Horses from the past
Our pensioners & those who are no longer with us but have made history
Satchmo
At the very highest level, the sport of dressage in the nineties was characterized by the duel between Isabell Werth and Anky van Grunsven. After the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the eternal rivals retired their successful horses Gigolo and Bonfire, and for a while other faces dominated the winners' podiums at the major championships. While Anky van Grunsven was making her first rounds on a promising black stallion named Salinero, Isabell Werth presented a new hopeful at the 2003 European Championships in Hickstead: Satchmo was the name of the then nine-year-old Sao Paulo son, who had only started competing the year before.
When he was two and a half years old, Isabell Werth's discoverer and long-time trainer Dr. Uwe Schulten-Baumer bought him from the Hanoverian licensing commission, so to speak, right out from under their noses. But the little brown stallion turned out to be so cheeky that Hannes Baumgart, who broke him in, soon asked whether it wouldn't be better to geld him. After that, handling Satchmo, whom Isabell Werth calls her “sensitive soul”, became easier, but the battle for the favor and trust of this extraordinarily elastic, but also extraordinarily complicated horse was far from over. In Hickstead, Isabell and Satchmo delivered the strike result with 68%, and those who were already gloomy at the time were full of glee the following year, because whatever Isabell Werth did in the saddle of her petite loner failed. It was the second piaffe that Satchmo interpreted as a signal to rise in almost every Grand Prix, and the further the season progressed, the more expensive the proverbial good advice seemed to become, until in July 2005 at the tournament on the Bonner Hardtberg with a spectacular disobedience the final end for the hoped-for participation in the home European Championships in Hagen a.T.W. . Four months later, Isabell Werth and Satchmo achieved 79.958% in the Grand Prix of Stuttgart – a new world record. What had happened? After various attempts to develop Satchmo's undeniable potential through a combination of training and wellness had failed, the vet finally found the key to his unpredictability: Isabell suspected that something might be wrong with his eyes, and she was right. Floating particles in his intraocular fluid were causing the gelding to see ghosts where there were none. The problem was solved with a relatively simple procedure, and the path to the top, which had previously been blocked by the proverbial devil in the details, was cleared. “I don't know of anyone who has ever been as involved with a horse as Isabell was with Satchmo,” recalls Isabell's patron and good soul Madeleine Winter-Schulze. “She kept calling me when she tried something new. Once she said, 'We'll put him out in the field with a pony now, it seems to do him good.' The perfection that the two now radiate is the result of a great deal of hard work. And her faith in this horse has always been unshakable.” Her former trainer Wolfram Wittig also remembers this time, when the support of her team was so important and helpful for Isabell Werth. “You wouldn't believe the kind of shows we sometimes had to compete at just to keep in touch with the sport. Once we were at a so-called CDI in Hungary, which took place in a single mud bath.”
But he never questioned the trust Isabell Werth placed in him, nor did Madeleine Winter-Schulze – and in 2006, Isabell Werth's team experienced its own summer fairytale: Isabell was appointed to the German World Cup team with her two top horses, but initially decided to compete with the chestnut gelding named “Hannes” Why not FRH. But a few days before the start of the World Equestrian Games, Satchmo's hour had come. In the training camp, “Hannes” injured himself in the box, and Satchmo took his place. Winning the team gold medal was not only a triumph for Germany, but especially for Isabell Werth, who shared third place in the competition with Anky van Grunsven. The big tears of joy flowed a day later, when Isabell Werth won the Grand Prix Special and thus became World Champion in “Technique”. The great trepidation that used to accompany Satchmo's performances was forgotten. The dressage queen was able to enter the sold-out arena at a leisurely pace on the long rein and then showed dressage as it should be done with her former problem horse: relaxed, harmonious, dynamic, concentrated. “This horse has taught me humility,” said Isabell Werth at the time, enriched by a priceless experience, and subsequently the duel between Isabell Werth and Anky van Grunsven began anew, with the two taking turns on the winners' podium at the European Championships in Turin and challenging each other again in 2008 at the Olympic Games in Hong Kong. “I never had a horse like him again, the way he could move,” recalls Satchmo's breeder Albert Kampert. ”Some horses only really come into their own when they're working, but with him it was already clear when he was a yearling, when he was running around in the pasture. You don't even believe that you can breed a horse like that. The only thing that mattered now was finding the right rider who also believed in the horse.” The fact that Isabell Werth was this rider is now written in the history books of dressage. Satchmo enjoyed his retirement at Isabell's facility in Rheinberg from 2011 until his death on July 30, 2022. Life data 1994 - 2022 Pedigree Sao Paulo x Legat Breeder Albert Kampert
Warum nicht FRH
IIsabell on August 3, 2015: “Our herd of retired horses has been reduced. Why not FRH, affectionately called Hannes by all of us, is no longer with us. I can't believe it, even though it's been a few days. In the meantime, I've had time to get used to the idea that our gentle and always good-humored giant is no longer with us. It all happened so quickly. Actually, Hannes, who ended his sports career three years ago after an unfortunate hip fracture and has since enjoyed his retirement here at our farm in the pasture, was doing great – until he suddenly showed signs of colic. We tried everything, even an operation. But it was already clear during the operation that he could not be saved. We then let him fall asleep peacefully under the anesthetic. I would have granted him many more years here, but it was not meant to be. Thank you Hannes for everything I was able to experience with you. I hope you are now cantering in another pasture – perhaps together with Gigolo and his friends. Farewell.”
Anthony FRH
Isabell on December 8, 2013 “Since a colic operation six years ago, Tony had occasional weather-related colic attacks, but so far they had been mild. But now, at the age of 27, he simply didn't have the strength to make it through another one. His heart was too weak, and we didn't want to put him through another operation that he would hardly have survived. I take comfort from the fact that Tony was able to enjoy another eight good years with us after retiring from the sport and that he could be released here at home. Nevertheless, it is always hard to lose a four-legged friend. Tony and I had been a team since I was 20 years old. We went through ups and downs together – and I am glad that I was able to be there for him on his last journey.”
Apache
Isabell on August 3, 2012 “I have sad news to report: Apache is dead. We had to put our big fat boy to sleep. He hadn't been feeling well for a while after he was seriously injured in a fall six months ago. But we wanted to do everything we could to help him fully recover so that he could enjoy his well-deserved retirement for a few more years. But it was not to be, and with heavy hearts we had to make this one last decision for him. Everyone who knew this horse will miss him. With his height of 1.83 m and his strong build, he may not have been a sylph in the dressage ring, but he was a fighter and an athlete. He had almost 80 wins under his belt, from S to Grand Prix, before he was retired from the sport at the end of 2010. But what characterized him even more were his tremendous kindness, his sensitivity and his devotion. Once Apache had taken someone into his heart, he would do so for life. I will feel the same way about him. Who knows, maybe he will see his former companions Gigolo and Fabienne again in the big pasture.”
Don Johnson
Gigolo
Isabell on 23.9.2009 “Yesterday we had to put Gigolo to sleep. His health had deteriorated so rapidly after an injury that the vet could only put him out of his misery. Gigolo was 26 years old, and he was my companion for more than 20 of them. He was my teacher, sports partner and friend; I owe a lot to his reliability and willingness to perform. 26 is a blessed age for a horse and I am glad that we were able to give him a good retirement after his sports career. Here at the yard, he enjoyed his retirement with his girlfriend Fabienne, and I could look out of the office window at his pasture and remember the great triumphs that we were able to celebrate together in ten years of competition: we won four Olympic gold medals, two Olympic silver medals, four world championship titles, eight European championship titles and four German championship titles. Gigolo was the most successful sport horse ever. Beyond the sport, he has had a decisive influence on my life, and I look back on the years with him with great gratitude. I am sure that Gigolo FRH will not only remain unforgettable for me.”
Emilio
Bay Westfalen gelding by Ehrenpreis x Cacir AA, born 2006, bred by ZG Strunk. Emilio... another horse with a complicated history that almost didn't have a happy ending because he used to suffer from life-threatening panic attacks when being mounted. His self-confidence has always been an issue during his sporting career, but his skepticism has not prevented him from achieving top results and getting better and better. He has even achieved freestyle results of 89%. I saw him off in Wiesbaden in 2024 at the peak of his performance. Somehow it is almost strange that he never accompanied me to a major championship. But I always knew that I could count on Emilio. And to have a horse like that in reserve was just a great feeling!”
Weihegold
Oldenburg black mare by Don Schufro * Sandro Hit, born in 2005, breeder: Inge Bastian Isabell in May 2022: This horse is – perhaps precisely because she doesn't have the strongest trot – a teacher of what dressage really is all about. It's not about who cuts the best figure on the long trot diagonals. It's about rideability, a sure rhythm and external and internal balance. She was able to score with this and gave me many a great moment in my career. Rio de Janeiro is unforgettable, where you could have heard a pin drop during our special. Back then, we beat the great Valegro and gave the German team Olympic gold. And winning the silver medal in the freestyle was still as good as coming second in show jumping with Bayern Munich 🙂 Weihegold's sporting career ended after the 2022 World Cup, where I was able to say goodbye to her in Leipzig to standing ovations from the audience. A new chapter is beginning in the life of this great mare, from whom I say goodbye with gratitude and for whom I continue to wish only the best!
