Eight-time Olympic champion Isabell Werth on her longevity, success secrets, and impromptu sing-along during Paris 2024 competition
The German equestrian legend was in an impeccable mood at Paris 2024, singing along to a vintage rock tune and pumping her fists after competition. Discover what made the last two of her 14 Olympic medals such a special affair and how the unique partnerships with each of her five Olympic horses brought her to this point.
Equestrian
What do you do if you are the world’s most decorated Olympic equestrian rider at your seventh Olympic Games, the packed stands watching your every move, the dazzling Chateau de Versailles adding even more gravitas to the moment?
Trot out into the arena on an underdog horse, sing along to a 1978 rock classic and savour every second.
"Our love is alive, and so we begin, foolishly laying our hearts on the table, stumblin' in," Isabell Werth sang on the way to a silver medal – the 14th Olympic medal of her career – in the dressage individual event at Paris 2024.
“I have always said that I will enjoy these Games because of its glorious atmosphere," the rider told Olympics.com after about singing to her freestyle tune, "Stumblin' In" by Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro, during the competition in Versailles. "Everything inspired me so much that I really did enjoy everything and then I just sang along.”
If anyone could have pulled off riding a horse in an Olympic dressage competition and singing at the same time it is Werth.
The German athlete has won eight gold with five different horses going back to Barcelona 1992 and is considered one of the greatest dressage riders of all time.
Paris 2024 was the latest of her successes. At 55 years old, Werth extended her perfect streak of bringing two medals back from each Olympic Games she has competed in as she won gold in the team event and silver in the individual – a mirror image of her results at Tokyo 2020, Rio 2016, Beijing 2008, Sydney 2000 and Barcelona 1992. At Atlanta 1996, she was golden in both events.
"The fact that I have been at it for so long now is certainly based on the fact that I have a blind passion for horses, for riding in general, and for developing horses," Werth said of the secret to her longevity at the top level of the sport. "I have grown up with animals, especially horses, and that has always been the source of all motivation. As a child, I have already developed a big love for horses."
Olympics.com spoke to the champion rider about her horse whispering skills, taking a gamble on her Paris 2024 mare Wendy, and the next big venture she is stumbling into.
Isabell Werth's human horses: From "teacher" Gigolo to the equestrian equivalent of Kate Moss
Werth has ridden five horses to Olympic gold. The rider, however, prefers to think of her Olympic partners as people rather than animals.
In her fittingly named new book "Was für ein Mensch ist mein Pferd?" (What kind of person is my horse?), written with German journalist Evi Simeoni and released in May 2024, Werth describes her past horses as if speaking about her closest friends.
“Gigolo was my teacher, sports buddy and friend,” she said in a tribute to the horse she rode at Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000. “He shaped my life beyond sports, and I look back with great gratitude on the years with him.”
The chestnut gelding passed away in 2009 at 26 years old, 20 of which he spent with the German champion.
"Gigolo has experienced three Olympic Games with me, which is sensational, or better I got to experience them with him," Werth said. "Until today, Gigolo is the most successful dressage horse after the war (World War II) which makes me very proud.”
Her next Olympic partner Satchmo was a horse that required great patience from Werth. Although he had impressive breeding, the bay gelding was shy and almost un-rideable when he arrived at the rider's stables at the age of three.
Several disappointing competitions later, Werth was still determined not to give up on "Satchi". She took him to horse doctors who eventually discovered floaters in his eye, which were causing him to make unpredictable movements. After eye surgery in 2005, Satchmo lived up to his rider's best hopes, helping Werth win two medals at Beijing 2008 as well as world and European titles.
Satchmo lived out more than a decade at Werth’s stables after his retirement, getting regular rides and enjoying grazing the pastures. The German rider learned of his passing hours after she left for the 2022 FEI World Championships and was distraught at the news.
“That I could not be with you at this crucial moment weighs especially heavy in my heart after 25 years together," she wrote in her tribute. "Bon voyage my amazing genius fighter and thank you for everything.”
Werth’s Rio 2016 mount Weihegold OLD was a fan favourite and a horse the German rider has praised as a reliable partner.
“She was always there when I needed her,” Werth said when announcing the mare’s retirement in 2022. “In terms of error rate and continuity, she has few opponents.”
As much as Werth loved Gigolo, Satchmo and Weihegold, however, Bella Rose 2 was arguably her favourite. The two paired up in 2007 and it was love at first sight.
“From the first moment I saw her I could sense her talent and her charisma," Werth said in an older interview. "She is special in her whole behaviour."
Werth has described the mare that helped her win gold at Tokyo 2020, the FEI World Equestrian Games and European championships, as a “dream horse” and "a born diva" and compared her poise to that of supermodels Kate Moss and Claudia Schiffer.
This special attachment to Bella Rose made it especially painful for Werth to watch as her horse was forced to take four years off from competition due to health issues. When the pair made a winning comeback in 2018, the German athlete could not contain her tears and called it "probably the best day in my life as a rider".
Looking back at Werth's long list of Olympic champion horses, references to the novel and film "The Horse Whisperer" easily come to mind. Werth chuckled at the comparison.
"I think that I am able to adapt very well to the different horses, listen to them and feel them," she said of the secrets to her success. "This is something that I managed to develop over the years thanks to the working experience with different horses. OK, maybe I do have a certain talent to react intuitively to horses and expect certain reactions before they actually happen, and this mixture is probably the reason why Wendy and I are such a perfect match."
The Wendy gamble at Paris 2024
Across Werth's five Olympic horses, Wendy – the 10-year-old Danish Warmblood mare she took to Paris 2024 – was probably the rider's biggest gamble.
The pair had only been working together since the start of the year and were still adjusting to one another. When Wendy suffered a slight injury in the first qualifying stage, it put Werth's qualification to the 2024 Olympics at risk and the rider did not manage to secure the quota until late.
Despite these setbacks, when it came time to choose the horse she would take to Paris, Werth had no doubts Wendy was the one.
"Wendy is the ideal mix of incredible potential and talent, paired with an unusual willingness to perform, especially at her young age," the eight-time Olympic champion said. "She has the right mix of ambition, serenity and vision. She is relaxed when she needs to be relaxed and totally focussed and concentrated. On the other hand, not interested in things around her and does not let it get to her. So, she combines the special qualities of Bella Rose and Weihegold. It is really a dream combination.”
The gamble paid off as the pair brought back two medals from the French capital. Not expecting top results given their recent partnership, a delighted Werth was pumping her fists and cheering after completing the freestyle test.
"Paris was an incredibly emotional experience for me. If someone had told me a few weeks ago that I would leave Paris with a gold and silver, I would not have believed it. It was really emotional and intense in a wonderful atmosphere," she said.
"I did feel that we became a team, step by step. Every day we managed to grow closer together. Even in Paris, we managed to take another step each day and that led to me going home with a gold and a silver. It would have been foolish to expect this success, but I had hoped that we could qualify and then put in a good performance in the team competition. To win another individual medal was the icing on the cake.”
Werth credited the duo's quick success to the understanding approach she has taken with her new horse.
"I really immersed myself with her and adapted to her," she said. "I think that was my biggest advantage, that I – thanks to my experience– did not try to force anything onto her that could potentially irritate her. Instead I tried to listen to her, we managed to develop together, and I was able to slowly lead her. So listening to her, getting closer, taking this road together and making each other better, I think that was my big plus – and the key to the success in the end. She was able to trust me and vice versa.”
Isabell Werth won her career's 14th Olympic medal at Paris 2024 riding a horse she paired up with at the beginning of the year.
Isabell Werth's next sing along tune
In addition to listening to each other, Isabell Werth and Wendy listened to a lot of radio broadcasts leading up to Paris 2024. One day a song came on that would set the tune for their joint Olympic medal quest.
"When I am at home during training, there is always the radio playing in the background. They played 'Stumblin’ In' and it inspired me and touched me," Werth said of the song choice she loved so much she ended up singing along to it during the competition. "It just fitted very well to Wendy’s movements and so I decided, OK, this is the song for my Grand Prix Freestyle."
So, what song might Werth be singing along to next? Could it be the unofficial Golden State anthem, "California Dreamin'"?
For the moment, Werth remains non-committal about a possible eighth Games appearance at LA 2028.
"I honestly don’t know about LA. Time will tell," Werth said. "It is important that I remain fit, that I feel comfortable and that I still enjoy competing. And, of course, we need to see whether or not Wendy still has fun and enjoys it enough so that we will tackle LA28 as well.”