The Hickstead Easter Showjumping International needed more excitement for the television fans. He needed spectacular horses, spectacular riders and a big exciting course.

20 Teams and 5 Riders were invited to compete. The time was taken of the fourth horse past the winning post. Each equestrian discipline had its own team. (i.e. Eventers, Dressage, Showjumpers, Jockeys, Hunters, Harries, etc). I was a member of Duggie's own Draghunters Team on that first occasion and was invited to participate on every Good Friday afterwards.

Equestrians all over the country soon realised that Team Chasing could become a very attractive competition sport for "grown ups", it combined:
the thrill of the chase,
the speed of racing,
the skill of eventing,
and the discipline of show jumping,
with spectacular ups and downs enjoyed by both competitors and spectators.

Hunts and other organisers found out that it was simple to stage a Team Chase, no need for jump judges at each fence, few rules, easy to find sponsors for imaginatively built and named fences. Popular with spectators.

The new format was to have teams consisting of four horses with the time of the 3rd horse past the post counting as the team time. Many famous event horses and racehorses participated along with genuine hunters and showjumpers. Top teams and riders became well known all over the country but it was and still is a sport that can be enjoyed and won by anybody with the true "Corinthian spirit".

During the '70s and early '80s the Team Chase consisted of one well built, challenging course of open standard contested by every team and the average entry would have been between 40 and 55 teams. The average length of course was one and a half to two miles with about 30 stiff fences and time wasting smaller alternatives.

Unfortunately for the sport, organisers came to understand that they could make more money by accommodating the less adventurous riders over smaller "fun" or "novice" courses, often with a "bogey time".

Our founder, Duggie Bunn, invented the Team Chase as an adult alternative to the Hunter Trail, the Gymkhana or Pony Club games. If Team Chasing is to flourish we must keep a strong "back bone". This will encourage strong competition and strong sponsorship.

We are confident that Team Chasing has a great future because it is such fun and is easy to manage profitably.

Team Chasing can thrive very happily along side;
Point to Pointing
Eventing
Hunter Trials
Hunt Rides
and all our other great equestrian activities.

It has a well-defined identity of its own which must be maintained.

The Team Chase Committee have many exciting ideas for new competitions, greater benefits to competitors and spectators and better definition of courses.

"Pure" Team Chasing is definitely here to stay.