Four legs move my soul – Isabell Werth’s book

There are riders, great riders, and champions. And there are legends, and without a doubt Isabell Werth is one of them. The German champion, the Queen of Dressage, who last weekend, at the German Master in Stuttgard, won the Grand Prix Freestyle of the Dressage World Cup for the Western League, riding her trusty Wendy de Fontaine, has written a book in which she recounts her successes, her thoughts, her horses.

In short, the wonderful life of a crazy woman. Four legs move my soul, this is the title, stops at the successes of 2019, although it was reprinted in the spring of this year, and perhaps it would need an update, given that at the last Olympics Isabell and Wendy roared to victory both as an individual pair, winning the silver medal, and as a team, standing on the top step of the podium.

After all, she is the only one who has managed to win at least one medal in seven different editions of the Games, and with different horses. In short, our Queen, at 55, is in better shape than ever and her book is a true vademecum for anyone who loves the sport.

An interesting plot

It all begins on the farm in Rheinberg, in the lower Rhine, owned by her family and still today the refuge of our champion and her beautiful animals. Isabell began riding as a child and, urged on by her mother, realised from the start that it was serious. After all, none of her countless successes are due to chance. Isabell has a gift that, however, must be cultivated, cared for and this can only be done with commitment, dedication and good teachers. Hers is her unique approach to working with the animals she has loved since childhood.

She has a special intuition for empathising with horses and being able to predict their reactions in every situation. This gift, combined with talent and technique, have helped get her to where she is now. For the writing of her book, Isabell Werth collaborated with sports journalist Evi Simeoni, who takes us on an excursus of her career to tell the story of her life.

Between the pages of this book we can learn about the German champion’s successes and failures and understand her thoughts on the biggest controversies that move the dressage world, such as the issue of the Rollkur.

But that’s not all, we can read about the long and fruitful relationship between the young Werth and ‘The Doctor’, the great technician Uwe Schulten-Baumer, whose advice accompanied the champion for many years, creating a partnership of respect and friendship. And again the great life and competition companions who from Olympics to Olympics, from World Cup to World Cup, have accompanied Isabell in the field.

Pages of history

From Gigolo to Bella Rose, passing by Satchmo, not forgetting Warum Nicht and the many high equines that have contributed to Isabell Werth’s title of Queen of Dressage. A champion inside and outside the rectangle, a humble and approachable person capable of taking us inside the pages of her book, enrapturing us with anecdotes that anyone who loves dressage cannot fail to read.

The book, available in the original language or in English, is an excellent gift for those who love horses and wish to draw inspiration from the greatest of them all who, in simple words, explains how nothing is an accident, especially in dressage, but how with work, dedication and a lot of love and respect for horses, everything is possible.

Elena Pecora

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