Jessica von Bredow-Werndl at the 2019 Europeans
The German dressage rider of the moment chats to Polly Bryan about her Olympic aims, going vegan and why she nearly quit the sport
THE cancellation of the second consecutive World Cup Final was galling for many people, but perhaps none more so than Jessica von Bredow-Werndl. For two years running, the German rider has topped the rankings for the highly competitive Western European League, and each year the final has been called off, first succumbing to coronavirus and then the outbreak of equine herpes virus.
On the day we speak, Jessica should have been doing her grand prix at the final in Gothenburg, riding her 2019 European individual bronze medallist TSF Dalera BB in an attempt to deny her compatriot Isabell Werth yet another World Cup title. Instead, she is having an office day, a novelty borne from the past year of lockdowns.
“My main office is on a horse, but even when I gave my horses a day off, I wasn’t taking a day off myself. So during ‘corona’, I rethought my schedule and now I have one office day a week, and one day completely off. It’s working perfectly, but everyone assumes I’ve had so much spare time with competitions cancelled.”
Actually, Jessica has been busier than many during the first part of 2021. Having kicked off the year by winning the World Cup qualifier in Salzburg, she then travelled to Doha for the CHI5* and won everything there as well.
“As soon as the shows started again, I just drove,” she says.
Now, all her focus has been redirected towards competing at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I am optimistic the Games will take place. I am putting everything into getting there; there is no plan B for me,” says Jessica, 35.
If selected, this will be her first Olympics. And she is even hungrier for it after collecting team golds at the 2018 World Equestrian Games and 2019 European Championships. Of course, riding for Germany at any dressage championship comes with a dose of pressure.
“The gold is so expected of us now,” she says. “But pressure is all about how you handle it. I have learnt how to handle my nerves at competitions, although definitely when I wake up in the morning at a big team competition, my heartbeat is very high! But I have had many good rides where I have had these nerves beforehand, so I always think back to those.”
One of those times was at the 2019 Europeans, the scene of Jessica’s first-ever individual medal, where she and Dalera left the Rotterdam crowds entranced by their elegant and emotive La La Land freestyle routine that scored 89.1% – only 1.8% off gold.
“The week started off badly in Rotterdam – I had a disappointing ride in the grand prix and in the special I was so desperate to show everyone what we could do that I made big mistakes. I nearly didn’t make it to the freestyle,” she recalls. “But once in there, my thoughts left and I rode my heart out. It was very special, and once you’ve achieved an individual medal, you’re left wanting more.”
CAMPAIGNING for a place on the national dressage team in Germany is like nowhere else – with German combinations currently occupying 70% of the top 10 on the world rankings (Jessica sits third and 10th with Dalera and Zaire-E respectively). And among Jessica’s rivals to make the Olympic shortlist is none other than her big brother, Benjamin Werndl, currently ranked 12th in the world with Daily Mirror 9.
The pair work alongside one another at their base in Aubenhausen, southern Germany, where they moved with their then non-horsey parents when Jessica was seven.
“My mum used to be a pro skier and my dad was a sailor,” reveals Jessica. “We didn’t grow up with horses, but after we moved here we got infected by the horse bug – my brother and my mum as well. My dad tried but soon realised riding wasn’t for him – he is incredibly supportive though. Yesterday we had the German national coach here, Monica Theodorescu, and my dad spent all morning in the arena watching us train.”
Jessica quickly found success as a junior and young rider, winning six gold medals between 2002 and 2005, but progressing into senior ranks proved challenging.
“The horses we had back then were not