Photo Report: Throwback to a Training Day at the 2025 CDIO Aachen

-- Text and Photos © Barbara Schnell - No reproduction allowed

I spent the first half of the year translating three books back to back. I‘m just finishing the third one; I have two unexpected copy-edits on my desk, plus just last week my graphic collaborator and I sent a book project of our own out for its first test printing. None of the above had anything to do with horses; I did not manage to go to any horse shows, and at the end of June, Aachen suddenly seemed very far away.

But of course Monday night I switched my alarm clock from its usual eight A.M. to five-thirty so I could be there for the tricky but beautiful morning sun in the dressage arena (Tuesday I had to set it back to four-thirty – due to the heat wave the organizers decided to open an hour earlier so people could ride in the cooler hours).

It was irresistible. I watched in awe how Ingrid Klimke worked with Vayron, from having her hands full in tiny voltes to having no stirrups on her feet in perfect pirouettes a couple of days later. I watched Becky Moody train both her horses with an imperturbable deliberateness that lead to beauty and regularity in her tests. I watched Marieke van der Putten ride three horses with ease and poise. I watched Isabell Werth keep honing Wendy‘s athleticism.

I don‘t have any bad pictures of Isabell and Wendy. They always trained out in the open until the competitions started and the show grounds became more crowded. Then Isabell switched to the indoor arena to warm up and only came outside for the mandatory ten-minute-arena right before her test.

Having overheard „colleagues“ (from public radio, no less) on the hunt for that one bad second to scandalize, I can see why Isabell did that. People who are out to find flaws are bound to find flaws, and some riders are bound to attract more attention than others.  Hiding from public view doesn‘t cure that disease, though – it just lends room to speculation. Whether its purpose is personal protection or the welfare of the sport (or a combination of both) – the naysayers will always find something to nag about, and at the end of the day, it‘s a pity for the sport.

What bugs me, personally? I never managed to see Justin Verboomen train. Next year, please, I hope.

Related Links
Scores: 2025 CDIO Aachen