At Home on the Yard
Surrounded by her close family on her and sister Hannah’s professional yet friendly yard near Sheffield, South Yorkshire, it’s easy to see where Becky gets her wellspring of energy from. “Her drive is entirely self-generated, it comes from within her,” observes her father, Patrick. Sister Hannah remembers the early days when she and Becky were inseparable. “She was already keen as anything.” A multi-disciplined competitive spirit in her local pony club, Becky was bitten by the dressage bug by her pony Max. “I have the most incredibly supportive family”, reflects Becky. By the time Becky left school, sister Hannah was home from university. Together, they built their yard, Moody Dressage, with the support of their parents. “It’s a real team thing,” they agree.
Tips from the Top
“One of [trainer David Hunt’s] biggest philosophies is that you are better off doing the wrong thing with confidence than the right thing with none. If you don’t believe in what you’re doing and commit to it, then the horse doesn’t believe you and isn’t on board, and it won’t work,” shares Becky. “When you ride well, it’s more about how you use your brain than what you do with your body. To look elegant and effortless, an awful lot is going on ‘up here’ to allow the rest to look at ease.”
The Climb
“I’ve had my ups and downs mentally, and with my confidence,” confides Becky. You just have to work through it. I have a really good team around me that helps me do that.” “I’ve had issues with the piaffe and passage work. I didn’t lose my confidence teaching the horses how to do it, I lost my confidence in performing it at the very highest level. Even trainer Carl Hester’s encouragement wasn’t enough to convince Becky’s internal critic that she was good enough to train horses at this elite level. “Carl’s a massive help and constant inspiration,” says Becky. But internalising that confidence took more. “It took getting a horse like Bomb and being able to produce [the move] in a competition environment to make me realise that I can do it ok.”
Detonating the Jaegerbomb
Homebred 17.1hh bay gelding Jaegerbomb didn’t reveal his star quality all at once. “It’s no secret that as a young horse, I nearly sold him,” says Becky. “I didn’t think he was a natural superstar. He was a genuine, lovely horse to work with, but wasn’t so athletic in his movement and didn’t have the best engine. I just didn’t think he had what it took.” “I didn’t sell him – thank goodness.” That Jaegerbomb means a lot to all the yard staff at Moody Dressage is clear to see. Head Girl Lindsey Cameron speaks emotionally of him as a “gentleman” and “the whole package – such a nice, easy horse to do in every way.” Travelling Groom Kim Masson echoes the sentiment, revelling in the caring moments. “He’s a delight. The most special moments are when Becky smashes it, and I get to take Bomb back to the stable.” Farrier Tom Pears is a foundational member of Bomb’s team. “We’re constantly thinking of what minor details we can tweak. One or two extra pushes with a rasp can alter the foot balance after watching him from a dynamic point of view. Different shoes give different results, and we’re fine-tuning the whole time.”
Inner strength
LIHS 2023 was emotional, says Hannah. “These horses are athletes. Bomb relishes big atmospheres. He loved competing in London,” agrees Becky. Seeing the horse happy, Becky happy, and the crowd happy made her mother, Anne, happy, too. “That mix was very special,” she remembers. “Becky’s remarkable. She's got an inner strength that has developed over time. And that’s all her own work,” says Anne.