Dujardin Throws the First Punch, Wins Grand Prix at 2026 British Dressage Championships

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2026 British Dressage Championships

After missing out on British team selection for the 2026 World Championships despite higher average scores than the fourth team rider, Charlotte Dujardin bit back and won the Grand Prix at the 2026 British Dressage Championships at Somerford Park on Saturday 12 September 2026.

While titles are awarded to the winners of the individual classes, it is all about becoming the Grand Prix level supreme champion, which is decided by scores from the Grand Prix and Kur to Music totalled.

First Punch

Dujardin delivered the first punch and won the Grand Prix, in the absence of Britain's three key-team riders (Carl Hester, Charlotte Fry, Becky Moody). Charlotte rode Ellie McCarthy’s Brave Heart II (by Bordeaux x Tuschinski), with whom she was named reserve for Aachen 2026. They pair won the Grand Prix with 75.044% in front of a packed stand of spectators.

Charlotte and the 12-year-old gelding earned a nine from one of the judges for their second canter pirouette, and an 8.5 for their piaffe. The international panel of judges, consisting of Sven Rothenberger (E – NED), Nick Burton (H – GBR), Isobel Wessels (C – GBR), Øivind Instefjord Oedemotland (M – NOR) and Sandy Phillips (B – GBR), all awarded the duo greatly throughout, with their scores remaining completely unanimous throughout.

Talking us through her test and her time with Brave Heart, Charlotte explained that “I feel like my canter work was definitely be my highlight, and the pirouettes. He's just getting more and more confident with me in the arena."

It was a star-studded top three in the Grand Prix as Gareth Hughes finished in second place with his own and Georgina Wilkinson’s Mowgli-Olympia MC (by Rousseau x Rubin Royal OLD) on 70.457%, followed by World Championship team combination Fiona Bigwood and Donna Bella (by Don Juan de Hus x Gribaldi) who scored 70.000% to take third place.

"Go Back to Go Forward"

With Brave Heart's owner Ellie McCarthy in Kronenberg

Dujardin has been riding her student Ellie's Brave Heart for over a year now.

"When I first had him and started, I definitely knew there was much more to come from him, but it's just being patient to find that development and get him strong," Charlotte explained. "He needed to physically get stronger with all the work, and my expectation with him was probably quite high compared to what he was used to."

Dujardin admitted that, "I find as a rider it’s much harder to take over a horse that I haven't trained. So, I've had to go back to go forward. And we're still fairly new, we've probably done seven or eight shows really so it's very little that we've done, so it's just been developing and getting him stronger for the work.”

Outside of the arena, Charlotte described Brave Heart as being “like a cheeky pony”, going on to explain that “even when he gets a bit shy in the arena and he goes in himself, he's still got that cheeky personality, he just wants to please you, so I think as a rider that gives you a lot of hope.”

New Priorities as a Parent

Charlotte talked to us about juggling her riding and parenthood, explaining that “when I had Isabella, my life changed because then my life became about Isabella and putting her first. And you don't just get up and just get out of bed now. You have to get up and sort your child and put them first before you do anything. Then when the second child came along, I was like, ‘wow, this is like multitasking’, but in another level. And to be a mum, to be a full-time athlete, to be coaching, to be doing all of the other things that you have to do to be in this industry, it's tough. It is tough.

Charlotte with daughter Isabella and partner
Dean at the CDI Hagen in April 2024

She confessed, "before, I'd always ride the horses first, but now I don't, I put the kids first, and I have to make sure those the kids are actually okay, and that I can then leave them to go off and do what I do and you know my life has changed dramatically having my kids but I wouldn't change it for the world.

“It's taught me real life, when you have a bad day in the office here at a competition or whatever, I'd be at home like drilling myself giving myself a hard time that I should have done this and I should have done that, whereas now I'm like I've got my kids I don't care. This is my real life, and this is what's important to me, and I love it. I'm so lucky… Isabella loves riding so she's there every day asking ‘Mummy can I go riding? Can I go riding?’ So, I love that, and now that's another part of me that I can you know give her. She's three years old doing walk, trot and canter around, so it's crazy. She's so brave and I'm taken back with watching her ride. I get emotional watching her and William, I'm sure he's going to be talented in doing something because he's on the go all the time. So, my kids are everything now.”