True diva keeps her cool to secure a first-ever national title for her rider on day three at the National Dressage Championships

Lauren Aston won her first-ever national title aboard her seven-year-old mare Free Flo, taking the Bettalife novice silver on day three at the 2024 LeMieux National Dressage Championships, scoring 74.3%.

“I’m so proud of her,” Lauren said, “I’ve had her since she was two so we’ve been with each other all the way through.

“We’ve been working a lot on her balance and transitions, and gaining the small marks. We had a couple of nines so I was over the moon with that.”

Lauren added that Flo can be hot – and she did indeed show off some of her more “extra” moves in a high-spirited prizegiving – but during her test she held it all together.

“I always have a bit of a ‘How is this going to go?’ thought but she was with me and listening through the whole test. But she’s a mare and a true diva, and she knows what she likes and doesn’t like.

“We’ve been taking it slow with her because she’s so big and she’s taken a long time to develop but she’s got so much potential.”

“I’m enjoying dressage more than I ever thought I would”

Sara Squires secured the Saracen Horse Feeds inter I silver title with the 11-year-old Laetitius C.

Former five-star eventer Sara, who has competed at both Badminton and Burghley but has since switched her primary focus to dressage, led the class with 69.82%, hanging on to her lead after a small blip in the flying change that followed her extended canter.

“I’d have loved a clear round – it doesn’t happen very often at this level – but he was super in there and really let me ride him,” said Sara, who trains with Serena Pincus. “I also nailed my pirouettes, which was awesome. I’m not going to say they haven’t been a bit of a mental challenge for me.”

Sara explained that she enjoys the challenge of dressage “more than I ever thought I would”, and while she does have a four-year-old she’d like to produce for eventing next season, she won’t be returning to that sport at top level.

“Dressage focuses you mentally and challenges you physically – it’s all about connecting the horse and riding with leg and seat. It’s made me a much better rider, and although I miss the thrill of riding cross-country I don’t want to do the high level stuff anymore.

“Laetitius C has been mine since he was a sharp four-year-old and I’ve loved the journey with him. He’s now a real performer who can pull it out of the bag on the big occasions,” she said, adding that he’ll now be making the step up to inter II.

“He’s started the ones, the piaffe’s not a problem – it’s all just putting it together. It’ll be another massive mental challenge for me.”

Bryony Goodwin added to her win in the prix st georges silver yesterday, taking the Topspec medium gold title on Dion II with 72.62%.

It’s Dion’s second national title after winning the elementary gold last year, and he’ll have the chance to add another accolade when he goes head to head against his stablemate Krack DE in the Bret Wilson International advanced medium silver tommorow (15 September).

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