Olympic and European medallist Becky Moody claimed her third Dressage Future Elite Championship title at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS), scoring 78.33% riding Magic Dream JB (Governor x Swarovski), co-owned with Jo Cooper.
With Halloween looming, the pair brought a dark twist to the arena, riding to a moody mash-up inspired by Wednesday, the Netflix series that’s brought back pigtails and deadpan stares in style.
The pair opened with crisp shoulder-ins and sweeping half-passes, nodding to Wednesday Addams’ now-iconic dance – though not to The Cramps’ Goo Goo Muck, for those keeping track.
It was a hit with the judges. “The artistic side was just fantastic,” said Stephen Clarke, the judge at C. “It was difficult, the choreography was amazing, and the interpretation of the music was beautiful.” For her music and interpretation of the music mark, Becky earned a trio of nines.
“I am super-delighted with my horse,” Becky said. “She is only eight, so that was a big ask for her to go into that arena, but she coped amazingly well with the atmosphere.
“There were bits of the test that could have been better, but I was so pleased with her. The music wasn’t actually made for her; it was for a horse I rode a few years ago.
“The floorplan is a funny one because it doesn’t feel difficult to ride, but it has a high degree of difficulty, so it’s a good balance when you find something like that – it helps the horse flow.”
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Launched in 2013, the Dressage Future Elite Championship brings together Britain’s leading eight- to ten-year-old horses in an inter I freestyle – and has established itself as one of the sport’s most reliable indicators of future international success.
Previous winners include championship medallists like Hawtins Delicato, Mount St John Freestyle, Imhotep, and, of course, Jagerbomb, who won the title in 2022.
“There are so few venues in the UK where you get this kind of atmosphere, so for those horses that you hope are starting out on their top international journey, it’s amazing for them,” Becky explained.
“I’ve had five horses that I’ve ridden here, four have become international grand prix horses, and if you look at everyone else that’s done it, there’s a really high percentage of horses that have gone on to do really exciting things. That just goes to show the importance of it.”
Becky’s aiming to add Magic Dream to that list of future stars. And she’s not the only one with a bright road ahead: Matt Frost and Kerouac impressed with a 75.5% to finish second, while Tom Goode and Margot rounded out the top three on 73.54%.
Richard Baldwin, the judge at M, added: “The best part is giving these horses the chance to come into this environment and learn; all of the horses here tonight will have gained so much experience.
“It’s exciting to see that as a country, we have talented horses and riders, and it’s fantastic that we get to see the Olympic medallists of the future coming through at this level.”
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Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
