Sadie Smith and Sue Gerrard’s River Rise Onassis, known at home as ‘Sassy’, made an emotional return to the LeMieux National Championships this week, taking the win in the KBIS British Dressage National Young Horse 7 year old class with an impressive score of 81.167%.
For the pair to be back at the Nationals is especially significant after their terrible accident in 2025. After their top 3 finish in the 6 year old class at last year’s event, the horsebox that Sassy was travelling home in was hit from behind, overturned and travelled on its side for some distance. “We all were a bit teary when we came out today,” Sadie tells us, “because there was some time we thought she might not make it.” The pair credit the mare’s incredibly calm temperament for keeping her from injuring herself further while trapped in the horsebox for some hours until a vet arrived, and she remains unfazed today: “her temperament is so good — she loads straight away like nothing ever happened to her. She trusts us.”
This trust certainly showed in the mare’s performance in the ring today, with Sadie feeling her training at home really came together in the test, delivering more suspension and balance in the trot than ever before, and gaining especially high marks for the canter work. “I’m glad that [the judges] loved it because we all love her as well,” Sadie tells us. An exciting future undoubtedly ahead for this special mare with talent and temperament to match.
Tune in exclusively on H&C+ for live coverage of the Kudos Grand Prix Freestyle from 15:10 BST on 13th September. All classes from the LeMieux arena, including today’s KBIS Young Dressage Horse 7-Year-Old Championship, are available on-demand exclusively on H&C+. Subscription starts from just £7.08 per month.