News
LeMieux National Championships 2026: Masterclass hosts revealed
- Written By: British Dressage
- Published: Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:00
British Dressage is pleased to announce this hosts for the 2026 Masterclasses at the LeMieux National Championships, held at Somerford Park (10 – 13 September).
This year, we have a very exciting set of hosts for the masterclasses, set to take place on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September. Over the weekend, spectators are set to enjoy two different sets of hosts, who will be sharing a broad range of knowledge and entertainment.
Saturday
On Saturday, Abigail Lyle and Ruby Hughes are set to present a joint masterclass that gives you the chance to hear from two of our most exciting and prominent faces of our sport.
Ruby Hughes (pictured) had a very different start to her dressage career than most. Starting off in Vaulting, Ruby was a part of the 2019 European Championships Vaulting Squad before starting to pursue a dressage career in 2020. Ruby competed at her first Dressage European Championships in 2021 at Strezgom, Poland as an individual Pony rider whilst still competing in vaulting. She competed in her final international Vaulting competition at Aachen in 2021, where the team finished fourth. Since 2021, Ruby has competed at the European Championships four times (2022, 2023, 2024 and 2026) at Pony, Junior and Young Rider level. She is currently competing both at Junior and U25 level with Mount St John Jazz Dance and, more recently, Farrell.
Abigail Lyle is now based in the UK but was originally from Bangor, Northern Ireland. Abi began her riding career as a teenager after buying her first horse following her GCSE’s and later moved to England to work and train to be a dressage rider under the guidance of Carl Hester. Now based in Gloucestershire, Abi has established herself as a coach and rider who regularly holds clinics across the country and competes for Ireland at an international level. Abi competed at her first Olympic Games at Paris in 2024 and World Championships in 2022 with Giraldo and competed at the Riesenbeck European Championships in 2023 with Farrell.
Sunday
British Dressage’s own International Director Judy Harvey will be hosting Sunday’s masterclass. Judy started her journey from a non-horsey family in Kenya, her first horse was a just-broken Anglo-Arab where she went on to show jump, event and race before starting training with Barbra Slane Fleming FBHS, who mentored Judy through her BHS Fellowship. Her career has spanned roles from Hunter groom and Riding School Manager to international Dressage trainer, rider, and judge. Judy has won multiple national titles, competed successfully at Grand Prix, qualified for the National Championships for the past 43 year’s running, and trained riders who went on to represent their countries. She has also shared her knowledge as a BBC and Horse & Country commentator and International Director for BD, guiding the future of dressage.
Book your place
You can enjoy the Nationals Masterclasses ringside in the free-to-enjoy grandstands, or from the luxury of the LeMieux Pavilion. Tickets are selling fast, secure your spot today and don’t forget to visit the link below if you’re a BD member to access your exclusive discount code too!
