Parade of Champions returns to LeMieux Nationals with special medallist guests

Join us at Somerford Park to celebrate a summer of international success for British riders, with two medal celebrations taking place across the weekend at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships.

The summer of success for British Dressage has stretched far and wide, from Hartpury to Herning, and we’re set to welcome all three medal winning teams to the LeMieux National Championships in our salute to new medallists, record breakers, history makers and our brand-new world champion.  A total of 13 World and European medals were won by British athletes during July and August, an achievement noteworthy enough to have two Champions Parades this year, instead of just one.

On Saturday 15 September we welcome Britain’s Para team, who gave it their all to bring home seven medals from the FEI World Para Dressage Championships in August.  The standard was beyond anything the world of Para dressage has witnessed to date, and we’re proud to welcome Sir Lee Pearson, Sophie Wells MBE, Natasha Baker MBE, and Georgia Wilson, to give these outstanding athletes the appreciation they deserve after adding three silver and four bronze medals to their extensive collection.

We will also be hosting Britain’s jubilant Junior team on Saturday, as we celebrate the bronze team medal they won at the FEI European Championships at Hartpury – the first for a team in this age category since 1998. Get ready to applaud this historic achievement by our Junior team of Annabella Pidgley, Sophie Wallace, India Durman-Mills and Myles Graham.  Annabella also took home two individual medals on board Espe, to add to the two she won last year on Sultan des Paluds.  To win four individual medals at two consecutive international championships on two different rides is quite an accomplishment for a Junior rider, with so much to look forward to in the future.

On Sunday 16 September we'll be turning our attention to the Senior team, who surpassed all our expectations at the FEI World Championships in Herning.  Showcasing the strength and depth of dressage in Great Britain, Lottie Fry, Charlotte Dujardin, Gareth Hughes, and Richard Davison performed their magic to secure the team silver medal after a nail-biting conclusion to the Grand Prix competition. Lottie Fry then went on to become only the third rider in history to win the World Championship double – taking home gold medals in both the Grand Prix Special and the Grand Prix Freestyle with the Van Olst’s superstar Glamourdale.

We’re thrilled to welcome Lottie Fry home to Britain on Sunday at the LeMieux National Championships, and we are very grateful to her for taking time out of her busy schedule in the Netherlands to visit our flagship event.  Lottie has now won medals at Under 25, World Breeding, Olympic, European and World Championships, all by the age of 26, so we are sure you agree that her exciting talent deserves special recognition at the Nationals.

The Champions Parade is not only a chance to acknowledge the accomplishments of our talented teams, but also to thank our dedicated members, supporters and fans who cheered our medallists onto success this summer.  So do come and celebrate with our Senior, Para and Junior riders, as they take centre stage in the main arena on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September.

As well as congratulating our teams in the LeMieux Arena, we’ll also look forward to welcoming them to the BD Fan Zone across the weekend – offering a chance to meet and greet the brightest talents in British equestrian sport, as well as hear first-hand about their experiences.

General admission tickets for the LeMieux National Championships are still on sale, although please note that Andrews Bowen Pavilion passes have now sold out on Saturday.  A limited number of Pavilion passes are still available for Thursday, Friday and Sunday, but visitors are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.

TICKETS