzie Bunn. “Their contribution towards safeguarding the future of equestrian sport in this country cannot be underestimated. It is important for us to partner with sponsors who share our values particularly in respect of horse welfare in top class sport.”

Agria UK’s CEO Vicki Wentworth adds: “Agria is thrilled to become title sponsor of this historic show as we continue to spread the word about our game-changing lifetime insurance which has already made such an impact in Britain. Agria’s roots are in Sweden, a nation which is mad about showjumping, and it’s exciting to be so highly involved with the sport in Britain now too.”

The Royal International Horse Show was first held in 1907, making it one of the oldest events of its kind in the world. It has been held at a number of venues over the years, before finding a permanent home at Hickstead in 1992. The Nations Cup of Great Britain first took place in 1929, and it has been held at Hickstead since 1971. Agria too has a long history, having been the first company in the world to insure an animal, a horse, in 1890, and is now the largest insurer in Europe.

“The past few months have been a period of great change, but it also presents a fabulous new opportunity for us,” said Lizzie. “Agria coming on board as sponsor of the Nations Cup means we can now guarantee this hugely popular and iconic class will remain at Hickstead. It gives us much more freedom and flexibility, allowing us to take the class in the direction we and our international riders want, following the example of other fantastic independent Nations Cups in venues such as Spruce Meadows and Aachen.”

British Chef d’equipe Di Lampard, who led the British team to victory at this summer’s Hickstead Nations Cup, commented: "It's fantastic news to hear that Hickstead has secured a sponsor for the Nations Cup. It's so important for British Showjumping that we have our own Nations Cup competition in this country, as well as having a five-star show to allow some of the top up and coming horses and riders to have their chance to compete on the international stage. Hickstead has always appealed to the animal-loving British public, so Agria seems tailor-made to sponsor this event."

Reigning Olympic champion Ben Maher, who was part of the winning Nations Cup team at Hickstead in 2023, added: “The Nations Cup is a very important competition, and growing up it was one of those classes that I always dreamt of being able to take part in. There's a lot of history surrounding the Royal International and the Nations Cup as a whole, so for Agria to be able to step in and secure the future of this event is great news for Hickstead, the sport of showjumping, and for us as a country.”

In addition to this new deal, Agria will continue to support the Derby Trial, the Hunter Championship and the Coloured Horse Ridden Championship at the Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting in June, as well as having the naming rights for Ring Five throughout the season.

Tickets for the Agria Royal International Horse Show go on sale on Wednesday 13 December. 

About Agria 

Agria is one of the world’s leading animal insurers, specialising in small animal, equine, and agricultural insurance. Founded in Sweden more than 130 years ago, Agria started underwriting policies in the UK in 2009 and is now a prominent part of the UK pet insurance sector. In 2022 they launched the UK’s first ever Lifetime Equine insurance, which does not add new exclusions to veterinary cover after the policy has started. To discover more, visit their website https://www.agriapet.co.uk/