Words by Jan Tönjes, & translated by Ute Raabe – Photos by Jacques Toffi
Her winning smile has to be her trademark. It’s genuine, Jessica glows from the inside. Then there’s Jessica’s approach to training her horse – hill climbing and canter track instead of the dressage arena. Time to pay Jessica a visit and meet the person behind that smile.
The blonde German rider lives in Aubenhausen with her husband Max and her brother Benjamin and his girlfriend. The alpine panorama beyond the stable buildings reminds us of how close we are to Salzburg and the Austrian border. Mum Micaela and Benjamin greet us at the entrance, we have the living proof that the famous smile runs in the family. The only time Jessica’s smile is said to have disappeared momentarily is when Monica Theodorescu likened her zig-zag halfpass to a combined slalom. Oops.
Father Klaus completes the Werndl-team. He is full of ideas, his business portfolio includes property restoration, a gym and gastronomy. His wife Micaela, once a member of the Junior skiing team, has just completed a yoga instructors’ course. She discovered her passion for horses as an adult, abandoned her skis and began training dressage up to advanced level. These days she is very involved in riding for the disabled. The Werndl’s retired dressage horse, 24-year-old Nocturne is used for the therapeutic riding lessons twice a week.
The Werndl family has a stable and training centre that leaves nothing to be desired. What was once a small homestead and a muddy compound now features two dressage arenas, paddocks, a canter track and an indoor arena with alpine view. Let’s not forget the crystal chandeliers in the indoor and the candelabras in the stables. “That was Mum’s idea,” Jessica admits. Her Grand Prix horse Unee BB is the star of the stables and resides in a generously sized stable. The son of Gribaldi was bred in Holland and licensed in Munich, Germany.
“He is very clean,” Jessica says, “when he gets back to the stable he first goes to the left corner, that’s his toilet. We even have to moisten the sawdust, he doesn’t like it too dusty.” Unee is stabled on sawdust because he is a very good eater. He also spends time in his paddock, a must for any horse at Aubenhausen.
Unee BB is owned by Swiss dressage judge Beatrice Bürchler-Keller, who has stopped judging since Unee’s international success. Beatrice first gave the stallion to fellow countrywoman Jasmin Sanche-Burger for his initial education. By the time Unee had progressed to advanced level, Beatrice decided it was time for a change of rider. She met the Werndl family in 2012 when she bought a horse from them and she had liked the way the gelding had been trained and handled. A decision was made and Unee moved to Aubenhausen.
It took a little time for the stallion to settle in his surroundings, but now he owns the place. “He is so arrogant,“ Jessica laughs, “but he loves to compete.”
It was a different story back in 2013 during the German National Championships. Unee didn’t cope with the heat, he wasn’t forward enough in the test; many riders had the same problem with their horses. Then Ingrid Klimke entered the warm up arena with Dresden Mann and effortlessly cantered around in a forward seat for 20 minutes. An eye-opener as Jessica describes it: “I asked Ingrid what she does differently.” Ingrid was only too happy to share her tips and tricks: varying the daily training routine and cantering uphill. It was to be the catalyst for Unee’s transformation, which led to the pair’s personal best scores in the World Cup Freestyle in Neumünster (84,425 % and third place) and Gothenburg (81,35% and first place). The dressage world saw a ‘new’ Unee, forward, active and bright.
Jessica explains: “For weeks I didn’t practice any movements, I just went to the race track – gallop, gallop and more gallop. And I bought cavalettis!” The gallop training achieved the major breakthrough; Unee is fitter and more athletic. He shows his new power in a very difficult sequence in his freestyle: double pirouette, then extended canter down the centreline towards the judges, followed by a piaffe pirouette. “It only works because Unee is with me, he is expecting another gallop with each pirouette!” Jessica beams.
Jessica’s husband, Max von Bredow is only too happy to share the newly acquired training methods with his wife. He rides eventing up to advanced level, and whenever time allows, they train together. Max is working in real estate and usually rides before work. “Jessica is still in bed then,” Max says and is promptly corrected by a protesting Jessica, “I am already out running in the morning.” Perhaps extra fitness is required since Unee has already put on more weight in his break after the indoor season.
There’s always room for improvement and recently Jessica has called Michael Jung for some tips. The Olympic gold medallist recommended trotting uphill for further strength training. And this is what the pair does now; the Dutch horse becomes a mountaineer happily trotting up the hills, always accompanied by the family’s rescue dog, Chica.
There are 35 horses in the stables at Aubenhausen, Jessica rides six horses every day, while her brother, one full-time Bereiter and two part-time staff take care of the others. Der Hit by Delgado is currently Benjamin’s best horse, although he is not yet as successful as Unee BB. “Your time will come, you’ll see. Just wait until he has more strength,” Jessica assures her brother, on whose support she relies. The siblings have always done things together, especially competing. Their tally shows more than 100 wins in advanced-level dressage and 20 medals from Junior and Young Rider championships, all attained between 2002 and 2005.
Do they ever tire of each other? “No!” the answer comes in unison. “Of course we have the odd disagreement,” Jessica adds, “but never about riding. Benni is my most important coach, we see each other every day, we can help each other out.” Her brother agrees: “I am a part of Jessica’s success and that makes me proud.”
Jonny Hilberath also visits regularly. His wish: “Unee enters the arena with pricked ears.”
Both Jessica and Benjamin have completed a correspondence course in economy. Their parents supported them financially at first, but now they have to show that their stables in Aubenhausen are commercially sustainable. The business model is about training and selling. They have sold their junior and young rider championship horses and acquired a string of young horses. Jessica sighs: “We knew that it would be a long journey, but this long…?”
At least the young horses are showing promise. The Werndl name appears in the results lists of the World Championship of young dressage horses, the Bundeschampionat and the Nürnberger-Burg-Pokal prize. Then there is the big event in Aubenhausen itself, elite competition and entertainment.
What does the future hold for Aubenhausen? Zaire, a grand-daughter of De Niro, has had her first success at Grand Prix level with Jessica in the saddle. And in summer, Benjamin’s girlfriend is expecting her first child.
Smiles all around are guaranteed – open, honest and genuine.
