Two of Isabell Werth’s top horses, Don Johnson FRH and Bella Rose 2, won’t vie for a spot on the German team at this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Don Johnson didn’t compete at this year’s Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final (Sweden) due to an injury he sustained immediately before, and Bella Rose’s last competition was the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (France). There she was Germany’s highest score for team gold.
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“Don Johnson will need about three to four months until his injury is fully healed and he can start again,” said Werth in a statement from the German Equestrian Federation. “And Bella Rose has not yet reached the necessary stability and consistency that would be needed for the championship. For me this is a huge disappointment, especially since both horses were on a hopeful course.”
Werth also has the ride on Weihegold OLD and Emilio 107, and she will seek a spot on the team with one of those horses. Weihegold OLD and Werth scored an 80.02 percent in the Grand Prix at the Neumünster CDI-W (Germany) earlier this year.
