Isabell Werth’s 10-year-old ride Wendy has been the surprise package of the Paris 2024 Games and produced another fantastic test to win individual silver in the Olympic dressage freestyle on 89.61% – her third personal best in as many tests.
Their general impression and piaffe-passage work were highlights, with Isabell riding the mare in a lovely open frame throughout.
“She was fantastic,” said Isabell after the prizegiving. “Every day it improves a little more, and she was so outstanding – this atmosphere, the crowd, it was amazing.”
Isabell looked delighted and emotional riding her last piaffe pirouette, with the crowd breaking into cheers and applause before her test had even finished.
This freestyle expert knows how to work a crowd, and she punched the air in delight and gestured to her ear, asking for more noise, as she left to a standing ovation.
“I had goosebumps,” added Isabell. “She felt really comfortable and confident in this atmosphere, and at her age, it’s so special. From the first minute she was with me, there were no situations where I felt insecure.”
Her music was an instant crowd-favourite, featuring Stumblin In by Cyril, followed by some Dire Straits, and then, most iconically, Barry Manilow’s Mandy but with the lyrics changed to “Oh, Wendy”.
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It’s the same routine that earned them 89.1% in Aachen last month, which captured the imagination of the dressage world and at the time was a personal best for the partnership of more than 7%.
Few would’ve expected them to hit those heights on the biggest stage of all, upsetting the apple cart and overcoming some of the greatest horses of the modern era to take a spot on the podium.
But perhaps we should’ve learned by now to never count Isabell out, and she could’ve even won it here but for a small mistake in the one-time changes.
“I don’t know if this is good luck or bad luck,” added Isabell. “We had luck on our side yesterday, the Danish team could’ve won and today, I’m really happy with the result.
“There was such a high standard, the first test was 80% already, so I think it was fantastic, and for me, with this horse, and this atmosphere, I don’t feel that I’ve lost anything.”
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Oscar joined Horse & Hound in October 2023 and is the magazine’s dressage editor and sports manager, overseeing coverage of equestrian sport. After studying equine science at Myerscough College, he spent four years working for leading dressage rider Emile Faurie, competing at the 2015 National Dressage Championships and travelling with the yard to CDIs including Aachen and Saumur. He holds a master’s degree in Literature from York St John University (2021).
