The summer season at the British Dressage competitions is drawing to an end with its flagship event – the LeMieux National Dressage Champion.
Every September, spectators gather at Somerford Park in Cheshire, England to witness magnificent horses put their best “hoof” forward to showcase their skillful training.
This year, the National Dressage Championships will take place from September 12 to 15.
Over 700 combinations will be featured over four days in three arenas at Somerford Park – the LeMieux Arena, Vector Arena, and the Kudos Arena. 25 titles will be awarded throughout the event.
What You Need To Know About Dressage
“Dressage” comes from the French word “dresseur”, which means training. Riders show off the horse’s training by performing fluid movements for the judges. This form of horse riding has its roots in battles dating back to 350 AD. The better-trained horses were considered to be more effective on the battlefield. Now, however, dressage has evolved as a sport to showcase the harmony between a rider and their horse.
Dressage was introduced in the Stockholm Olympics in 1912. Since then, different countries have hosted their own National Dressage Competitions, where the horses perform specific movements according to their level. The levels include:
- Intro: Horses are mostly tested on their balance and steadiness.
- Prelim: The judges look at the rhythm of the horses during free walks.
- Novice: This level expands on the previous basics, and horses are expected to have an improved balance and throughness. At this level, the horses should be able to perform a musical freestyle.
- Elementary: The judges look at a higher level of engagement at this level. The horses should be able to do 10m circles in canter and trot from marker to marker.
- Medium: The horses should have a greater degree of suppleness and balance, especially on their hindquarters. They should be able to perform movements like the trot, canter, and counter canter.
- Advanced Medium: At this stage, the horses should have well-defined gaits, performed with engagement.
- Advanced: Horses must show clear uphill balance and lightness.
- Prix St George: Riders have to perform volts, halts, and a series of intermediate tests according to international levels.
- Intermediate I: The riders are given a margin of two meters forward in piaffe.
- Intermediate II: The riders are given a margin of one meter forward in piaffe.
- Grand Prix: Horses have to perform piaffe and half-passes within a specific number of steps.
2024 LeMieux National Dressage Championships: Preview
There are plenty of dressage competitions to choose from this year. Riders will be competing for the coveted title of National Champion, currently held by Carl Hester, and his horse En Vogue.
En Vogue is a 14-year-old Jazz gelding that helped Hester win a team bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2024 Paris Olympics, a silver medal at the 2021 European Championships, and the 2023 British National Dressage Championships.
Becky Moody, and her horse Jagerbomb, were the runners-up last year. Moody was also part of the Team GB Olympic contingent at the 2024 Paris Games.
More categories to look forward to are the KBIS Young Horse classes that showcase up-and-coming talent, along with the Prelim Silver matches where the UK’s grassroots players compete. There’s also a para dressage event, aimed at para riders. The rules are parallel to Dressage, and the horses are judged using the same basics in training, gaits, and movements.
Riders compete at the Summer and Winter Regionals to qualify for the LeMieux National Dressage. The competition also allows wildcard entries.
LeMieux National Dressage Event Schedule
The events are split into two divisions: silver and gold. Silver sections are for less experienced horses and riders new to their level or still developing their experience. Gold sections are designed for all riders, irrespective of their experience. This category mostly has riders who are highly competent at their level.
Follow this schedule to catch up on all the action:
Thursday, 12 September
- Equissage Pulse Para Gold Championship
- Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges Gold Championship
- HorseQuest Elementary Silver Championship
- Stübben Intermediate II Gold Championship
- The Centre Line Preliminary Silver Championship
Friday, 13 September
- Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I Gold Championship
- Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges Freestyle Gold Championship
- KBIS British Dressage Young Horse 4-Year-Old Championship
- BETTALIFE Novice Gold Championship
- TopSpec Medium Silver Championship
- Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges Silver Championship
Saturday, 14 September
- KBIS British Dressage Young Horse 7-Year-Old Championship
- LeMieux Grand Prix Gold Championship
- Linda Whetstone Memorial Trophy
- Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I Freestyle Gold Championship
- TopSpec Medium Gold Championship
- KBIS British Dressage Young Horse 5-Year-Old (assessment & pre-judging)
- KBIS British Dressage Young Horse 6-Year-Old (assessment & pre-judging)Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I Silver Championship
- BETTALIFE Novice Silver Championship
Sunday, 15 September
- Bret Willson International Advanced Medium Gold Championship
- KBIS British Dressage Young Horse 5-Year-Old Final
- KBIS British Dressage Young Horse 6-Year-Old Final
- Masterclass – Laura Tomlinson
- Kudos Grand Prix Freestyle Gold Championship
- Rothera Bray Under 21 Championship
- HorseQuest Elementary Gold Championship
- The Centre Line Preliminary Gold Championship
- Bret Willson International Advanced Medium Silver Championship
How is the Dressage Scored?
The dressage is like a horse ballet – it showcases the beauty of a horse’s movement and how harmoniously it works with its rider. Horses have to perform intricate patterns, where they are judged on their ability to control every aspect of the movement.
Judges look at the horse’s suppleness, its gait and balance, and how well it responds to the rider’s commands. Scores are given between 0 and 10, where zero is a poor performance, and 10 is an exceptional performance.
The final score is calculated as a percentage after adding up scores for each movement. A score above 65% showcases a strong performance. Scores higher than 70% are considered excellent. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Team GB’s Charlotte Fry won a bronze medal in the individual dressage competition with a score of 88.971. The winner, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl had a score of 90.093. The highest score registered in dressage is 94.3% – given to British rider Charlotte Dujardin and her horse Valegro at their Grand Prix freestyle test in 2014.
Different Types of Dressage Movements
Riders and horses are scored on multiple movements based on their levels. These are some of the most basic movements you will see in the National Dressage Competitions:
Leg Yielding
This is a simple lateral movement. The horse moves sideways at the command of the rider. It is judged on how attentive and obedient the horse is to the rider.
Extended Trot
In this exaggerated trot, the horse opens up its frame and increases the length of each stride. The horses are judged on how well they can maintain balance, cadence, and rhythm during extended trots.
Shoulder-In
The horse bends from nose to tail away from the direction it is traversing. This movement makes the base of all lateral movements, such as the half-pass.
Traverse
This dressage exercise involves bending the horse around the rider’s inside leg at a 30-degree angle.
Pirouette, Half-Pirouette
The horse pirouettes in a very small circle, often equal to its length. A good pirouette should have the same rhythm and tempo in the gait before and after the movement.
Piaffe
Piaffe is a controlled trot, which gives the impression that the horse is in place. The horse raises a diagonal pair of feet and brings it down alternatively with an even cadence.
Counter Canter
Cantering is the horse’s natural gait – it is faster than a trot but slower than a gallop. Counter-cantering is a balancing exercise, where the horse balances on the “incorrect lead.” For example, if the horse canters to the left, it should lead with its right leg instead of left.
Half Pass
This elegant move is executed in a diagonal line. The horse traverses the field laterally while looking forward. This move is done in a trot or canter.
Flying Change
This movement is a change in canter. It appears like the horse is skipping. A series of flying changes are called Tempi Changes. Horses that can perform countercanter and lateral movement can do flying changes.
Rein Backs
In this dressage, the horse takes long, well-defined steps backward, while maintaining a steady gait. This movement is often seen in the higher levels, such as the Grand Prix dressage tests.
Passage
This is another high-level movement, attempted by horses already established in piaffe and lateral work. In Passage, the horse does an elevated trot where you’ll see a prolonged suspension between each stride.
2023 National Dressage Champions
Kudos Grand Prix Freestyle Gold
Winner: Becky Moody and Jagerbomb, 77.925%
LeMieux National Champion
Winner: Carl Hester and En Vogue
The Centre Line Preliminary Gold Championship
Winner: Andrew Harris and San Serai ZK, 76.896%
Rotheras U21 Championships
Children on Horses
Winner: Darcey Blaze Marcus and Tackmann’s Dark Deluxe, 74.075%
Ponies
Winner: Abigail Gray and George Clooney B.S, 74.476%
Juniors
Winner: Sophie Wallace and First Light, 72.121%
Young Riders
Winner: Annabella Pidgley and Espe, 74.167%
KBIS Young Horse 4-year-old Championship
Winner: Ashley Jenkins with Game On I
KBIS Young Horse 5-year-old Championship
Winner: Amy Woodhead with MSJ Viva Dannebrog
KBIS Young Horse 6-year-old Championship
Winner: Tom Goode and Iceland Girl PS
TopSpec Medium Silver Championship
Winner: Virginie de Senneville and Fire Kracka, 72.16%
HorseQuest Elementary Gold Championship
Winner: Bryony Goodwin and Dion II, 73.12%
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