Weihegold Retired from Sport at 2022 World Cup Finals

Dressage

Germany

After the prize giving ceremony of the 2022 World Cup Finals in Leizpig on 9 April 2022, a special retirement ceremony was held for Isabell Werth's Weihegold, who competed her last show there.

Her retirement was already announced earlier and originally the team had Frankfurt in mind as venue, but then due to the cancellation of Frankfurt because of corona, the moment was postponed to Leipzig with another competition start added.

Weihegold is a 17-year old Oldenburg mare by Don Schufro x Sandro Hit. She is bred by Inge Bastian and owned by Christine Arns-Krogman.

Career Overview

Weihegold made her break-through, in fact, under Isabell Werth's assistant trainer Beatrice Buchwald (now Hoffrogge). In 2013 Buchwald and Weihegold won the Nurnberger Burgpokal Finals and in 2014 the Louisdor Cup Finals.

In January 2016 Isabell Werth took over the ride on Weihegold after her sponsor Madeleine Winter-Schulze and the Klaus Rheinberger Foundation sign a contract and paid for the sport rights until the Rio Olympics (and later extended to Tokyo). Werth took over the ride, which prompted Buchwald to leave Rheinberg and go independent.

Werth and Weihegold won team gold and individual silver at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and team and double individual gold at the 2017 European Dressage Championships in Gothenburg. They won the World Cup Finals three years in a row in 2017, 2018 and 2019. At the 2021 European Championships in Hagen, they got team gold, GP Special silver and were fourth in the Kur. They were third in the 2022 World Cup Finals.

Retirement Ceremony

The mare was led into the arena with a special "Danke Weihegold" cooler and the team was brought to the centre of the arena where Isabell Werth thanked them in tears for their work, support and contribution.

Honoured were groom Steffi Wiegard, owner Christine Arns-Krogman (and husband Frank), sponsor Madeleine Winter-Schulze and Klaus Roeser (as representative for the Klaus Rheinberger Foundation), and German team trainers Monica Theodorescu and Jonny Hilberath. Also the Leipzig show organizer was thanked for staging the ceremony.

Owner Arns-Krogman also spoke to the crowd thanking the team and her horse Weihegold, who has become the foundation of her breeding business with embryotransfers through the years.

Werth then rode several final lap of honours which brought the crowd to their feet clapping.

Emotions Flowing

Werth said the following about the World Cup Finals and 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. 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”, Werth said. However she felt it was the perfect send-off in the end. “It was what you wish for a horse like her, to give her the last honour - it was just super!”, she added.

Weihegold will now return to Arns-Krogman's yard where she will continue her career as a broodmare.