Budgie smuggling at Hickstead? Tiny feathered interloper spotted at bath time

One might not expect to come across budgie-smuggling at Hickstead – but there was a similar case at the Agria Royal International Horse Show yesterday (23 July).

Three people who were bathing a pony were surprised to see a different type of feather, when the tiny green interloper landed on someone’s head.

“Is anyone missing a budgie? It’s very friendly!” Emma Richards said, in the Hickstead competitors’ Facebook group.

It turned out the small intruder was Chip, who had gone missing in the area a day ot two earlier, and whose small owner was very distressed as a result.

“On hearing their missing bird had in fact flown the nest to visit the showground, the owners flocked straight to Hickstead to collect him,” a spokesperson for the All England Jumping Course said.

“Chip was reunited with a delighted Sienna, and Emma received a reward for finding him.”

The spokesperson added that the team hoped Chip enjoyed his bird’s-eye view of the showing and showjumping action.

Emma added: “Three of us were bathing a pony when he just landed on my friend Gemma Scott’s shoulder and then jumped on to my head. Gemma’s mum managed to wrap him in a horse hood and had a box in her horsebox that she put him in.

“He seemed really friendly and I just thought we would have a bigger audience placing it on the Facebook page.”

Emma is at Hickstead as her daughter is riding 128cm show pony Broadgrove Dimension and first-ridden M&M contender Thistledown Snow White.

You might also be interested in:

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the Paris Olympics, Royal International, Burghley and more with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now