British Dressage is delighted to announce LeMieux as the new title sponsor of the sport’s biggest occasion, the National Dressage Championships in a three year deal. This year’s LeMieux National Dressage Championships will be held at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire, 18 – 21 September. The 2014 Championships marks the Diamond Anniversary of the National Champion title so it’s an extra special year.
Firmly established as the leading brand of saddle pads in the UK, the LeMieux range is well known to the dressage audience. The brand is owned by Horse Health which was set up by former Olympic event rider Robert Lemieux and his wife Lisa and is renowned for its extensive retail website and trade stand at major events UK-wide. The LeMieux range has recently expanded into a full collection of competition equipment, including new boots, bandages and the stunning Four Seasons rug. Horse Health has been supporting dressage through sponsorship since 2005 and most recently was the sponsor of the Intermediate II National title for four years over 2010 – 2013.
“We aim to broaden the appeal of our products even further in the coming year”, commented Robert Lemieux, “and this sponsorship provides the perfect platform to showcase the LeMieux brand to the dressage market. We’re also keen to acknowledge the loyal support we’ve received from customers in the sport”.
He added: “This is part of a long term commitment to British Dressage and we’re very excited about the prospect of working with BD to ensure the future success of these championships”.
National Champions have been crowned since 1955 when Brenda Williams first won with Pilgrim and the roll of honour includes some of the sport’s greats. Jennie Loriston-Clarke holds nine titles, while Carl Hester will be hoping to emulate that this year as he goes for his hat-trick of wins after back to back wins in 2012 and 2013. But the queen of the national titles remains Lorna Johnstone who dominated the early years, taking the title on 13 occasions over 20 years from 1955 – 1974, winning her final title at an amazing 72 years of age. Goodwood and Addington have hosted the Championships until the four day dressage celebration settled in its current Stoneleigh home in 1997.
British Dressage Chief Executive Amanda Bond commented; “It’s fantastic to have LeMieux on board and we’re grateful for their three year commitment. We’re exceptionally proud of our National Championships and the amazing occasion they’ve become. To have a well-respected brand LeMieux alongside our Championships will ensure we can continue to improve and expand the event as well as making it the end-of-season celebration we all love. 2014 promises to be a great year with the anniversary to mark and let’s hope we have further success to celebrate.”
Tickets for this year’s LeMieux National Dressage Championship go on sale on 19 June and full details will be available on www.bdchampionships.com which will be live from mid-June.