News
National Academy Athletes Selected for 2026
- Written By: British Dressage
- Published: Fri, 09 Jan 2026 12:00
British Dressage is pleased to announce the next cohort of young athletes selected to the National Academy, supported by Sport England. 
Following two intensive training camps taking place in the autumn, 12 young athletes have been selected to progress from the Foundation Academy to the BD National Academy. The selected athletes impressed the coaches and programme staff, demonstrating hard work, progress in training and commitment to all aspects of the sport. All selected riders were successful applying their learnings from the first Foundation camp, to show great progress at the second training day; evidencing the mindset and determination needed to excel in the sport.
The National Academy aims to equip young people with the skills needed for a successful, lasting career in dressage: not only in furthering their ridden abilities, but also giving them the knowledge they need in the fields of business, management and personal attributes. The selected athletes showed commitment to all areas of the programme, including ridden training, strength and conditioning, personal profiling, goal setting and performance planning.
Congratulations to the following 12 National Academy athletes for 2026 (in alphabetical order):
- Ava Fowler (North & East)
- Ellie Tomkinson (North & West)
- Freya Percival (North & East)
- Grace Smith (North & East)
- Isabelle Maughan (North & West)
- Jessie Clarke (Scotland)
- Mia Smith (North & West)
- Millie Jones (Scotland)
- Millie Neath (North & West)
- Moya Payne (South & East)
- Olivia Luscombe (South & West)
- Pip Reed (South & East)
- Oliver Gould - First Reserve (North & West)
- Marie-Ayesha Barilits Gupta - Second Reserve (South & West)
As part of the National Academy, the selected athletes will receive nine months of training activity and support from British Dressage and partners, funded by Sport England. We look forward to following the twelve athletes and congratulate them on their successful progression. Our commendations also go to the other Foundation Academy athletes who made great progress on their own personal journeys.
National Academy athletes are selected from the pool of Foundation Academy athletes each year. Selection is based on feedback and opinion from the Academy coaches, this year made up of: Harry Payne, Kate Cowell, Hannah Biggs, Simon Cushman (strength and conditioning), Suzanne Riddell (strength and conditioning) Nina Boex (profiling) and Ali Dane (profiling).
Applications for this year’s Foundation Academy programme open on 1 May. If you’re interested in becoming part of the BD Youth Foundation Academy, or know a young rider who’s keen to develop their knowledge and skills, please find out more via the button below.
