The was no shortage of excitement in the Mount St. John Dressage Future Elite Championship at HOYS tonight, with Becky Moody emerging triumphant on a score of 77.71% despite some errors caused by tension. Few riders had mistake-free tests, and with only eight combinations forward it looked set to be a battle from start to finish. Don’t miss the full report from HOYS in Horse & Hound, out 15 October.
We caught up with Becky after her test on Julie Lockey’s Carinsio to find out more about the impressive eight-year-old. Originally bought by Julie as a yearling after she developed a “penchant” for Painted Black offspring, Becky admits that no one really knew what a special horse they had. As the only horse to have beaten the formidable combination of Michael Eilberg and Woodlander Farouche this year, Carinsio is certainly proving to be more than special. Instantly recognisable for his size, suppleness and elasticity, Carinsio scored over 80% at the Lemieux National Dressage Championships just a few weeks ago to snatch the inter I freestyle title from under Farouche’s nose – a feat many might have considered impossible. ‘Jack’ is always a hot horse in prizegivings, and Becky did a remarkable job of sitting to his antics this evening – especially while being perched on top of the coveted winners rug.
Becky is always looking to the future with Carinsio; as she heads towards a winter of training she remains focused on her eventual aim of “producing a top grand prix horse”. After taking both the prix st georges and intermediate I titles at the Winter Championships this year, Carinisio is now firmly established at inter I and we eagerly await his inter II debut. Carinsio has only scored below 70% five times in his entire career (and none of those were below 68%), making him arguably one of the most consistent horses currently competing. The small tour circuit in Britain has been red-hot this season, and the two Titans of Farouche and Carinsio show no sign of settling their rivalry any time soon. Watch this space.
