Becky Moody and Jagerbomb receive standing ovation for sublime World Championships freestyle
Becky Moody and Jagerbomb finished fifth in Saturday’s freestyle at the dressage World Championships in Aachen
Becky Moody and Jagerbomb stepped up onto the biggest stage of all and were met with a standing ovation for their superb test in Saturday evening’s freestyle at the dressage World Championships.
"That was fun. I was super pleased with him, because that is a serious ask for any horse to go into an environment like that,” said Becky, who finished fifth on a score of 87.48%. She last rode this freestyle when she won the World Cup final in the US this spring.
“He’s done a lot of big shows. Obviously, he coped with Paris, but that's another level, so I wasn't sure how he was going to go in there, but he was just amazing.
“He stayed super chilled, he stayed really with me. I could have had a little bit more sometimes – my piaffe was a little bit quiet. I haven’t actually ridden that since Texas, so it’s a little while since I’ve done it. He was just so with me that it was a pleasure to ride.”
She added: “It is another level – it is crazy in there. The crowd is phenomenal; you could feel it building through the test. Even though you’re not aware of them visually, because they’re quite far back, you can still feel the atmosphere building as you’re doing it.”
Their technical floorplan, appreciated by Aachen’s knowledgeable crowd, was set to hits by The Beatles.
Their tempi changes – two-times into one-times on a curved line – received cheers from the packed stands. So too did their canter pirouette, which they capped with piaffe pirouette steps in both directions on the final centre line.
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Watch Becky and Bomb’s freestyle test
Reflecting on the nitty gritty of the test itself, she said: “He’s not exceptional at anything, but he's just really pretty good at everything.
“The piaffes were a little bit quiet – they weren't quite as in front of me as I would have liked. The passage as well, you know, maybe not as sharp as it can be, but the pirouettes were good, the changes were good, the extensions felt nice.
“Everything just felt easy to do, which is such a lovely feeling to have.”
She added: “When are you going to get the opportunity to do something like that again? To know that he takes that all in his stride is just amazing, they are incredible creatures.”
World Dressage Championships: freestyle results
Gold: Lottie Fry (GBR) and Glamourdale (91.91%)
Silver: Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (DEN) and Mount St John Freestyle (91.24%)
Bronze: Isabell Werth (GER) and Wendy De Fontaine (88.65%)
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.