Crozet 25: Moody leads trio of top ten British Freestyle placings

British leading lady Becky Moody led the British placings in the Freestyle final at the FEI European Championships, placing just outside of the medals in an exceptional class to conclude an inspiring week of competition. 

For the third consecutive test at the FEI European Championships, the British trio of Becky Moody, Carl Hester and Lottie Fry all earned well-deserved placings inside the top three. The final medal opportunity provided a class of exceptional quality, with the field of 18 presenting engrossing Grand Prix Freestyle tests, each displaying individuality and showcasing each combination’s strengths and personality.  

In end it was Justin Verboomen (BEL) who, after taking gold in Friday’s Grand Prix Special, also claimed the Freestyle title aboard his own stallion Zonik Plus. With Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (DEN) in silver and Isabell Werth (GER) in bronze, the podium mirrored that of the Special. It’s worth noting that none of the combinations went mistake-free, such is the pressure that top riders handle when competing at continental and world championships.  

Verboomen will be welcomed home as a hero: never before had Belgium won a medal at a major Dressage Championship. By collecting two golds in one weekend, he has written history for his nation. Scoring a new personal best of 89.964%, the modest Belgian could hardly believe what he had achieved. 

“This result is a surprise for me. I am so proud, Zonik is still so young. Test after test I feel him becoming more mature. He is always attentive to me,” said Verboomen. 

Sheffield’s Becky Moody was the last British rider to go and moved up into a career best championship position, delivering the top placing for the week in fourth – just a fraction away from the podium. Riding her own and Jo Cooper’s home-bred Jagerbomb, Becky gave the crowd and those watching at home something to smile and cheer about, with her Tony Hobden produced ‘Beatles’ Freestyle programme bringing joy to the Jiva Hill arena. Becky’s floorplan is simply standout; the talented rider truly goes for gold with complex lines, plenty of pace changes and a high degree of difficult. Three judges rewarded the choreography with a 10 (Foy, Storr and Van der Heijden), whilst there were also 10s for harmony and music interpretation. The combination’s technical way of going was also superb; rhythmical passage, super straight one-tempi changes on the centre line and well executed pirouettes were the highlights. Becky and Bomb’s way of going is something to celebrate too, the pair demonstrate a seamless level of communication, with their work presented in a beautiful, harmonious outline.  

Reflecting on her 86.982% performance Becky commented:  “I think, bit by bit, we’re getting a little more energy – but I still want a bit more! I still haven’t got that piaffe-passage that I know we can have, but it was a little bit of a risk – a lot of horses have been struggling with how loud it is, so I kept his ear cover on today. Maybe I should have taken them off? I don’t know, but I’m very pleased with him – he’s just so cool. 

“We had a foolish rider error in the twos – I don’t think I was quite clear enough. They were lovely, he was feeling lovely and I was just a little too blasé. I was doing them over by the grandstand and I made the mistaken and you can still, over the music – and the music is loud – hear everyone gasp. Apart from that, though, I’m really pleased. 

“I have to say, when I saw the start list, I thought it was very cool to be in amongst that very top group of riders. I’m super-proud of him. The scores are going the right way, and I just want to keep getting better – I know we have more there, which is cool. I still want to keep aiming towards that 80% in the straight test and even more in the music. It’s a constant journey and we’re all trying to get better all the time. There’s a lot of work still to do,” she concluded.  

Rarely outside of the top placings, team maestro Carl Hester delivered another fantastic Freestyle with Fiona Bigwood’s Fame, earning seventh place on 81.029%. Riding to his ‘those were the days’ routine, Carl’s routine showed the same consistency as the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix special, earning plenty of 8s for the canter pirouettes, flowing half passes in trot and canter, as well as for expertly ridden piaffe-passage transitions. This combination have now placed seventh in all three of their Freestyle Championship finals ridden together as a duo – in Riesenbeck, Paris and Crozet.  

“He’s so clever and so in tune with me – he felt fantastic to ride in the test. I had a few ‘old man’ mistakes,” Carl reviewed, “but they were my mistakes, not his, and he gave me a lovely ride. In the two-time changes, there were mistakes at the end because I thought I was running out of room and then I didn’t, so it was my own fault. A couple of errors, but he felt fantastic and he’s been fantastic all week. It’s a great way to finish with over 80%, so I’m going home very happy.” 

“My team has been fantastic and amazing to be around – it’s nice to be part of such a ‘family’. Anyone joining the British team is lucky because of the people around us – everyone is so supportive.” 

Former FEI World Champions Lottie Fry and Glamourdale have shown all week how well they’ve handled a challenging show – still managing to deliver brilliant results for team and country. In the Freestyle, the pair debuted their highly-anticipated new routine with a fitting flying theme – playing on Glamourdale’s famed sky-high paces. On the day, the loud music and close environment found finding relaxation in the test a challenge; Lottie kept her cool, gave her powerful stallion great confidence and together they found a way to show off their trademark strengths as the test progressed. The routine is going to be one to watch for sure, with some upbeat, super fun tunes and Lottie herself providing an air hostess ‘Welcome aboard Glamourdale Airlines’ at the start and end of the test. Their pair were rewarded for a strong recovery with tenth place and 79.579%.  

“I think he was absolutely amazing today – he felt on fire! It’s a real shame because I definitely didn’t have the music that loud in the sound check. That wasn’t the idea, but we had to go with it – not really much choice there – but he was amazing and the Freestyle felt incredible,” said Lottie with mixed emotions. “I can’t blame him at all, he was piaffing and pirouetting in there in a way he hasn’t all week. I have to be very happy with him, it’s just a shame about the sound system. 

“He was such a good boy. When it first went off, he got a bit of a shock and everything time it changed, he was a little nervous, but he loves it once he gets into it and we have a really, really great time. To be honest, he didn’t really make any big mistakes – the canter was all amazing, so he was still really concentrating, despite the noise. It suited him so well in there and was so nice to ride to.” 

Speaking about her new programme, she added: “We thought of a few songs that we really liked and realised that they all had this flying word in them, so we thought it would be really cool to have a theme of flying. It hasn’t been done before, so it was something a bit different, and it’s nice to bring new ideas to the Freestyle. It makes everyone happy! It’s my voice that you can hear in there – I’m talking in the Freestyle. It’s something a bit different and it was really fun to ride. He seemed to really enjoy it, so I’m excited to ride it again.” 

Congratulations to all British riders, horses, owners, grooms and their support teams – along with the BEF team – on a fantastic week of competition and results. Our thanks go to the FEI and the organising team at Jiva Hill Stables for putting on a memorable competition.  

Results  

1. Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus, 89.964% (BEL)  
2. Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St John Freestyle, 89.821% (DEN) 
3. Isabell Werth and Wendy de Fontaine, 88.046% (GER) 
4. Becky Moody and Jagerbomb, 86.982% (GBR) 
5. Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD, 81.771% (GER) 
6. Patrik Kittel and Touchdown, 81.139% (SWE) 
7. Carl Hester and Fame, 81.029% (GBR) 
8. Isabel Freese and Total Hope OLD, 80.593% (NOR)  
9. Maria von Essen and Invoice, 80.193% (SWE) 
10. Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale, 79.579% (GBR)  

FULL RESULTS