Becky Moody was left frustrated but determined after a mistake-strewn start to her dressage World Championship campaign at Aachen in Germany today (11 August), while Fiona Bigwood celebrated a landmark appearance with her home-bred Donna Bella in the first half of Britain’s team dressage grand prix campaign.

Becky and Jagerbomb (pictured top) finished on 73.82%, well below the combination’s season average, after the exuberant gelding struggled to settle in the vast Aachen arena. Yet there were flashes of the partnership’s considerable quality, most notably in the piaffes, as Becky fought to salvage as much as possible for the British team – Becky and the British team currently lie in silver medal position.

“We didn’t get off to the best side in the world,” Becky admitted. “He was just a little too excited and distracted when we went in there.”

The problems came from the start when Jagerbomb was unsettled in the halt before moving into the collected work, and then broke into canter during the first extended trot.

“I didn’t quite have the balance where I needed it,” Becky explained. “But we pulled it back, and we still got some really good bits, and he came back to me with it.”

The Yorkshire rider was particularly pleased with the way Jagerbomb recovered, producing some of his best piaffe work despite the difficult opening.

“It was certainly not the mark that I wanted to put on the board for the team,” she said. “But after a difficult start, we did probably some of our best piaffes. The trot half-passes were better in the test than they were in the warm-up. So I was pleased that I managed to pull as much of it back as I did, but obviously very, very frustrated with the bits that I didn’t get right.”

There was also another mistake, when Jagerbomb lost focus coming out of a pirouette, but Becky was quick to stress the importance of moving on rather than allowing one error to affect the rest of the test.

“It’s definitely something as a top competition rider you have to be able to do – not focus on the mistake that’s happened, but really go to, ‘What can I do to try to either pull it back or at least not lose any more?’” she said.

“My focus was really on just doing the rest of the work without taking unnecessary risks, but trying to get the best marks I could.”

Becky believes the extraordinary scale of Aachen’s main arena played a part in Jagerbomb’s loss of concentration. She likes the gelding hot and energetic, but today felt his attention was simply being drawn too far away from her.

“I think it’s just such an unusual arena. It’s incredible, and it’s huge, but it’s all quite far away,” she said. “I did just feel his focus strayed too far from me. Whereas when everything is closer, I somehow feel like he stays a little bit closer to me too.”

She now plans to make some subtle adjustments before Friday’s grand prix special.

“I know the special really suits him,” she said. “I’d probably be a bit more prepared, a little more cautious with the first extension. But otherwise the test really helps to get him focused and with you, with all the transitions, the changes and the half-passes.”

There was also reassurance from coach and team-mate Carl Hester immediately after Becky’s test.

“Don’t beat yourself up,” was Carl’s advice.

‘A really special moment’: Fiona Bigwood reflects on Aachen performance

Fiona Bigwood and Donna Bella at the 2026 World Championships

For Fiona, 11 years after riding Atterupgaards Orthilia to European team silver at Aachen, she returned with her former mare’s daughter, Donna Bella (pictured above).

The 10-year-old, who is still relatively inexperienced at grand prix level, scored 69.35% on her World Championship debut to leave them 15th individually at the halfway stage. She was unsettled by the cameras and then produced two additional one-time changes, but Fiona was delighted with the way her young mare coped with the occasion.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” said Fiona. “She’s only 10, she hasn’t done a huge amount of grand prixs, and to come to one of the biggest venues in the world and do that. She’s unbelievable.”

The one-time changes were Fiona’s main frustration.

“The mistakes in the one-time tempis were really irritating,” Fiona said. “I had the 15, I thought I’d got her to stop and then she did two more. It was my fault, rider error. But the whole year she’s hardly made any mistakes, so it’s okay.”

Fiona resisted asking too much of Donna Bella as she wanted to build confidence, rather than going for every possible mark.

“She’s 10, and in the extensions you’re probably better to, instead of asking for the eights and nines, play it safe and get a nice seven rather than risking a break,” she explained.

“I just wanted to give her confidence in there, because I could feel as I was coming in she’d be thinking, ‘This is a bigger atmosphere than I’ve ever been in.’”

“It’s really nice to bring Atterupgaards Orthilia’s daughter here and do the same thing – it’s a really special moment,” she said. “They’re both very similar. They both go and try their hardest.”

Fiona sees plenty of potential for Donna Bella to follow in her dam’s footsteps.

“I’ve got a lot of love for this mar,” she said. “She’s got the brain and the talent, and over the winter I’ve now got a period to improve. Obviously, I know there’s stuff that needs improving, and hopefully she’ll come out looking stronger next year.”

With Britain’s first two scores now on the board, the pressure shifts to Carl Hester and Lottie Fry tomorrow.

Germany currently lead the way in the team competition on 75.96% after Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD poerformed a solid test to also lead individually. Australia is in bronze medal position thanks to Simone Pearce’s 73.92% score with Will Marq.

The dressage continues tomorrow at 7.20am UK time.

Image: © FEI/Leanjo de Koster

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