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There are a few parts that make the success for sure. First of all you need the horse which basically has no weaknesses.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Isabell Werth and Fabienne at Aachen in 1991<\/em><\/p>\n For example, if you think about Isabell, her way of being successful for so long is not a coincidence because she\u2019s done it with so many horses. Her knowledge in the saddle, it is also her timing and her feeling. That is definitely her strength and what makes her outstanding.<\/p>\n Winning a medal at the Sydney Games in 2000<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0 Isabell and Antony at the European Championships in 2000<\/em><\/p>\n Would Isabell be the greatest competitor you<\/strong>\u2019ve ever seen, or were there others in the past that you would rate up there as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n At the moment, she\u2019s definitely the one to beat. She\u2019s so mentally strong in the test, and she reads her horses perfectly; she reads the way the horse is feeling. She knows exactly what she has to do. I have seen her \u00a0when there is a lot of atmosphere; a crowd of 8000 people, and it\u2019s hot, and she does it so well. She has had different horses, \u00a0different characters and she gets the perfect ride.<\/p>\n The recently retired star – Weihegold<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0Can you teach that?<\/strong><\/p>\n You can. For example, \u00a0I can give my experience to a younger rider which helps, but at the end of the day, it\u2019s learning by doing. Isabell has ridden 1000s of tests, and that is a huge difference. She\u2019s done it from when she was 17 years of age.\u2026.<\/p>\n Watching her ride, she is so focused…<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, in a tunnel. It\u2019s a passion. It\u2019s not that you say I have a few more years to ride and I\u2019ll make the best out of it. She has so many top young horses. She plans.<\/p>\n Monica Theodorescu and Jonny, a very involved support team…<\/em><\/p>\n What advice would you as a coach give your rider \u00a0as they are about to enter the Olympic arena?<\/strong><\/p>\n “What I really like to say is, ‘try to make the best ever test that you have done. If you have a good horse and you have a good ride, you will get a good result.’ If you focus yourself too much on I want to win a medal<\/em> or I want to beat this or that<\/em>, it blocks you in the head. You have to be a hundred thousand percent with your horse, which Isabell can do perfectly. Go in a tunnel with no distractions from the outside, and just be with the horse. Because again, the timing; it\u2019s a fraction of a second when you have to make a decision, and it can make a mega impact, so you have to be very much concentrated.<\/p>\n Since you started out in dressage what do you think has been lost or gained, either good or bad in competition?<\/strong><\/p>\n “What I really like is that we are much more educated when it comes to horses, to training, we are at a much, much higher level and standard than we were 20 years ago, because we are much more into the horse, the welfare of the horses, the biomechanics of the horse; how and why the horse reacts for example. The right training methods, what the horse should be fed, the whole package around the horse is so much better. I think al that has brought us quite a bit forward.<\/p>\n “If you compare the riding in the old days, for sure the horse was also different in those days. For example in Germany, we had those big Warmbloods which were a little bit slow and a bit heavy so the riding was a bit like that. We Germans were known for our tough riding, but the horses have now educated us differently. They are so much hotter, and finer, and a bit more Thoroughbred, so the riding has changed a lot.<\/p>\n Jonny and the glorious Wenckstern<\/em><\/p>\n more follows\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n How do you think your riding and training has evolved? Is it<\/strong>\u00a0lighter now?<\/strong><\/p>\n “Absolutely. You have to be open to that. That is important, also in life, you have to go forward and be willing to leave your own comfort zone. That\u2019s a problem for many people, they think ok, I\u2019m safe here and if I go out of that, maybe I lose a bit of face, but if you want to go on and go further and get better, you have to take a risk.<\/p>\n Everyone focuses on <\/strong>\u201cClassical training<\/strong>\u201d and I guess you could argue that was established a few hundred years ago and we still think it<\/strong>\u2019s relevant, but we also have to evolve with the horse; most aren<\/strong>\u2019t Spanish like the Baroque horses but most aren<\/strong>\u2019t the heavy Warmbloods either, so how to you decide what to take forward with you and what to leave and evolve from?<\/strong><\/p>\n “If you see it like that, a horse is still a horse, it still has basically the same shape, four legs, a head and all that, but for example, our modern horses, they have more elasticity, more possibility with the body, whether you jump a fence, or go fast, or collect. Through the breeding the horse has become a little bit more sensitive so when it comes to the physical fitness, you need to care about the horses, but that\u2019s why the riding and training has had to change. For sure there are many, many rules which have existed for 100 years, without a doubt, but nevertheless, we know much more about the horses, what is possible, what is not possible, what is non co-operating behaviour compared to what is just not possible for the horse. So we know much more and we humans, when it comes to our own fitness, it\u2019s a different story nowadays. When I was a young man, no one was talking about the fitness of the rider. The horse had to run and do what I wanted, I could be totally overweight and it was fine. These things just don\u2019t work in the top sport anymore.<\/p>\n Schultheis and the Thoroughbred, Pernod<\/em><\/p>\n You trained with such greats as Willi Schultheis. Do you think he would like what was going on in the competition arena today?<\/strong><\/p>\n “I don\u2019t know actually because what I said before, you have to be open to change and to think about it. I could imagine he would, because he was a jockey, he was from the racetrack. He was a horse person and he loved Thoroughbreds, for example. He had a hand for fine art, you could say, so his style was very different because he had the horse very much uphill. Looking back maybe the horses could have been a little bit more through and over the back. I\u2019m sure if he had gone through this process with us, \u00a0he would have changed. He was a fantastic man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ” I can tell you one thing, I have no running reins in my stable. I think it\u2019s a completely unacceptable weakness as a rider, especially as a potential international rider. In my stables also, we are never rough or rude to the horses. We ride without whips most of the time. I use the whip as just a support of my aids sometimes but never use it to punish the horses.<\/p>\n “I will not have any harsh and rough riding in my place. I also really try to see and read any horse a bit differently. Sometimes people come to me to ride and train and they have only one horse and this poor thing gets worked every day. But you know what, if you want the best from your horse, he has to have a day off even if the rider would much rather have another lesson. The horse is your partner and if he\u2019s tired, he\u2019s tired. What you want should not be the most important thing.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/WerthFabienneTrot.jpg\")
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