World number one among Royal International entries

The USA’s Kent Farrington, the highest ranked showjumper in the world, is among the entries for this week’s Agria Royal International Horse Show at Hickstead (22-26 July).

He brings Descartes Sr, a hugely talented nine-year-old, who won the $340,000 Kentucky International CSI5* Grand Prix back in April. Kent was a winner of Hickstead’s King George V Gold Cup in 2011, and he will no doubt be hoping to get his name on the iconic gold trophy for a second time.

Lucy Davis Kennedy is the only other American rider in action at Hickstead, with the USA not among the eight teams contesting the honours in the Agria Nations Cup of Great Britain. Instead, top riders from Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Canada, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates will face Great Britain in this iconic team competition on Friday 24 July.

Other star names in action at the show include France’s Kevin Staut and Penelope Leprevost, Brazil’s Marlon Modolo Zanotelli, Germany’s Marcus Ehning and Hans-Dieter Dreher, Belgium’s Abdel Saïd and Ireland’s Conor Swail and David Simpson. The final teams of four will be named during the Nations Cup draw on the afternoon of Thursday 23 July.

The UAE competed in the Agria Nations Cup of Great Britain for the first time in 2025, with their highest ranked rider Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi back on the squad for a second time. Omar impressed on his Hickstead debut 12 months ago, when he finished a close second in the Al Shira’aa King George V Gold Cup.

Canada makes their Hickstead return after an absence of 44 years, and they are fielding a strong Nations Cup team for the occasion. Kyle King, Amy Millar and Chris Pratt will all use the show as a prep run for the upcoming FEI World Jumping Championships in Aachen, Germany; and they are joined at Hickstead by Kyle Timm and Nicole Walker.

As host Nation, Great Britain is allowed to field additional individual riders as well the Nations Cup squad members Harry Charles, Ben Maher, Jessica Mendoza, Adrian Whiteway and Tim Gredley.

Six members of the Whitaker family will be competing in the five-star classes at the show, including last month’s Al Shira’aa Derby winner William, along with reigning Al Shira’aa King George V Gold Cup champion Robert and his father John Whitaker, a three-time King George winner, who remains at the very top of his game at the age of 70. Completing the line-up of Whitakers are James, winner of last year’s JCL Insurance Brokers Queen Elizabeth II Cup; the 2024 King George winner Donald; as well as the in-form Jack Whitaker, who has been longlisted for the World Championships.

Other top Brits to look out for include Mark Edwards, Laura Renwick, Matt Sampson, Joe Stockdale and Guy Williams.

Hickstead Director Lizzie Bunn commented: “What a great line-up of riders we have for this year’s Agria Royal International Horse Show. We’re especially honoured to have the World number one, Kent Farrington, in action at the show, along with several other of the biggest names in our sport. With the British showjumping team for the World Championships due to be named shortly, Hickstead will very likely provide the chance to see some of the team riders in action just before they head to Germany.”

Tickets for the Agria Royal International Horse Show (22-26 July) are on sale now, and all the action from the show will be livestreamed via the host streaming partner ClipMyHorse.TV.

To view the full international entry list (as of 5.55pm on 20 July) click here.