Germany’s Isabell Werth and her 12-year-old mare Weihegold OLD went into the New Year at the top of the World Dressage rankings, thanks to stellar performances in Rio and at the FEI World Cup qualifier in Lyon, France. There, the duo produced a freestyle score of 90.09% – a personal best for the 47-year-old superstar. By winning team gold and individual silver at the 2016 Olympic Games, Isabell took her total of Olympic medals to 10 – a record for an equestrian athlete.

It’s been seven years since Isabell topped the global standings with Warum Nicht (‘Hannes’). Of course, there have been a few special horses in between the glory days when Isabell’s dressage rivalry with Anky van Grunsven defined the final decade of the 20th century. Most notable are Hannes, with which she won the World Cup Final in 2007, and Satchmo, that genius who always wavered on the side of madness. Her most enduring and remarkable partnership in the sport, however, is with Madeleine Winter Schulze, who has provided her with the horsepower that has kept Isabell at the forefront of the game for the last 16 years.

How did Isabell Werth get started with horses?

My parents owned the farm we now live on in Rheinberg, but they raised cows and pigs as well horses. It was natural for me to sit on a horse; riding came as naturally as walking for me. Soon my sister and I joined the riding club right around the corner and rode two or three times a week. We started on ponies and it just went from there like it does for most kids. My earliest memory was falling off my first pony, a little grey one my sister shared with me. He was a real spooky type. You don’t soon forget falling off and spending a week in the hospital! After, I said I would never ride again, but I changed my mind a few days later.

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