At the Championships
You've made your entry, prepared and trained for your test, and the Championships are almost here, but what next? Below is everything you need to know about what to expect during the Championships, from stabling and facilities, to prizes and prize givings.
All competitors should ensure they read the full competitor schedule prior to entering the LeMieux Nationals, which contains all of the information you need on entering, competing and staying at the Championships:
Before the Championships
Competitor general admission tickets
Free admission passes are provided to competitors as following:
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1 x four day general admission competitor wristband per rider entered to compete
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1 x four day general admission competitor wristband per horse entered to compete
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2 x four day general admission competitor wristband for each non-riding owner (British Dressage members only and the registration numbers must be provided online)
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Competitor lorry / car passes:
​The following car passes will also be provided, with the occupants of the car requiring the relevant wristbands to gain entry to the show ground:
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2 x competitor lorry / car passes sent to competitors with two or less horses entered in competition
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3 x competitor lorry / car passes sent to competitors with three horses entered in competition
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2 x competitor lorry / car passes sent to competitors with four or more horses entered in competition
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All passes will be sent to the billing contact of your online account - please note that any replacement wristbands will be charged at the standard rates.
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Additional tickets can be purchased from the tickets page:
Music
All music must be provided as an mp3 file by emailing it to music@showdirect.co.uk to arrive by two days before the specific class at the latest.
The file name must be in the format “horse name, rider name, level ” for unambiguous identification of the music.
Travelling to the Championships
​Entrance to Somerford Park is on the A54 and is just ten minutes off Junction 18 of the M6. If travelling from the south, it is best to travel past Junction 17 and come off at Junction 18 to avoid small roads. The postcode for the Show Ground is CW12 4SW.
On arrival
Horses may arrive on the Show Ground from 1pm on Wednesday 9 September, with access to the Show Ground from 6am – 11pm on Show days. Outside these times the entrance will be opened for emergency access only.
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Horses requiring stabling must arrive on the Show Ground before 6.30pm. Should any competitor be delayed, they must contact the Stable Manager on 07487 423 564. The Stable Managers Office will open at 7.00am and close at 7.00pm each day.
At the Championships
Competitor catering
A mobile catering outlet will be open from 1pm – 6pm on Wednesday 9 September. A catering marquee will be open from 6pm – 9pm on Wednesday 9 September until Saturday 12 September serving evening meals. There will also be a range of food outlets in the Nationals Food Court serving food throughout the day.
Prize givings
​Prize giving times can be found on the Timetable page below. Mounted prize givings are in the LeMieux Arena for 1st - 3rd place and competitors should present themselves to the Arena Steward at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled prize giving time.
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Unmounted prize givings will be held at the BD Fanzone, situated at the BD trade stand, for 4th - 10th place. Timings will be available on the timetable page as well as at the Secretary's Office each day. Please arrive 5 minutes early in your competition attire.
Prize money
​Prize money will be paid to the rider by BACS transfer after the show via an online system. Riders must collect a prize money claim form from the Secretary in order to register their bank details for payment. All prize money claims must be made by 30 September 2026.
Any additional prizes awarded and commemorative plaques must be collected from the Show Secretary prior to departure from the Show Ground. Additional prizes will not be forwarded after the Show.
General exercise and warm up
Arena walk exercise
All arena walk exercise times will be posted at the Show Secretary’s Office and in the Stable Manager’s Office, and are subject to amendment.
Competitors may only participate in arena walk exercise on the day that the horse is competing. Only horses competing on Thursday may use the Wednesday walk exercise times for arena familiarisation. All horses must have a mounted rider and with the exception of the Para dressage competitors, no horses may be led, whether with or without a mounted rider.
Competitor warm up arenas
Designated warm-up arenas for each competition arena will be available for exercise from 3pm on Wednesday 9 September until 7pm, after which they are available from 6.50am each morning until 10 minutes after the completion of competition in the arena for which that is the warm-up arena. From Thursday onwards, only competitors within approximately 50 minutes of competing will be allowed to use the relevant warm up arenas during competition hours.
General exercise arena
A designated general exercise arena will be available for use by competitors – you will need to book your 30 minute slot in advance with the Steward on duty at the general exercise arena or via the Steward at the LeMieux Warm Up Arena.
The general exercise arena will be open as following:
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Wednesday 9 September: 4pm – 7pm
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Thursday 10 September – Saturday 12 September: 7am – 6pm
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Sunday 13 September: 7am – 12pm