Stuttgart – “The atmosphere was something special today, I’d just like to say thanks to the fantastic crowd,” said an overjoyed Isabell Werth after her comfortable win in the FEI Grand Prix freestyle for the Prize of the Nürnberger Versicherungsgruppe at the 26th International STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS Horse Show. Riding her Satchmo in front of a sell-out crowd, the international jury awarded the German 82.880 per cent on Saturday afternoon. Having won the competition from 1996 to 1998 as well as in 2007 and 2008, the 41-year-old “Dressage Queen” therefore added her name to the winner’s list for the sixth time. “I’m very, very pleased, happy and elated – that was real fun, everything was just so easy,” said the effervescent five-time Olympic Champion, who can also look forward to 8,000 euro prize money.
Horse show director Gotthilf Riexinger was also highly enthused by the brilliance of the freestyle performance: “Hats off, it doesn’t come any better. Satchmo has seldom been so good, and the fighter in the saddle has also seldom been so good.” Andreas Kötterheinrich and Christian Röhnert, from the sponsors Nürnberger Versicherung, congratulated the “worthy winner for her top performance,” praised the atmosphere in the “jam-packed hall” and were generally pleased with the whole competition. “It’s really enjoyable being a part of things here.”
Second in the Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle was Ulla Salzgeber (Germany), who saddled Herzruf’s Erbe, an 11-year-old Rhineland gelding: the 79.850 per cent was rewarded with 6,000 euro. Hubertus Schmid (Germany) and Dark Diamond finished third (76,400) which brought him 3,500 euro prize money.
