Natasha Moody and Milla de CaDi competing in Europe. Image by Andreas Geckert.
When Australian rider Natasha Moody left home and moved to Germany, she didn’t have a bulletproof plan or a long list of connections. What she did have was courage, a serious work ethic, and a belief that sometimes the biggest leaps — the ones that feel wild and unplanned — are the ones that take you exactly where you’re meant to be.
“I got a two-year visa when I first came over,” Tash recalls, “and when it ended, I just thought, I’m not going home. We’re just going to see where we end up and ride the wave.”
That wave has carried her a long way. Now two-and-a-half years into her life in Europe, Tash is based with World Young Horse Champion rider Sophie Leube, producing a team of promising eventers and quietly building a name for herself in one of the world’s most competitive equestrian circuits. She’s beaten the likes of Ingrid Klimke, qualified multiple horses for the Bundeschampionate, and is now eyeing the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Championship for Young Horses in France. But her success didn’t happen overnight — and it’s the journey behind those results that defines who she is as a rider.
FROM INTERSCHOOLS TO CDIs
Tash’s riding career began like many of us — in the saddle from a young age and making the most of every opportunity. Tash’s early riding focused on interschools competitions and pony dressage. In fact, her first-ever event was an Australian Sports Pony Registry (ASPR) class when she was just four years old, riding her 11hh Welsh pony. From there, she honed her skills through interschool events, riding both her own ponies and her mum’s horses.
In March of 2015, she purchased a young five-year-old, Diamonte Noir, fondly known as Charli. Charli was a gorgeous black mare by Shiraz Black with elegant paces, and the pair clicked instantly. However, Charli’s love was firmly in the dressage arena. “She didn’t want to jump, but she was so cool. So, I put eventing aside and focused on dressage for her,” Tash shares.
Tash and Diamonte Noir competing in Australia. Image by Derek O’Leary.
“We’re just
going to see where
we end up.”
Together they progressed from winning interschool championships to placing at CDIs in the Junior and Young Rider classes. Tash also started campaigning horses for other people, and it was through her partnership with the Penmain stud that she met Frank Weisskirchen.
At only 17, Tash presented their young horses for the ASPR National Assessment Tour and Frank, the international assessor, saw Tash’s talent and recommended she go to Germany and ride overseas. This ignited a drive for Tash; however, the deal was she had to finish school before she could go. Even while focusing on dressage with Charli, Tash found ways to keep eventing in the mix, riding homebred ponies and taking on project horses that let her stay in touch with the sport she’d always loved.
When her mum purchased an off the track Thoroughbred called Matrixx in 2018, Tash quickly secured the ride. The pair went on to come Reserve Champion Four-Year-Old Eventing Horse at Melbourne International Three-Day Event in 2019. Matrixx was then sold to the eventing legend Shane Rose to help fund her Europe dream. He is now jumping around CCI5* courses with Shane.
After finishing her Year 12 exams in late 2019, Tash ventured to Germany for a short training stint at Sophie Leube’s barn — a taste of the life she’d been dreaming of. As everyone knows, the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020 and Tash was forced to come home. She continued riding and training horses here, with Charli having a start at Intermediate A before an accident in March 2022 where she fell over and onto Tash, breaking her leg. While Tash healed up, Charli never felt quite right, and it was decided Charli would be retired. “She was my heart horse,” Tash recalls. “She owes me absolutely nothing and I just want her to be happy.”
Diamone Noir, aka Charli, holds a special place in Tash’s heart. Image by Derek O’Leary.
Tash then made the decision to head back to Europe. “I sold everything and moved to Sophie’s. It was completely wild! Honestly, I still can’t believe I did it sometimes, it was just this split decision since I didn’t have Charli to ride anymore.”
NO PLAN, JUST PURPOSE
Sophie Leube is not an unknown name in the eventing scene. With Sophie’s young stallion Sweetwater Ziethen TSF winning his age division at the World Young Horse Championship (CCI3*L level) in 2020 and being on the German Olympic training team, for an aspiring eventer this was definitely the place to be.
It’s not just these results that drew Tash to Sophie’s program — it was the quiet, patient way horses were handled and trained. “There’s never a bad moment,” she explains. “It’s all about being fair and kind. Sophie rides with such softness, and I want to ride like that. I want to train horses the way she does — thoughtfully, respectfully, without pressure. That’s the kind of rider I want to be.”
Germany’s Sophie Leube rides Sweetwaters Ziethen at the 2019 FEI WBFSH Eventing World Championship for Young Horses. Image by FEI/Libby Law Photography.
It’s a philosophy that has shaped not just how Tash trains, but how she sees herself in the sport. “It’s about putting the horses first. That’s the direction I believe our whole sport needs to move in — and it’s the reason why I’m still here.”
A DAY IN THE LIFE
A typical day at Sophie’s is full, structured, and all about the horses. Feed starts at 7am, followed by breakfast, and then the horses are split between paddocks and the walker. Riding begins at 9, with six to seven horses worked in the morning, a lunch break, and then the remaining horses worked in the afternoon. The day wraps around 6pm, and somewhere in between Tash finds time to ride her own horses — often during her break, or before and after work.
“I love the rhythm of it,” she says. “You’re in it all day, every day. But it’s never boring. Every horse is different, and every day they teach you something.”
MEET THE TEAM
Tash’s current competition team includes a mix of young horses — all of whom are proving their talent on the German circuit.
Bay to Breakers: A six-year-old dressage bred Oldenburg mare (Da Costa x Guardian 16) who’s turned into one of Tash’s top eventers. “She has the biggest heart,” says Tash. “She’s already placed at 1* and scored 80% twice in L-level cross country (equivalent to national level two-star) The plan is to step her up to 2* and hopefully head to Le Lion.”
Tash and Bay to Breakers. Image by Andreas Geckert.
Don Pilgrim: A “pocket rocket” pony (Kastanienhof Donnertrommler x Pilgrim’s Red) who doesn’t know his size. He’s already qualified for the Bundeschampionate and is winning consistently. “He’s just so cool — a total overachiever.
Milla de CaDi: A Holsteiner mare (Casall Ask x Diarado) in her first season of eventing who had her first international 1* start in July and has competed national level 2* cross country already, “She’s taken to it like she’s been doing it her whole life.”
Detox: A De Niro gelding Tash rides in dressage — a nod to her roots and a reminder that she hasn’t left that world entirely behind.
Tash and Don Pilgrim. Image by EquipeFoto.
“She’ll never leave.
She’s part of the family.”
She also has a special homebred foal, Reve, out of Charli by Stedinger. “She’s super tall and a bit of a Houdini — always finding her way to the other side of the fence,” Tash laughs. “She’ll never leave. She’s part of the family.”
HIGHS & HEARTBREAKS
The emotional centre of Tash’s journey is perhaps her time with Sweetwaters Ohlala (Sweetwaters Ziethen x Connery), fondly known as Olli, a horse she bought as a three-year-old in 2023. After heading home to sell everything, she returned to Germany to pursue their future together. Olli turned out to be extraordinary — smart, willing, talented beyond his years.
He won events, trained easily through winter, and started the season strong. At just five years old, he beat Ingrid Klimke at a cross-country event — a surreal moment that hinted at what was possible. But just as the dream was taking shape, it fell apart. Olli suffered a tendon injury while galloping, and his career was cut short.
“It was devastating,” Tash says. “When you move to another country, you get homesick and you rely on one thing. For me, that was Olli. He had the biggest heart. He gave me everything.” Losing him was a reminder of how brutal — and beautiful — this sport can be. At the time it doesn’t feel like it makes you stronger. But in the long run, it does. That’s why we do it. We do it for the horse.”
While Olli’s retirement was heartbreaking for Tash, she’s glad the gelding is now able to live out his days in a beautiful grassy paddock with her Aunt in Scotland.
Tash and Sweetwaters Ohlala (Sweetwaters Ziethen x Connery) aka Olli. Image by EquipeFoto.
“That’s why we do it.
We do it for the horse.”
LOOKING AHEAD
This year, Tash has already qualified two horses for the Bundeschampionate, and has a 2* debut on the horizon. If all goes to plan, she hopes to ride at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Championship for Young Horses at Le Lion d’Angers in France — something that once felt like a dream but now feels tantalisingly real. “I never thought I’d actually be here doing this. Of course you dream about it, but when it starts to happen, it feels like you’re living in a movie.”
From the dressage arenas of Australia to the eventing circuits of Europe, from heartbreak to hope, Natasha Moody’s story is one of bold choices, quiet resilience, and a deep love for the horses that have carried her every step of the way. And as she says, with a grin, “We’re just riding the wave.” EQ
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