Story – Christopher Hector Photos K-H Frieler
After her final (winning! Score 82.845) performance on Don Johnson in the Freestyle at Frankfurt, Isabell was all aglow reflecting on Johnny’s career that spanned nine years at the Grand Prix level.
“Today was very special, the last one with Johnny with this special atmosphere, with the crowd. It’s his last competition, he will be eighteen next year, so I think what can we do better than retire him when he is such good shape, with such a charisma. I am really proud of him and think he deserves his retirement.”
Don Johnson and Isabell surrounded by the German support team, owner, Madeleine Winter-Schultz and team coach, Monica Theodorescu asking the questions…
What will you do – give him to a young rider?
“There’s no-one who wants to ride him! (Isabell has burst into laughter) He is like he is and we really love him, and we will keep him at home and hopefully he will have the next ten years in the field. I look forward to that.”
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What have been the other great freestyles in your amazing career?
“Of course with Bella in Rotterdam (the 2019 European Championships), with Gigolo in Atlanta for the Olympic Games, and of course with him in my first ever freestyle at a Championships, it was in Mondorf (European Championships 1989),it was the first, and the exercise was the extended canter, back to the pirouette, then back into the changes. Now it’s copied by everyone, but it was the first time we showed it in a championship, so I think it is our exercise, and was copied by a lot of riders.”
The next big one with Gigolo was at Atlanta…
“Because it was the first individual gold medal of the Olympics, and the music with Gigolo was always special, Just a Gigolo and Monty Python, so that was something special. And then it was the whole situation in Atlanta, we could get the gold medal back because after the Special, Anky was in the lead, so that was really special for me that I could get it in the Freestyle.”
“Then the World Cup win with Weihegold at Paris, that was very special (Weihegold and Isabell have won the World Cup three years running, Omaha 2017, Paris 2018, Göteborg 2019) because I had a bad Grand Prix and then we really turned it in the Freestyle, it was a super atmosphere also, and really special.”
The most memorable one with Bella?
“Rotterdam Europeans… That was special because we couldn’t compete in the Freestyle at Tryon (the Freestyle was abandoned at the 2018 WEG because of rain) and it was great to be able to show that Freestyle in Rotterdam. The music is really really nice and fits her really well. I always get goosebumps with the music and every time I compete with Bella, that is something special.”
Don Johnson retires, who’s the next exciting star hidden in your stable?
Belantis
“I have two really great young ones. Belantis, now he is on the really good way to the Grand Prix, it needed a bit longer than I thought but now I think we are on the way. He’s ten, and then I have a seven years old one, a mare, Superb (Isabell pronounces it Super B) and Superb is just fantastic…”
Superb, she’s Superb…
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