2000 CHIO Aachen

Werth Reigns Surpreme

The kur to music attracked a full stadium, but most dressage enthusiasts tuned in on the show by television, broadcast live on WDR. Isabell Werth dominantly won the freestyle with a gorgeous score of 84.31%.

Georg Theodorescu commented immediately after Werth's test, "This is how a dressage test should be ridden. With such light-feetedness and lightness on the hand." And that's what it was. Isabell Werth reigned surpreme and, even though Gigolo shows signs of old age, the horse is the perfect example of "durchlassigkeit", lightness throughout the body. The difficulty level of Werth's freestyle was very high. Especially at the end of the test, the pirouette in canter, followed by a transition to piaffe and continued by a pirouette in piaffe, was absolutely revolutionary.

Simons-de Ridder followed Werth closely with a 83.26% and seems to be grabbing for an individual medal at the Olympics. Chacomo is so much more stronger in his exercises than Gigolo, but the overall lightness is lacking. Rusty's dramatic Carmina Burana music fits him perfectly and he scored 80.91% with it.

Image copyrighted: Mary Phelps

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