Sarah Higgins and Geniaal crowned their 2025 LeMieux National Dressage Championships in style, sweeping to the Saracen Horse Feeds inter I gold with 74.27% and returning to claim the Fairfax Saddles prix st georges (PSG) freestyle and PSG supreme championship.
It was a statement day from a horse fast becoming a legend: the 14-year-old gelding now has five national titles, marking him out as British dressage’s standout small tour campaigner.
In the inter I, the pair blew the field away – finishing more than three per cent clear of runners-up Michael Eilberg and MSJ Encore (71.2%). They were exceptional throughout, with the changes and Geniaal’s self-carriage a highlight. Their sole error was a hesitant transition from walk to canter.
“Honestly, the test felt amazing. It was one of the best I’ve ever had – not just on him, but on any horse,” Sarah said. “Today was probably one of his better rein-backs, and picking the reins up from the extended walk into canter is always a dicey area – but it was a total pleasure.”
She added: “When I ride a test like that, I think if he’s not getting big scores, then what hope have I got on my other horses? Having a horse like this to ride shows you how it should feel – with the younger ones, it gives me a goal. One day I hope they can feel like that too.”
Only afterwards did Sarah reveal that the warm-up had been far from straightforward. “He gave me such a fright today – the rain came down as soon as I got on him, and then as we were going down the long side behind the grandstand all the crowd went up the stairs, and he got really scared by the noise.
“For the first half of my warm-up, I couldn’t go anywhere near the side of the arena. He’s not a spooky horse at all, so I thought, ‘Oh God…’ but when I went in, it felt amazing.”
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She added: “I’m probably just a dramatic person – most people wouldn’t even mention it!”
Her performance drew high praise from her trainer, Richard Davison. “She rode so well, and I think that horse produced the best inter I tests I’ve ever seen him do,” he said.
Then, with a grin, he added to Sarah: “You can only go downhill from here now!”
But she proved him wrong barely an hour later, cruising to victory in the PSG freestyle with 76.75%. That result not only sealed the PSG freestyle, but also crowned her the PSG supreme champion as the highest scorer across both PSG classes – making Sarah the first rider to retain the title since its introduction.
“He’s just a truly, truly amazing horse,” she said after the prizegiving. “We already knew it, but he’s proved it again over the last two days. I just feel incredibly lucky – and thankful to his owner, Sarah Rao, for giving me the opportunity to ride him.”
The freestyle itself was a joy. “I borrowed Amy Woodhead’s music again – I didn’t know it totally well, but I really enjoyed the ride. I was a little worried he might be on his toes after the prize-giving an hour earlier, but he was such a professional. He was amazing.”
Above all, Sarah said the experience has reminded her of why she loves to compete. “When you’re riding a horse like him, you’ve just got to enjoy it. There are more important things in the world than dressage tests, so if I’m not enjoying it, I shouldn’t be doing it. And I’m certainly enjoying it at the moment – that’s for sure.”
As for what’s next, her sights are already set. “For the horse, he’ll be going to Thailand in November with Sarah [Rao] for the Asian Championships. And I’ve got some really exciting young horses at home that I hope will come here in the future and be competitive too.”
From wild card to PSG winner at the 2025 National Dressage Championships
Gijs Van Vooren won the Fairfax Saddles PSG silver title, riding Hawtins Quattro to 70.62%.
Gijs Van Vooren and Hawtins Quattro at the 2025 LeMieux National Dressage Championships.
(Image credit: Kevin Sparrow)
“I can’t believe it,” he said afterwards. “I was really stressed, so it hasn’t really sunk in yet. He’s such an amazing horse, and we’re learning together. It’s the first horse I’ve trained to this level, so it’s just unbelievable really.”
The pair came into the class as wild cards after a difficult regionals. “We didn’t have a good regionals – I made lots of mistakes. So I didn’t have high hopes. I just wanted a clear round and to do him justice. It was like redemption,” Gijs explained.
This time, the focus paid off. “I tried not to think about the mistakes from regionals and I didn’t look at who else was in the class – I just tried to stay in the moment and remember it’s me and the horse. If you think about it too much, it just goes wrong. That’s what happened at regionals, but today he was so confident. I was just so pleased.
“I have to thank Judith Davis of Hawtins Stud, who bred him and gave me this incredible opportunity. I’m so grateful to her.”
Training Quattro himself makes the result even more rewarding. “It’s been a journey with lots of ups and downs. It makes it even more satisfying knowing I trained him up myself – that’s why it feels so unbelievable.”
Looking ahead, the pair are already pushing on. “He’s starting to play with inter II now – he’s a very capable horse, I just need to get my head around it. I didn’t really have expectations today. It was just me and Q, and doing our best – and it worked.”
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Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
