The Lemieux National Dressage Championships always attracts a fascinating range of talented horses and riders, with championship classes from prelim up to grand prix, young horses to young riders, and of course, para-dressage finals too. This year’s four-day dressage extravaganza was no different; while many titles were clinched by some of the sport’s most prominent combinations – such as Charlotte Dujardin and her string of fabulous upcoming horses – others went to deserving winners with rather more unusual stories. We take a look at some of the new national champions who might not be quite what you’d expect…
The 22-year-old horse who started life as a pacer
Di Green rode The Scout to win the Equissage Pulse grade I para championship. Jo Alderton’s 22-year-old gelding originally came from the travelling community and is in fact a pacer.
“Jo very kindly let me ride Scout for therapy and to get me back into gear and here we are,” said Di. “He has just been amazing. He has big movement for a smaller horse, but he feels so safe.”
The 19hh former vaulting horse winning at the National Dressage Championships
Angharad Harries and Jack Brown won the Bettalife novice gold title at the National Dressage Championships with 73.74%. The lofty eight-year-old gelding, who stands at no less than 19hh, was purchased as a vaulting horse for Olympian Gareth Hughes’ daughter, Ruby, who vaulted for Britain before turning her focus to dressage.
“When Ruby stopped vaulting he needed another job,” said a delighted Angharad, who has worked for Team Hughes for seven years.
A mare who’s spent two seasons eventing
Alex Ingoe-Topham and Seagry Donna Diva netted the Andrews Bowen advanced medium silver title on day one of the show, and it turns out that two seasons of eventing at BE90 and BE100 with Alex’s husband Nathan Connolly have helped the athletic grey mare, owned by Louise Heatherington, sparkle in the dressage arena.
“Nathan evented her for two seasons before Covid hit,” Alex said. “Nathan doesn’t see the point in riding when there’s no competition to focus on, so I was keeping the horses going, and I got a bit of a rapport with Diva and stole the ride off him.”
The event rider stepping into her sister’s shoes
Event rider Holly Woodhead proved she still has the magic touch in the dressage arena as she rode Emma Blundell’s MSJ Viva Dannebrog to win the KBIS four-year-old final.
Holly, who has only switched back to pure dressage recently, was emotional after her victory: “I haven’t done pure dressage for a very long time; since I was on ponies. I’m ever so grateful to Emma for allowing me to work with these amazing mares, and to my sister, Amy, for being pregnant so I get the rides!”
The teenager beating adults at her first National Dressage Championships
Hannah Luesley only took up affiliated dressage halfway through 2021, but now the 17-year-old is a national champion. She and Elite Dressage’s six-year-old Newton Astro Nascente headed the BETTALIFE novice silver with a very impressive 74.88%.
“I adore him so much,” said 17-year-old Hannah, who has been based with Anna Ross and her team at Elite Dressage for just over a year. “I just gelled with him, and that’s the way it rolled.”
You may also be interested in…
‘It was all or nothing today’: Gareth Hughes wins ‘the one that got away’ and is crowned British National Dressage champion
‘It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster’: illness doesn’t stop Becky Moody riding to win at the National Dressage Championships
Tales from Somerford: home-bred heroes to the fore at the National Dressage Championships
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