Isabell Werth (born 21 July 1969 in Issum) is a German equestrian and world champion in dressage who competed in the Olympics six times (1992, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2016, 2020) winning twelve medals, seven of them gold. She holds the record for the most Olympic medals won by any equestrian athlete.
Werth rode Gigolo, owned by Uwe Schulten-Baumer, her coach from 1986 until 2001. [1] On Gigolo, she won all her championships between 1992 and 2000, save for the 1999 European Championships in Arnheim, where she rode Anthony FRH. In 2006, she started riding Warum Nicht FRH at the international level and with him won the 2007 World Cup in Las Vegas. Warum Nicht retired in 2012. [2] Werth competed at the Olympic Games with Satchmo, who subsequently retired in November 2011. In 2010, Werth started riding El Santo at the international level until the horse was transferred in 2016 to Spanish rider José Antonio Garcia Mena. [3] In 2016, Werth secured the ride on Weihegold Old, with whom she won the team gold medal and a silver medal in the Individual Dressage at the Rio Olympics.
| Results | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Event | Horse | Score | Placing | Notes | ||||||
| 1989 | European Championships | Weingart | 13th | Individual | |||||||
| 1991 | European Championships | Gigolo FRH |  | Team | |||||||
| Individual | ||||||||||
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Gigolo FRH | | Team | |||||||
 | Individual | ||||||||||
| 1993 | European Championships | Gigolo FRH | | Team | |||||||
| Individual | ||||||||||
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Gigolo FRH | | Team | |||||||
| Individual | ||||||||||
| 1998 | World Equestrian Games | Gigolo FRH | | Team | |||||||
| Individual | ||||||||||
| 1999 | European Championships | Antony FRH | | Team | |||||||
| 16th | Individual | ||||||||||
| 2000 | World Cup Final | Antony FRH | 4th | ||||||||
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Gigolo FRH | | Team | |||||||
| Individual | ||||||||||
| 2001 | World Cup Final | Antony FRH | | ||||||||
| 2001 | European Championships | Antony FRH | | Team | |||||||
| 16th | Individual | ||||||||||
| 2002 | World Cup Final | Antony FRH | 5th | ||||||||
| 2003 | World Cup Final | Antony FRH | 4th | ||||||||
| 2003 | European Championships | Satchmo 78 | 17th | Individual | |||||||
| 2004 | World Cup Final | Apache OLD | 9th | ||||||||
| 2006 | World Cup Final | Warum Nicht FRH | | ||||||||
| 2006 | World Equestrian Games | Satchmo 78 | | Team | |||||||
| Individual Special | ||||||||||
 | Individual Freestyle | ||||||||||
| 2007 | World Cup Final | Warum Nicht FRH | 84.250% | | |||||||
| 2007 | European Championships | Satchmo 78 | 76.750% | | Team | ||||||
| 78.360% | | Individual Special | |||||||||
| 83.200% | | Individual Freestyle | |||||||||
| 2008 | World Cup Final | Warum Nicht FRH | 82.600% | | |||||||
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Satchmo 78 | 76.417% | | Team | ||||||
| 78.100% | | Individual | |||||||||
| 2009 | World Cup Final | Satchmo 78 | 84.500% | | |||||||
| 2010 | World Cup Final | Warum Nicht FRH | 79.750% | 4th | |||||||
| 2010 | World Equestrian Games | Warum Nicht FRH | 75.404% | | Team | ||||||
| 72.000% | 10th | Individual Special | |||||||||
| 80.000% | 6th | Individual Freestyle | |||||||||
| 2011 | World Cup Final | Satchmo 78 | 77.143% | 5th | |||||||
| 2011 | European Championships | El Santo NRW | 75.213% | | Team | ||||||
| 76.533% | 7th | Individual Special | |||||||||
| 80.536% | 7th | Individual Freestyle | |||||||||
| 2012 | World Cup Final | El Santo NRW | 79.964% | 4th | |||||||
| 2013 | World Cup Final | Don Johnson FRH | 80.429% | 5th | |||||||
| 2013 | European Championships | Don Johnson FRH | 75.213% | | Team | ||||||
| 71.890% | 20th | Individual Special | |||||||||
| 2014 | World Cup Final | El Santo NRW | 79.089% | 5th | |||||||
| 2014 | World Equestrian Games | Bella Rose 2 | 81.529% | | Team | ||||||
| 31st | Individual Special | ||||||||||
| 2015 | World Cup Final | El Santo NRW | 77.875% | 6th | |||||||
| 2015 | European Championships | Don Johnson FRH | 74.900% | | Team | ||||||
| 75.924% | 7th | Individual Special | |||||||||
| 82.483% | 4th | Individual Freestyle | |||||||||
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Weihegold OLD | 80.463% | | Team | ||||||
| 89.071% | | Individual | |||||||||
| 2017 | World Cup Final | Weihegold OLD | 90.704% | | |||||||
| 2017 | European Championships | Weihegold OLD | 83.743% | | Team | ||||||
| 83.613% | | Individual Special | |||||||||
| 90.982% | | Individual Freestyle | |||||||||
| 2018 | World Cup Final | Weihegold OLD | 90.658% | | |||||||
| 2018 | World Equestrian Games | Bella Rose 2 | 84.824% | | Team | ||||||
| 86.246% | | Individual Special | |||||||||
| 2019 | World Cup Final | Weihegold OLD | 88.872% | | |||||||
| 2019 | European Championships | Bella Rose 2 | 85.652% | | Team | ||||||
| 86.520% | | Individual Special | |||||||||
| 90.875% | | Individual Freestyle | |||||||||
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Bella Rose 2 | 83.298% | | Team | ||||||
| 89.657% | | Individual Freestyle | |||||||||
On 24 June 2009, the forbidden substance fluphenazine was found in the A-sample from Werth's horse Whisper at a Whitsun tournament at Wiesbaden. She was suspended from all tournaments by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI). On 2 September 2009, the suspension was set by the FEI to six months from 23 June. [4] [5]
Werth subsequently stated that the drug was given to the horse to treat equine shivers—mainly for the safety of the horse's handlers—and that she does not believe the drug influences a horse's ability to compete. [6]
In 2007, a PC Game was released called "Isabell Werth – Reitsport". [7] Made by French company Dancing Dots / German publisher Frogster Interactive, [8] it is an Equestrian Simulation with 3-day Eventing, Show Jumping and Cross-Country Riding. Isabell Werth takes a part as an on-screen trainer, giving advice and pointers on how to ride and handle horses during training and eventing. Now out of print, the original websites can be seen at the Internet Archive Wabac machine, and the game itself is now available at Big Fish Games retitled – "Ride! Equestrian Simulation", [9] with a French-man replacing Isabell as the trainer. Isabell's game character file is still in the data structure of the game, and using a patch still available, [10] the game executable can be overwritten, converting it to the original German version, except for the German instructional audio which is missing.
A Hanoverian is a Warmblood horse breed originating in Germany, which is often seen in the Olympic Games and other competitive English riding styles, and has won gold medals in all three equestrian Olympic competitions. It is one of the oldest, most numerous, and most successful of the Warmblood breeds. Originally a cavalry horse, infusions of more Thoroughbred blood lightened it to make it more agile and useful for competition. The Hanoverian is known for a good temperament, athleticism, beauty, and grace.
Theodora Elisabeth Gerarda "Anky" van Grunsven is a Dutch dressage champion who is the only rider to record three successive Olympic wins in the same event. Along with her Olympic successes, she has won numerous medals at the World Equestrian Games (WEG), and is the only rider to have competed at every WEG since they began in 1990. Between 1990 and 2006, she competed at the Games in dressage, but in 2010 she was named as part of the Dutch reining team, marking a major change in discipline.
Andreas Helgstrand is a Danish dressage rider. He won four consecutive Danish dressage championships, from 2005 through 2008.
Ludger Beerbaum is an internationally successful German equestrian who competes in show jumping and has been ranked the No. 1 Show Jumper in the world by the FEI on multiple occasions. He is also a four-time Olympic Gold medalist team and individual.
Nicole Uphoff is a German equestrian who competes in the sport of dressage. She won four gold medals in individual and team competition at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics. Riding her star horse, Rembrandt, Uphoff also won numerous other international competitions, including the World Equestrian Games and the European Dressage Championships.
Hans Peter Minderhoud is a Dutch dressage rider.
Adelinde Cornelissen is a Dutch dressage rider.
Ingrid Klimke is a German eventing rider. She appeared at five Olympics from 2000 to 2016. With her horse Abraxxas, she won two gold medals in team eventing at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won a team silver with Hale-Bob.
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Heike Kemmer is a German equestrian who competes in the sport of dressage. She won team gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, as well as individual bronze in 2008. She also won medals at the German Dressage Championships and European Dressage Championships, as well as assisting the German team to gold at the 2006 World Equestrian Games. Kemmer retired Bonaparte 67, upon whom she had won most of her international medals, in 2011.
Ulla Salzgeber is a German equestrian and Olympic champion who competes in the sport of dressage. Competing in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, she won two team gold medals, one individual silver and one individual bronze. She also won numerous medals at the World Equestrian Games, Dressage World Cup and European Dressage Championships. After the retirement of her Olympic horse, Rusty, after the 2004 Games, and unexpected death of her second international-level mount in 2005, Salzgeber struggled to find a new Grand Prix-level horse.
Gigolo FRH was a liver chestnut Hanoverian gelding, ridden for Germany by Isabell Werth in dressage competitions. During their competition career, the pair won four gold and two silver medals at Olympic games, four world championships, eight European championships, and four German championships. Gigolo was euthanized in 2009 after being injured, but is known today as history's most successful dressage horse.
Edward Gal is a Dutch dressage rider. He and the stallion Totilas, were triple gold medalists at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games, becoming the first horse-rider partnership ever to sweep the three available dressage gold medals at a single FEI World Games. Going into the 2010 Games, they had amassed multiple world-record scores in international competition, leading one American journalist to call them "rock stars in the horse world". After the World Equestrian Games, Totilas was sold to German trainer Paul Schockemöhle. Gal continues to be successful training and competing dressage horses at the international level. Despite the success, he has been criticised to be harsh trainer who creates stressed and fearful horses.
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Rembrandt was a dark bay Westphalian gelding ridden for Germany by Nicole Uphoff in dressage competitions. Together, the pair won four Olympic gold medals, three gold and one silver World Equestrian Games medals, and numerous other international championships. Although known as a sensitive horse prone to spookiness, Rembrandt's elegance and expression in the ring allowed him to become one of the top horses in the sport of dressage.
Uwe Schulten-Baumer, nicknamed "Der Doktor", was a German show jumping and dressage rider who became an internationally famous dressage trainer and coach who worked with Nicole Uphoff and Isabell Werth, who won 4 and 5, respectively, Olympic gold medals in individual and team dressage.
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Laura Graves is an American dressage rider. She represented the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics where she won a bronze medal in the team dressage competition. After winning double silver medals at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, NC, Laura became the first American dressage rider to be ranked No. 1 in FEI World rankings, aboard her longtime partner Verdades.
'This illness is not painful and does not influence a horse's ability to compete, but it entails an increased risk for the persons working with the horse (farrier, groom, rider),' Werth said.
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