Sadie Smith and her horse Swanmore Dantina (Dia) won the LeMieux grand prix at the 2025 LeMieux National dressage Championships with a score of 71.96%, marking a significant milestone in Sadie’s career. This victory was especially meaningful for Sadie, who had only previously competed once at grand prix level at the nationals and described Dia as a “once-in-a-lifetime horse.” Despite her extensive experience and accolades in British dressage, Sadie called this her most important title, highlighting the technical difficulty of grand prix and her admiration for riders who perform it effortlessly.
The competition was fierce, with Alex Harrison-West and Kickback initially leading, and last year’s champions Lewis Robertson-Carrier and Diego V finishing fourth due to errors. Gareth Hughes and Lufada MVL secured second place with 69.41%. Sadie’s performance was marked by strong extensions and pirouettes, though she noted some energy loss in the piaffe. With a 2.55% lead going into the final national championship round, Sadie is well-positioned to follow in the footsteps of British dressage greats like Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin.
