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BRITISH DRESSAGE NEWS

LEMIEUX NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS RETURN

The LeMieux National Dressage Championships are back! Join us 16-19 September at our new home, Somerford Park in Cheshire for a new look Championships.

With three arenas there’ll be plenty of dressage action to choose from, including; current and future dressage stars competing to be National Champion, the popular Shearwater Young Horse classes, and training tips and insight in our masterclasses. Upgrade your visit to an Andrews Bowen Pavilion ticket and watch the competition from the comfort of our Pavilion marquee.

Outside of the arena there’ll be the Nationals shopping village, the BD Fan Zone, new for

PARA MATTERS

PARALYMPIC NOMINATED ENTRIES CONFIRMED

British Equestrian and the British Dressage para selectors have confi rmed the 12 para dressage athlete and horse combinations that will be submitted to the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) as our nominated entries for the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Grade 1: Sophie Christiansen with Die Furstin and Innuendo III; Grade 2: Sir Lee Pearson with Breezer; Georgia Wilson with Midnight and Sakura; Grade 3: Natasha Baker with Keystone Dawn Chorus and Erin Orford with LJT Diamond Crusador; Grade 4: Nicky Greenhill with Betty Boo; Grade 5: Charlotte Cundall with LJT Simply Red and Sophie Wells with C Fatal Attraction, Don Cara M and Classic Jillz Geuzenhof.

The selected squad of four combinations to travel to Tokyo, plus reserves, will be announced on 16 July 2021. 2021, where you’ll be able to listen to interviews, advice and views from those in the know in the dressage world, plus much more.

Tickets are now on sale! We’re offering a COVID-19 money back guarantee so you can buy your tickets in confi dence; fi nd out more and book now at

britishdressage.co.uk

IDEAL SADDLES COMBINED TRAINING

The 2021 Ideal Saddles Combined Training Championship has been rescheduled meaning the fi fth installment of the popular series will run. Twenty venues, with some new to the list, will run. Twenty venues, with some new to the list, will host shows from October through November where combinations can qualify for a December championship at Onley Grounds in Warwickshire. The classes include tests at Prelim to Elementary, and fence heights of 70cm to 1m. See the BD website for details.

“We’re delighted the 2021 Ideal Saddles Combined Training series and championships have been re-scheduled to the autumn. This is our fi fth year as title sponsor of this popular competition series and we enjoy meeting all the competitors at the championships and look forward to seeing everyone at Onley Equestrian over the weekend of 11-12 December. We are happy to help with any saddle fi tting requirements over the two days so do come and have a chat,” said Ideal Saddles’ Jim Revilles.

SHEEPGATE U25S COMES OF AGE

The Sheepgate British Dressage Under 25 Championships will run this year after being lost to COVID in 2020. This year the six-day show, 23-28 August, will celebrate 21 years in the calendar and has been approved as a fully affi liated fi xture so competitors will earn points and the results will show on their record. The normal programme will run with championships for FEI age groups as well as Prelim to Advanced Medium but the team element will be put on hold for this year. Plenty of smart rosettes and prizes will be on offer, as well as the inaugural Bruce Grant Trophy, in memory of Sheepgate’s owner who passed away last year and was the visionary behind the championships we now know.

FAREWELL TO GENTLEMAN

Gentleman, ridden by Sir Lee Pearson to medal success at the Beijing and London Paralympics has passed away at the age of 20. Germanbred Gentleman (Gullit x Weltruhm) was Lee’s top ride for a number of years.

His remarkable list of achievements with Lee includes triple gold medals at three consecutive championships; the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, the 2009 European Championships in Kristiansand (NOR) followed by the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky (USA). The partnership was a key part of the gold medal-winning British team at London 2012 where they also won gold in the Grade Ib Team Test, silverin the Individual and Freestyle bronze.

Gentleman spent the last fi ve years of his life in happy retirement with Lorna Harvey in Northamptonshire.