‘Yesterday was awful… but today everything clicked’: PSG title defended after an emotional turnaround at the National Dressage Championships

A stellar field contested the Fairfax Saddles prix st georgres (PSG) gold – the headline class of the day at the 2025 LeMieux National Dressage Championships – but once again it was Sarah Higgins and Geniaal who came out on top. Their winning score of 73.29% secured back-to-back titles, confirming their place as the pair to beat.

“Last year it was my first national title, which felt amazing. This year feels very different — I’m exhausted. I’ve been travelling non-stop with horses all over the world, and I think it’ll take a few days to sink in,” Sarah admitted.

From the start, that quality was on display and it looked set to be a tight contest. Sara-Jane Lanning set the early benchmark with Hawtins Lirica, scoring 69.65% for a clean, consistent test highlighted by eights in the double-marked extended walk — good enough to lead early on.

They were soon chased by a string of pre-class favourites. First up, Matt Frost and Kerouac, the reigning winter PSG champions, produced plenty of highlights and a soft contact throughout, but couldn’t quite recapture their winter form, finishing on 68.91%.

Next in, Michael Eilberg and EDH Nanouk — winners of the Elite Stallions PSG at Hartpury earlier this summer — delivered a precise, mistake-free performance, accurate to the marker throughout. Their 69.59% left them agonisingly close, just 0.05% adrift of Sara-Jane.

Then came the final big hitter before the break: Becky Moody and Magic Dream. The compact mare, already a double champion here last year – winning the seven-year-old and advanced medium gold titles – once again rose to the occasion. With half-pirouettes scoring eights and only a slight slip in the first line of changes, they posted 70.74% — enough to seize the lead going into the interval.

It didn’t last long though, as Sarah went soon after the break. Consistency is the hallmark of the 14-year-old gelding, but even so, his changes stood out — Richard Baldwin at M rewarded them with two nines.

“He was just brilliant — the changes felt super, and when he’s in that frame of mind, everything feels easy. It’s not a hard job when he’s like that,” said Sarah.

Even so, there were anxious moments to come. The final rider of the class was Michael Eilberg again, this time with MSJ Encore, a pair boasting multiple international and Premier League wins this year. For a moment, it looked like they might edge ahead — until costly mistakes in both sets of changes dropped them to 71.65% and second place.

“It was a tense afternoon because I knew Mike was going last, and he’s an amazing rider with a fabulous horse. Waiting for his test was nerve-racking,” said Sarah.

“The small tour has been so strong this year — at every Premier League and international, the level of horses and riders has been incredibly high. To come out on top in that kind of company makes it very special.”

A comeback after a tough start

Adding to the emotion of the win was how far Sarah had come in just 24 hours.

“Yesterday I had probably the worst ride I’ve ever had,” she said. “I was stressed, I didn’t feel prepared, and it turned into a panic ride. When I got back to the yard I had two more to ride, and I told the girls, ‘That was awful. I’m riding so badly. I don’t want to get back on.’ And I didn’t – I went home. A proper little diva strop.”

So what changed?

“Honestly, it was just me getting a grip,” she said. “Last year, I came here excited. This year I felt like if I didn’t win, I’d be disappointed because we won last year, which is a terrible mindset to ride with. But I reset, and today, everything clicked. He was amazing.”

Sarah and Geniaal will be back in action tomorrow for the PSG freestyle (Friday 12 September). The top-scoring combination across both classes will be crowned PSG supreme champion.

Sarah holds a 1.65% lead over Michael, and if she maintains it, she’ll become the first rider ever to retain the supreme title since its introduction.

Back-to-back titles mark the rise of an exciting partnership at the 2025 National Dressage Championships

Lauren Aston and Free Flo also secured back-to-back national titles, adding the HorseQuest elementary silver to the Bettalife novice silver they won last year. Their 70.27% put them just ahead of Lauren Burrows with Beaux Lyon in second on 69.33%.

“To win last year at our first nationals was amazing, so to do it again feels a bit crazy,” said Lauren who works full-time in marketing. “I didn’t expect it… I guess I just need to have more faith in her — she’s brilliant!

“I was really pleased with her extensions. She’s a huge horse and we’ve taken things slowly, but the work on balance is really starting to come through.”

Perhaps flying under the radar a little as they are competing in the silver category, Lauren and her eight-year-old Fürst Romancier mare are proving one of the most exciting partnerships in the country.

They’ve won 15 of their 19 tests this season, and what makes the run even more impressive is that they are climbing the levels together.

“We’re learning together. I’ve had her since she was two — we started at novice and elementary, now we’re just starting changes and hope to get out at advanced medium this winter.”

Free Flo has also developed a flair for the spotlight. “She’s an attractive, big-moving horse and she does love to show off — especially in prizegivings, when it’s on her terms!”

On when she realised the mare’s potential, Laured added: “We did well in the Nexgen young horse series against a field of about 20 professionals — that’s probably when I realised she might be something special. As her strength has grown, so have her paces and suppleness.

“We’ve got a few more young horses from the same breeder in Germany, so it’s exciting to see if they can follow in her footsteps.”

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