(mps) “The interplay with the music was perfect and the timing was spot on.” Isabell Werth (Germany) was beaming all over her face after bringing the 24th International STUTTGART GERMAN MASTERS Horse Show to the boil in the Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle on Saturday. The 7,900 crowd witnessed a memorable Grand Prix freestyle performance in the competition for the Prize of the NÜRNBERGER VERSICHERUNGSGRUPPE, which was staged for the first time in the evening session. The five-time Olympic Champion and her 12-year-old gelding Warum Nicht FRH put on a display of the highest order, which was honoured by the judges awarding them 81.100 per cent. Starting last, the German had to beat the 79.050 per cent mark set by the Finn Kyra Kyrklund on Max if she was to take the victory and the 6,200 euro purse. “I’m really pleased with my Hannes’ display,” said a happy Isabell Werth, “and we’re really proud we able to enthral the primetime crowd.”
Show Director Gotthilf Riexinger was “still overcome by the ride and the fantastic audience” when reviewing the evening’s competition: “The risk we took in moving the freestyle to the evening session has paid off.” Carsten Röhnert, the representative of the NÜRNBERGER VERSICHERUNGSGRUPPE, enjoyed “an exquisite and beautiful performance” and praised the “complete harmony with the music.” His colleague Matthias Jacobi, the Director of Sales at the Stuttgart branch of the NÜRNBERGER Group, was highly impressed by the atmosphere and “very proud to have been a sponsor here.” The NÜRNBERGER has close links to dressage “and the professional organisation makes Stuttgart a flagship event.”
