After managing to keep their new freestyle under wraps for the last couple of months, Becky Moody and Jagerbomb debuted their Christmas-themed music in the freestyle, supported by Horse & Hound, at the London International Horse Show scoring 86.41% to finish second.
As Becky and Bomb came in straight after eventual winners Lottie Fry and Glamourdale and their innovative “Glamourdale Airlines” freestyle, it was refreshing to see two riders back to back pushing the boundaries of, and prioritising, the format.
Created by Tony Hobden of Equidance, Becky’s music delivered several standout moments, not least the opening sequence, which mimicked a radio scanning through stations. Snippets of Sex Bomb – for ever associated with Jagerbomb – and Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off set the tone before the test properly began.
Once under way, the soundtrack moved decisively into classic Christmas hits, while Becky retained the same floorplan as her Beatles routine. That meant an uncompromising opening, featuring two-time changes flowing into one-time changes on a curve – a demanding start, but they breezed through it.
“We just thought, let’s do something entertaining for the crowd and bring a bit of Christmas spirit,” said Becky, who was wearing a sparkling tailcoat and hat. “I’m dressed a bit like a Christmas bauble anyway, so I thought – why not go the whole hog?
“We’ve been through it a couple of times at home – once in a howling gale with the music playing out loud so Bomb could hear it. I don’t think either of us could actually hear it though, because it was so windy, so we just had to do what we can and trust it.
“I was really trying to keep it a surprise. Only my groom, Kim Masson, and I knew about it. She’s been trying to persuade me to do it for a while, and I’ve always said, ‘No, it’s too cheesy’ – like I always am with all her suggestions. But then I thought, you know what, sod it. I think the audience here deserves it.”
Thankfully, their preparation this time ran more smoothly than ahead of the grand prix, when a lost shoe just minutes before their start threatened to derail their plans.
Buoyed by a fuller crowd, Jagerbomb seemed add another couple of inches to his already impressive frame, and the pair delivered a mistake-free test, bringing that extra bit of energy to improve on their third-place finish in the grand prix.
“Of course, I still want things to be better,” Becky said. “The passage was maybe not quite sharp enough, but it was mistake-free, and I was super proud of him.
“He’ll have a couple of weeks’ hacking over Christmas now, and then I’m aiming for the World Cup qualifier in Amsterdam, so he’ll have a bit of chill time, then build back up to that.”
Having narrowly missed out on the World Cup Final last year – she completed three qualifiers while the system rewards a rider’s four best scores – Becky plans to take the same approach again, prioritising Jagerbomb’s condition as she builds towards next summer’s World Championships in Aachen.
“I’ve already done the qualifier in Lyon, and I’ll just do three again,” Becky explained. “If we qualify for the final, we qualify. If we don’t, we don’t — and that’s fine. Aachen is the big goal for next year. If we get to go to the World Cup Final in Texas, that’s a bonus, but if not, that’s okay too.”
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