Video of the Week: Bareback Dressage with Isabell Werth

Satchmo may be retired from dressage competition, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still get out there and show the youngsters how it’s done. You may remember Satchmo from his two gold medals at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, or his silver medal performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. These days, he’s enjoying his retirement with his legendary rider Isabell Werth.

In this video, Werth and 19-year-old Satchmo run through their repertoire of upper-level movements without a saddle, bit or spurs. They prove that they can still piaffe, passage and pirouette with the best of them, and have fun doing it.

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12 years ago

Leslie Potter

Leslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, Ky. Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.

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View Comments

Andrea says:
February 8, 2013 at 10:34 am
Beautiful. Shows that senior horses can still do good!!!
PKL says:
February 9, 2013 at 6:15 am
Beautiful done. Both the rider and the horse seem to be enjoying it.
kygal says:
February 10, 2013 at 11:24 am
still got it
Pippin 11626 says:
February 11, 2013 at 10:46 pm
Wow! That was so beautiful.
I love how at the end he bent back to say hello. So sweet! They have the perfect partnership.
Mackenzie says:
February 12, 2013 at 5:14 am
Beautiful!!
Linda says:
February 13, 2013 at 11:04 am
Inspirational!!!
Sandra says:
March 12, 2015 at 2:19 am
How lovely to see such a partnership, but also to see that Isabell Werth, great rider as she is, has not abandoned this wonderful horse in his retirement from top competition.