The QUEEN Is Back! Isabell Werth and Bella Rose Score 80% In The Grand Prix Dressage Test
Isabell Werth and Bella Rose made an impeccable come back to the competition ring after a 20 month break from showing. The pair smoothly won the Grand Prix for Special at the 2021 CDI Mannheim on Wednesday 28 April 2021.
20-Month Break
Werth and Madeleine Winter-Schulze’s 17-year old Westfalian mare (by Belissimo M x Cacir AA) last competed at the 2019 European Dressage Championships in Rotterdam, where they swept the board and won triple gold.
The 2020 corona year with a string of cancelled shows and the official postponement of the Olympic Games in Tokyo gave the mare with sensitive health a welcome break from competition sport.
Her come back was anticipated for the 2021 German Dressage Championships in Balve on 3 – 6 June 2021, so great was the surprise when Isabell suddenly trailered Bella Rose to Mannheim, without her start being officially declared with the FEI on the entry list. Show organizers have the liberty to fill a field with late entries, no matter if they were entered with the FEI or not.
Smooth Operator
There was absolutely no sign of ring rust to be seen on the chestnut mare in Mannheim. The highly decorated Bella Rose shone as usual in her highlight movements and her weak points remained the same.
Werth began her ride with a strong halt at entry. The extended trots are the mares literal sore spot as she becomes Paso fino quick and hurried and is unable to achieve any overstep in the ground cover (the judges score this 7 – 7.5) . However, she immediately followed that up with the most brilliant trot half passes and a very good rein back. The first passage was a bit swaying at the onset, but had nice suspension. All three piaffes were impeccable in the rhythm, on the spot and the transitions in and out were seamless. Overall one wishes to see a bit more sit behind and lowering of the haunches in piaffe instead of a leaning on the shoulders, but Werth seems to trade that card for the sake of rhythm. The extended walk had much overtrack, but the clarity of rhythm is not the greatest (6.5 – 7.5), the collected walk was ambling nearing M (6.5 – 8). The second piaffe-passage was fantastic although a few piaffe steps were uneven behind. The canter work started out very securely: good two tempi’s, a correct zig zag (although they could be more ground covering), a strong canter extension. Then there was a mistake in the ones (4 – 6) and although the pirouettes were cadenced, the mare needed to collect and sit more behind. The final centerline was delightful.
Judges Adriaan F. Hamoen (NED), Hans-Christian Matthiesen (DEN), Evi Eisenhardt, Alice Schwab (AUT), and Katrina Wüst (GER) were unanimous in ranking her first with a 79.957% total. Individual marks, however, ranged from 77.065% to 83.370% !! Video here.
“That wasn’t so bad for a spontaneous action. I’m very happy,” Isabell commented after her ride. “I actually just wanted to bring her for training, but yesterday we decided to ride her in the Grand Prix.”