LAST Saturday night’s dressage FEI World Cup final had it all – a home win for Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on her last big outing before taking a break to have a baby, and the retirement of a legendary horse in the sport.

It was a special moment when Isabell Werth’s great mare, Weihegold OLD, finished her final ever test to a rapturous round of applause and standing ovation from the home crowd. The fabulous test earned them a score of 85.92% when fifth last to go and saw them finish third.

Team gold and individual silver at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, European team gold in 2017, three World Cup titles in a row including the last one in 2019 and team gold at last year’s European Championships in Hagen among their many achievements - their record has been extraordinary.

Denmark had a strong hand at this championship and it was Catherine Dufour, second last to go, with the 10-year-old gelding Vamos Amigo who took over the lead from Werth. A beautiful test saw them earn 86.16% to go into the lead, but the current Olympic and European champion was yet to come. “He’s never been in a ring as full as this before, he was really brave today,” Dufour said, adding he was “like a bomb!”

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl arrived in Leipzig for the final on the crest of a wave but with TSF Dalera BB, as she pointed out, a little “rounder” than usual because she is expecting her second baby to arrive in a few months’ time.

However the little bit of extra weight wasn’t bothering Dalera as the pair executed yet another exquisite test that demonstrated the delightful harmony between these two.

No words

The crowd erupted yet again when they scored 90.83% to leave the result in no doubt. “I just wanted to come here and of course it was my goal to show what we have shown the last couple of months, but it couldn’t have been better to take a little break now and come back soon,” von Bredow-Werndl said at the press conference.

Dufour joked that she shouldn’t rush returning to the sport after her baby arrives - “just stay away for a while,” she suggested with an enormous laugh.

Reflecting on yet another big championship win, von Bredow-Werndl said: “There are no words! She was phenomenal - she always leaves her heart for me in that square (in the arena) and it is not natural at all, and at the same time she does it again and again.

“I have the feeling even now that we are not yet at the end of our journey together,” said the athlete who believes her mare has even more room for improvement.

After the prizegiving the emotions were flowing again when Werth and Weihegold entered the arena for the mare’s retirement ceremony.

“When you are in a competition you are focused on that, and of course the last line (of their Freestyle) was also quite emotional and when they gave Weihe the standing ovation that was very great,” Werth said.

“But to go in with the team of people who have been around for the last seven or eight years that was really emotional, to feel the atmosphere. It was what you wish for a horse like her, to give her the last honour - it was just super,” she added.