‘It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster’: illness doesn’t stop Becky Moody riding to win at the National Dressage Championships
One week ago, even getting to the LeMieux National Dressage Championships was looking unlikely for Becky Moody, who suffered a second partial pneumothorax (collapsed lung) in less than a month. But make it she did to win the Saracen Horse Feeds national dressage championships inter I gold title with her own Jagerbomb on a score of 75.68%.
“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster the last few weeks,” she said. “I couldn’t ride for ten days but the home team have all pulled together. The list is too long to thank everyone but both the Charlottes, Lutener and Donovan have been riding the horses and luckily two of the team are doctors, so step forward Grace and Beth and take a bow for keeping asking different specialists until they gave the correct answer and said I could ride!” And ride Becky did.
“I managed to ride one on Sunday, two on Tuesday and three on Wednesday before coming here,” she confirmed. “It hasn’t left me breathless, more with a bit of back and chest pain but I can feel the impact of not riding for ten days; you quickly lose your match fitness.”
“Yesterday he was extraordinary for what was only his second test at the level,” said Becky. “Today it was a step down in terms of difficulty for him. He’s very established at this level but what a horse. He’s the epitome of a happy athlete and to pull out those performances off a far from ideal preparation just shows how genuine a horse he is.”
Charlotte Dujardin settled for second place with Sarah Pidgley’s Hilus MHB on a score of 75.62%.
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