As the summer season 2024 in equestrian sports approaches its finishing line, the first two weeks of September saw a number of trials, championships, and tournaments that largely define the essence of British equestrian sports.
LeMieux National Dressage Championships is a crowning event for the horses and human athletes specializing in this sport. That is why every September, the arenas of Somerford Park bring together professionals from all over the country to showcase their skills, while the audience is treated to magnificent performances.
Art of Dressage at a Glance
As a sport, dressage is recognized by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and falls under its governance. It is often described as “the highest expression of horse training” where the horse and the rider have to perform a routine of movements.
Translated from French as “training”, the main purpose of dressage is to develop the horse’s athletic skills and willingness to perform. The roots of this form of horse training go as far back as Ancient Greece, where it was prominently featured in the writings of the military leader and philosopher Xenophon.
Largely due to its military origin, women were not allowed to enter dressage competitions in any capacity, let alone compete against men the way it happens today. While dressage made its first official appearance at the Olympics during the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games, it was only in 1952 when the first four women came to Helsinki to compete in equestrian sports: Lis Hartel (Denmark), Ida von Nagel (Germany), Elsa Christophersen (Norway), and Marjorie Haines (United States). Lis Hartel won a silver medal in individual dressage, thus becoming the first woman to accomplish this achievement.
Today dressage is open to any willing participant. Competitions are conducted both on professional and amateur levels. While many countries hold national dressage championships, the highest international tournaments include the World Equestrian Games and the Olympics.
How to Understand Dressage Performances
Depending on their experience and amount of training, horses are divided into various levels, with each level focusing on specific skills and progressively more complex. The levels are as follows:
- Intro: the focus at this level is mainly on balance and steadiness.
- Prelim: here the horses have to showcase rhythm during free walks.
- Novice: consolidating the basic skills displayed at the previous two levels, horses perform the movements with an improved balance. Additionally, they are expected to do a musical freestyle.
- Elementary: at this level horses do 10 m circles in trot and canter. They are expected to demonstrate a higher level of engagement.
- Medium: as balance and suppleness are considered some of the essential skills in a horse, at this level they are expected to display these skills at a higher level while performing canter, counter canter, and trot.
- Advanced Medium: judges expect to see a well-defined gait and an engaged performance.
- Advanced: at this level horses should have clear uphill balance and lightness.
- Prix St George: based on international levels, riders perform volts, halts, and a series of intermediate tests.
- Intermediate I: at this level riders get a margin of two meters forward in piaffe.
- Intermediate II: at this level riders get a margin of one meter forward in piaffe.
- Grand Prix: the highest international level, it implies performance of piaffe and half-passes in a defined number of steps.
When scoring horses and riders, judges take into consideration various aspects. While the technical performance of various movements, great balance, and suppleness are important, the horse also has to demonstrate a harmonious union with its rider.
Performances are scored on a 10-point basis. Scores for each movement are added up and calculated as a percentage, with 65% being a noteworthy performance. Anything above 70% is considered an exemplary performance.
2024 LeMieux National Dressage Championships Review
This year LeMieux National Dressage Championships welcomed its contestants and spectators between 12 and 15 September in its usual venue of Somerford Park in Cheshire. Besides an extensive competition programme, the audience got a chance to enjoy on-site activities such as shopping in the The Nationals Shopping Village where they could purchase various equestrian-related items, watching the top names in the field warm up before the competition, and getting masterclasses in dressage from a world class expert.
The competition schedule offered a variety of events to cater to any interest.
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
2024 National Dressage Championships Winners
Each category at the National Dressage Championships is evaluated separately, depending on the skill level of the horse. Check out the results of each event below.
Thursday, 12 September 2024
EQUISSAGE PARA DRESSAGE GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI PE Grade I Grand Prix B
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Susanna Wade | Premier Royal Mint | 70.000 |
| 2 | Elan Williams | Brandini | 66.389 |
| 3 | Elan Williams | WSH Something Borrowed | 65.694 |
EQUISSAGE PARA DRESSAGE GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI PE Grade II Grand Prix B
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Jemima Green | fantabulous | 66.333 |
| 2 | Julie Payne | Divinity | 64.944 |
| 3 | Natasha Adkinson | Sweet Caledonia | 64.278 |
EQUISSAGE PARA DRESSAGE GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI PE Grade III Grand Prix B
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Katie Reilly | Impulz W | 67.667 |
| 2 | Roseanne Knox | With Love JM | 64.167 |
| 3 | Katie Reilly | Lymepark Riggeletto | 61.889 |
EQUISSAGE PULSE GOLD PARA DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI PE Grade IV Grand Prix B
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Fiona Maynard | Denver IX | 69.234 |
| 2 | Katie Radzik | Showkia | 68.108 |
| 3 | Sara Bates | Socrates Hit | 67.162 |
EQUISSAGE PULSE GOLD PARA DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI PE Grade V Grand Prix B
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Alice Begg | Gluckauf | 67.763 |
| 2 | Liz Mcburney | Bangalore C | 62.631 |
FAIRFAX SADDLES PRIX ST.GEORGES GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Prix St.Georges
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Sarah Higgins | Geniaal | 73.000 |
| 2 | Nicola Buchanan | St Giles Flamboyant | 70.147 |
| 3 | Becky Moody | Magic Dream | 70.029 |
HORSEQUEST ELEMENTARY SILVER CHAMPIONSHIP – Elementary 59
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Amy Foulstone | HHS Sterling | 71.031 |
| 2 | Bethany Edginton | Nelson HD | 70.219 |
| 3 | Anna Burns | San Isidro | 69.594 |
STUEBBEN INTERMEDIATE II GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Intermediate II
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Sadie Smith | Swanmore Dantina | 74.147 |
| 2 | Michael Eilberg | MSJ Dante VX | 73.500 |
| 3 | Alexander Harrison | Kickback | 69.735 |
THE CENTRE LINE PRELIMINARY SILVER CHAMPIONSHIP – Preliminary 17A
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Lauren Burrows | High Hoes Esquisse | 77.414 |
| 2 | Victoria Murray | Linck GE | 76.552 |
| 3 | Imogen Swaan | Vic S | 75.862 |
Friday, 13 September 2024
SARACEN HORSE FEEDS GOLD INTER I CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Intermediate I
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Laura Tomlinson | Forest Hill | 71.765 |
| 2 | Laura Tomlinson | Full Moon 11 | 71.147 |
| 3 | Andrew Gould | Active Solaris | 70.882 |
FAIRFAX SADDLES PSG FREESTYLE GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Young Rider/PSG Freestyle
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Sarah Higgins | Geniaal | 77.150 |
| 2 | Becky Moody | Magic Dream | 74.975 |
| 3 | Matt Frost | Kerouac | 73.725 |
Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges Supreme Champion
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Sarah Higgins | Geniaal | 150.15 |
| 2 | Becky Moody | Magic Dream | 145.004 |
| 3 | Nicola Buchanan | St Giles Flamboyant | 143.297 |
KBIS BRITISH DRESSAGE YOUNG HORSES 4YR OLD – National Test for 4yr old
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Jezz Palmer | Premier | 90.000 |
| 2 | Katie Owens | Florisemo | 79.400 |
| 3 | Beth Bainbridge | Galaxico | 79.000 |
BETTALIFE NOVICE GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – Novice 37A
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Alice Peternell | Newton D | 74.185 |
| 2 | Darcas Lever | Savannah I | 73.815 |
| 3 | Robert Barker | Licorno | 73.037 |
TOPSPEC MEDIUM SILVER CHAMPIONSHIP – Medium 75
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Caroline Hunt | Fancy That | 73.000 |
| 2 | Rose Foley | Suarez | 70.379 |
| 3 | Beth Miller | U-gino | 70.027 |
FAIRFAX SADDLES PRIX ST.GEORGE SILVER CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Prix St. Georges
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Bryony Goodwin | Krack DE | 69.882 |
| 2 | Amanda Towle Shaw | Rockwood Virtue | 69.294 |
| 3 | Sara Squires | Laetitius C | 68.471 |
Saturday, 14 September 2024
KBIS BRITISH DRESSAGE YOUNG HORSES 7YR OLD – National Test for 7yr old
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Becky Moody | Magic Dream | 78.450 |
| 2 | Kate Cowell | Samarkand | 74.750 |
| 3 | Dannie Morgan | Vive la Reinne VH | 74.267 |
LEMIEUX GRAND PRIX GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Grand Prix
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Lewis Carrier | Diego V | 71.869 |
| 2 | Gareth Hughes | Classic Goldstrike | 71.239 |
| 3 | Laura Tomlinson | Soegaards Bon Royal | 70.630 |
SARACEN HORSE FEEDS GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Intermediate I Freestyle
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Laura Tomlinson | Full Moon 11 | 76.475 |
| 2 | Andrew Gould | Active Solaris | 73.825 |
| 3 | Davey Harvey | Diamond Blue | 73.275 |
Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I Supreme Champion 2024
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Laura Tomlinson | Full Moon 11 | 147.622 |
| 2 | Andrew Gould | Active Solaris | 144.707 |
| 3 | Davey Harvey | Diamond Blue | 143.099 |
TOPSPEC MEDIUM GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – Medium 75
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Bryony Goodwin | Dion II | 72.621 |
| 2 | Michael Eilberg | de la Hoyde | 71.514 |
| 3 | Sarah Ingham | Mowgli S | 70.730 |
KBIS BRITISH DRESSAGE YOUNG HORSES 5YR OLD – National Test for 5yr old
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Ashley Jenkins | Game On 1 | 90.000 |
| 2 | Amy Woodhead | MSJ Dutchess | 86.000 |
| 3 | Gijs Van Vooren | Hawtins Brunelli | 83.000 |
KBIS BRITISH DRESSAGE YOUNG HORSES 6YR OLD – National Test for 6yr old
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Michael Eilberg | New Secret | 81.200 |
| 2 | Jody Haswell | Valentinio | 79.600 |
| 3 | Calum Whitworth | Neverland MFS | 79.200 |
SARACEN HORSE FEEDS SILVER CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Intermediate I
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Sara Squires | Laetitius C | 69.882 |
| 2 | Chloe Hill | Bon Jovi | 68.177 |
| 3 | Rhiannon Hinton | Quaikin Horatio | 67.765 |
BETTALIFE NOVICE SILVER CHAMPIONSHIP – Novice 37A
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Lauren Aston | Free Flo | 74.296 |
| 2 | Flt Lt Mandy Meikle | Faside Sir Derry | 71.148 |
| 3 | Natasha Gibbons | Penhaligon Soleilette Aimee | 71.000 |
Sunday, 15 September 2024
BRET WILLSON INTERNATIONAL ADV MEDIUM GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – Advanced Medium 98
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Becky Moody | Magic Dream | 72.579 |
| 2 | Matt Frost | Kerouac | 72.421 |
| 3 | Amy Woodhead | Keep In Mind | 70.947 |
KBIS BRITISH DRESSAGE YOUNG HORSES 5YR OLD
| Rank | Rider | Horse |
| 1 | Ashley Jenkins | Game On 1 |
| 2 | Amy Woodhead | MSJ Dutchess |
| 3 | Gijs Van Vooren | Hawtins Brunelli |
KBIS BRITISH DRESSAGE YOUNG HORSES 6YR OLD
| Rank | Rider | Horse |
| 1 | Alicia Lee | Della Ballerina |
| 2 | Jody Haswell | Valentinio |
| 3 | Calum Whitworth | Neverland MFS |
KUDOS GRAND PRIX FREESTYLE GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Grand Prix Freestyle
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Gareth Hughes | Classic Goldstrike | 74.950 |
| 2 | Lewis Carrier | Diego V | 74.850 |
| 3 | Laura Tomlinson | Soegaards Bon Royal | 74.600 |
LeMieux National Dressage Champion 2024
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Lewis Carrier | Diego V | 146.719 |
| 2 | Gareth Hughes | Classic Goldstrike | 146.189 |
| 3 | Laura Tomlinson | Soegaards Bon Royal | 145.23 |
ROTHERA BRAY UNDER 21 CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Competition Team Children on Horses
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Ella-Grace Dovey | Sheepcote Jackson | 76.925 |
| 2 | Olivia Luscombe | Rosewater Chamonix | 76.025 |
| 3 | Rocky Leahy | Damocles LL | 73.575 |
ROTHERA BRAY UNDER 21 CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Pony Team Test
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Abigail Gray | George Clooney B.S. | 73.857 |
| 2 | Daisy Bullman | Godrics Dionysus | 69.429 |
| 3 | Lily Cawley | Cognac IX | 67.857 |
ROTHERA BRAY UNDER 21 CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Junior Team Test
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Myles Graham | Nibeley Union Hit | 71.364 |
| 2 | Sofia Games | Boccelli 6 | 69.798 |
| 3 | Isabella Caldwell | Don Geniro | 68.788 |
ROTHERA BRAY UNDER 21 CHAMPIONSHIP – FEI Competition Young Riders Team Test PSG
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Morgan Haerr | Behroez | 69.363 |
| 2 | Daisy Hills | Midtgaards Gijon | 64.118 |
HORSEQUEST ELEMENTARY GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – Elementary 59
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Sarah Ingham | Mowgli S | 73.563 |
| 2 | Gracie Catling | Fraithwens Wytske fan ter Lune | 73.094 |
| 3 | Alice Peternell | Vespasiano | 72.594 |
THE CENTRE LINE PRELIMINARY GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP – Preliminary 17A
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Jezz Palmer | Olaf TC | 77.241 |
| 2 | George Blackburn | Faust V | 75.977 |
| 3 | Jezz Palmer | Platinum SNW | 75.402 |
BRET WILLSON INTERNATIONAL ADV MEDIUM SILVER CHAMPIONSHIP – Advanced Medium 98
| Rank | Rider | Horse | Points |
| 1 | Bryony Goodwin | Dion II | 73.868 |
| 2 | Bryony Goodwin | Krack DE | 71.237 |
| 3 | Charlotte Donovan | Just It’s Mie | 70.263 |
Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org