The nice thing about dressage riders is that they take care of their horses themselves after the show. Before asking about Isabell Werth’s impressions of the Massa Stud Grand Prix, one had to wait until Warum Nicht had taken his shower and Isabel had borrowed an apple from her German colleague Anja Plönzke, who herself was washing the head of Le Mont d’Or.

Isabell, you seemed disappointed at the announcement of your marks. Why?

It’s that 71% is below Warum Nicht’s ability to perform: Last week, he achieved 76% at the Grand Prix. But I don’t mean to be critical of the judges, I was just deceived by some mistakes the horse made because he was distracted by the flower decoration that was moving in the wind. That made me mess up the piaffe and change of leg. This morning Warum Nicht was more relaxed, but the flower decoration had not been hung up then… we won, though, and that’s the most important thing!

This is your first time showing in Cannes. What makes this event different from others you have participated in?

Ah, it’s amazing! It’s a mixture of competition and vacation. Of course I am here to perform well, but I also have the intention to profit from this place.

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