Germany’s Isabell Werth, the new honorary ambassador of the Stuttgart horse show, has already won the freestyle here on ten occasions and today’s victory handed the world’s most successful rider her 11th golden rosette. In the saddle on her ten-year-old mare Wendy de Fontaine with whom she won team gold and individual silver at the summer Olympic Games in Paris, the 55-year-old was again unbeatable. The duo was given 86.745 per cent points by the international judges, 12,500-euro prize money and 20 World Cup ranking points which have moved her up to third in the overall standings after three legs.
Belgium’s second-placed Larissa Paulius lagged over six points being the winner on the 14-year-old KWPN gelding Flambeau after being awarded 80.395 per cent. The 17 World Cup points have moved her up to 11th in the rankings. In third was Germany’s Bianca Nowag-Aulenbrock on the 12-year-old Oldenburg mare Florine OLD who amassed 79.225 per cent, a 7,000-euro purse and 15 ranking points which have put her in the joint lead in the FEI Dressage World CupTM on 48 points.
The overjoyed victor was extremely pleased with her horse when speaking at the press conference afterwards: “Wendy was very focussed today and was on fire right away this morning. The music is perfect for her.” Continuing she said, “It was exciting to ride Wendy indoors. Her improvement since the start of the year has been absolutely fantastic.”
The 44-year-old Belgian Larissa Pauluis revealed that “it was one of my aims to break the 80-point barrier today. I really wanted to do it. It was the ride of my life. Bianca Nowag-Aulenbrock: “Despite the little misunderstanding at the start, I’m very proud of my horse. She battled hard for me today.”
Monica Theodorescu, the German national coach, was very pleased: “I was very happy yesterday and I’m even more so today. I was very satisfied with all my German riders. They rode very well today.”
