PrintGermany’s reigning dressage queen Isabell Werth is back in the show ring after giving birth to her first child Frederik last year. Throughout her preparation for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games she posted periodic diaries, and this is the conclusion. Read her thoughts about the WEG, the sale of Totilas, and her upcoming plans, courtesy of Rolex.
Q. What have you been up to since the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games?
A. I’ve been very pleased with how everything has gone since the WEG, notably my wins in Odense, Denmark, (with Satchmo), in Lyon, France, (with Hannes) and in Stuttgart, Germany, (with El Santo).
Each competition went very well, and my horses are in great form. When we were in Stuttgart, I rode El Santo in the freestyle to music by Roberto Blanco—the one from Aachen. It’s fun, and it’s different to other music, and that made it exciting! Then for the last qualifier in Frankfurt, Germany, I’m actually not sure which horse I will take—Satchmo or Hannes.
Hannes was in good shape when he got back to Germany from the WEG, and I was surprised he had no problems and how fit he was. Quite soon after he arrived home he was back to his normal fitness. He wasn’t necessarily as supple as he should have been, but in general I was really happy.
However, I could tell that Hannes was getting bored and that he was desperate to compete, which is why I took him to Lyon. He can be really awkward sometimes—he’s biting, he’s kicking, he’s running around—he ignores me, and he just does his own thing and doesn’t really listen to me! Then it’s as if he is shaking his head and he’s running away—so it’s quite funny when he starts to become bored.
He’s a real character in the respect that he can be really strong, and it’s something that’s completely out of my control.
Q. What were your thoughts on the WEG?
A. I was really impressed with the showground in Lexington, and it was amazing to see all of the different disciplines, horses and riders together in the Horse Park.
But, I think because of the size of the event and the venue, it was difficult for the organizers to get everything under control and please everyone involved. But that’s a question of experience, I think.
They also had a hard time as everyone compared Kentucky to Aachen four years ago. Aachen was just outstanding, so it was a tough act for them to follow. There were a lot of positives to take from the event, and overall I was happy with my experience there.
Performance-wise, we were happy to get the team bronze medal, although we were hoping to get the silver. Laura [Bechtolsheimer] was so strong [for Great Britain], and we were happy with the overall result. Next was the Special, and for me there was no real chance for an individual medal. But I said, “OK, I will give everything I have.”
I was faultless for the whole week, and then I made a few mistakes but that’s the game—at the end it doesn’t matter if you are fifth or 10th.
To be honest, the scoring was a bit strange. I don’t think that’s a secret, and I don’t think it’s impolite to say that differences of 8-10 percent between the judges are not acceptable. No one was happy about it. But OK, it happens.
The problem that we, the riders, have with these inconsistencies is when the judge or the judgment makes a difference to the medal standings, and this isn’t fair at all—something has to be done.
