This afternoon, German four-time Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl released a video to respond to criticism leveled at her on social media following her victory in the Stuttgart World Cup stage with Diallo BB two weeks ago.
Indeed, in a video of just a few seconds published on diemitdenpferden’s Instagram account and showing the prize giving of the event, we can see the ten-year-old gelding, visibly tense due to the atmosphere, exhibiting an asymmetrical movement of the hindquarters during a few strides. His rider was keen to explain the origin of this apparent embarrassment and to point out that all the rules in force in such a competition had been strictly respected. In particular, she published a video extract of the inspection of the horses, then of her warm-up with her Hanoverian. As for the criticized extract, the German explained that it showed “three or four beats loaded with tension”, where, according to her, Diallo adopted a look “between walking and trotting”. “Then he got his pencils a little tangled, and showed these few asymmetrical steps,” she continues. “It is very important to differentiate between a horse that feels pain and one that shows nervousness, and it is completely normal for a young horse to feel nervous in such an atmosphere and when he has never experienced such a prize giving before.”
In the description of her publication, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl emphasized Diallo’s exemplary behavior throughout the Stuttgart competition: “He trusted me more and more as the tests went on and he remained connected to me despite the extraordinary atmosphere that reigned, both during the tests and during the victory lap. It is completely normal that he could not stay still in the darkness under the spotlights and the noise of the speakers, and that he was nervous to the point of not really knowing what to do with his legs. The experience will one day allow him to remain relaxed and still during the ceremony award ceremony, but it takes time, until then, my goal is to give him everything he needs so that he gains this experience and the necessary confidence in me without any pressure, but with a lot of love.”
