New York City—Sept. 26

Few can show off in a freestyle like Germany’s Isabell Werth. From the time she entered the ring with El Santo NRW, she was in command of her mount, the crowd and the judges. Her score of 80.33 percent gave her first in the $75,000 Grand Prix freestyle at the Rolex Central Park Horse Show. 

“Always when I start with the music, and I feel the pressure, and I feel the spectators are really awake, it makes me happy,” she said. “I really love this music, and ‘Ernie’ was really good in piaffe, and I could take a risk in the extensions. I’m pleased with the whole test.”

Sweden’s Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven was second on Paridon Magi with 76.58 percent, and Catherine Haddad Staller was third aboard Mane Stream Hotmail (74.25%). 

Werth had the highest score in yesterday’s Grand Prix class, which was held as an exhibition, but she noted she’d held back a bit. In addition, she won last year’s inaugural Grand Prix class here in New York City with her own and Madeleine Winter-Schulze’s Ernie.  

“Tonight we could take the risk we spoke about yesterday, so I’m really satisfied,” she said. “I’m really, really happy to come back here, and that we could win this twice. This is an outstanding and special atmosphere and a beautiful venue. I’ve never seen a skyline like this for a competition.” 

Vilhelmson-Silfven borrowed her assistant trainer Caroline Darcourt’s usual mount for this event.  She started riding the horse, owned by Lövsta Stuteri, more frequently about a month ago. 

“To ride in here is one of the most amazing things I’ve done,” Vilhelmson-Silfven said. “I’m extremely proud of my guy. I have never competed him before. I’ve known him a long time but never competing him, and it was my first time riding this freestyle. The small things we messed up were my fault, just not knowing him. It’s not so easy to go from warm-up to walking to the ring in dark, but he was like ‘OK, let’s do this.’ ”

Staller was the highest-placed U.S. rider in the class with Rowan O’Riley’s “Hotmail.”

“Magical is the best word to describe the horse show here,” she said. “It’s a magical arena, and the crowd response is fantastic. It makes me proud of my country because we’re moving into the big time when it comes into horse shows.” 

(Charlotte Dujardin and Renaissance Tyme. Photo by Josh Walker.)

Olympic gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin also did an un-scored demonstration during the break, riding a revised version of one of her previous freestyles with loaner mount Renaissance Tyme. 

“For me this week has been completely different because I’ve had no pressure, and it’s been complete fun,” she said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time and riding [Evi Strasser’s] horse, learning some new buttons. I’d never practiced any of the lines in the freestyle before tonight, so I was really happy with what happened tonight.”

Dujardin will be conducting a dressage master class tomorrow at the Wollman Rink, beginning at 1:30 p.m.