From that minute on, the girls and their mother were on the road together every weekend. The question some ask, “Who instilled such ambition in Isabell?” has just become superfluous.
For her early schooling, Isabell studied at night, which is similar to what she would do later in life with her law studies, when she was already reaping international riding success. She always got away with it—although not necessarily with the best possible results. Her sister Claudia specialized in eventing, riding homebred horses, but did not want to devote herself “body and soul” to riding like her little sister did. Isabell rode everything she could get her hands on, no matter the discipline or the horse. Only when Dr. Uwe Schulten-Baumer, the most famous horseman in her neighborhood, took notice of her, did she specialize in dressage. She started riding his horses regularly at seventeen years old. He brought to the table his experience—a long life as a successful riding coach. She had the intuition and the courage. Both wanted to make it to the top. They complemented each other, eventually growing together as a team. They were a terribly successful duo! But Isabell did not only need her exceptional courage to handle the young horses and to take on the seemingly superior opponents in the dressage arena, she also needed it to stand up to Dr. Schulten-Baumer.
Isabell’s dad, who supported her vigorously during what were difficult years, said categorically when asked, “You don’t need to assess their relationship. It is enough if I do.”
Isabell’s family supported her when her partnership with Dr. Schulten-Baumer ended in 2001, after sixteen years. And Madeleine Winter-Schulze, who would become Isabell’s friend, patroness, and horse owner, came just at the right time. She bought several horses from Dr. Schulten-Baumer and invited Isabell to live and train at her and her husband’s facility in Mellendorf, Germany, close to Hanover. It was the perfect way out: it was a way forward into the future.
Dr. Schulten-Baumer paved the way for Isabell in the beginning; he helped her get her foot in the door of major sporting circles. He also taught her everything that she needed to school and train horses herself, and then lead them to success. Madeleine, her friend and sponsor, supported Isabell as she found a newfound freedom, buying horses for her. (Madeleine has Isabell’s back to this day.) Other riders often have to compromise and sell horses every now and then to keep their business profitable, but Madeleine ensures that Isabell can fall back on a solid financial footing. Both Madeleine and Dr. Schulten-Baumer came into Isabell’s life at the right time—it was almost magical, as if it was meant to be.
Talent alone is never enough; luck has to be added to the mix.
Isabell worked as a lawyer in a practice in Hamm, Germany, and also for the German department store chain Karstadt. This is where she met her future partner, former Karstadt CEO Wolfgang Urban.
He is my greatest support, the most important person by my side…he gives me direction, helps me in many situations with his experience, and is the one I can hold on to. He asks the right questions and shows me quite plainly where I sugarcoat or where I am kidding myself, even though he is not a horse or dressage expert.
Isabell’s life became divided, thematically and geographically with her work and her horses, as she covered thousands of miles on crowded German highways. From Rheinberg to Mellendorf, from Mellendorf to Hamm, from Hamm to Mellendorf, from there to a show in Munich, Stuttgart, or Neumünster. Things could not go on as they were. She had to make a choice. Isabell decided to leave both her jobs as a lawyer and as store manager, and to instead start her own business as a professional rider and trainer. So far, her professional life had been the background music to her true passion, a sideshow. Now she turned her passion into her profession.
After this came a night when Isabell became the “head” of her family. She was sitting on the couch at home with her father as they discussed the family farm and her own professional goals, and he said, “Maybe you can buy a facility somewhere close by. So many farms are vacant now, that could be an option.”
“Are you saying you don’t want me at home anymore?” Isabell asked.
Heinrich Werth did not say much in reply, only, “Thank you, Isabell. That’s enough.”
The next morning, Heinrich told his wife, “Let’s put our money where our mouths are. Let’s write the farm over to Isabell. I don’t want her to think that we don’t want her here.”
With that, the formalities were taken care of within a few weeks, and a fair solution was found for both Isabell and her sister, with clear conditions.
“When they ‘close the lid on me,’” said Heinrich Werth, “I don’t want them to have a falling out.”
Isabell took over the family farm. It became her residence in the fall of 2003, and her sister lives in her own home on the property. With the support of Madeleine Winter-Schulze, Isabell expanded the facility and built a new house for herself and her family. Every tree, every shrub that she can see has been planted during her lifetime. She also planted hawthorn hedges throughout the property to help structure the space. She is now in charge of a competition barn, a training facility, a small horse breeding venture that her father runs, and an agricultural business, which produces some of the feed for her herd. Forty to fifty horses are in training on the farm, from the three-year-old newcomers to the Grand Prix competitors. Together with the broodmares, the foals, the boarders, and a herd of retirees happily grazing in the field, the facility accommodates around a hundred horses. Fourteen employees take care of the horses’ well-being and their training. (Isabell very rarely accepts private students.) The veterinarian is on the grounds almost daily.
Technically, the business and the entire team revolve around one person and her system: Isabell. And she whirls around from morning till night.
Every morning, whenever Isabell is home, Brigitte—her mother—brings a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice to the indoor arena. This is the opportunity for a quick exchange, regarding the farm.
Isabell asks from the saddle, “How are things going?”
If something is wrong or in question, mother and daughter discuss it over the arena wall. Nobody on the farm accepts long-lasting disagreements. Isabell left the belligerent part of her behind with Dr. Schulten-Baumer.
When you live in the country, you can always go to town every now and then. If you live in the city and wish to get out to the country, it is more difficult. I have my island here. Everyone needs an island, especially when you are away as much as I am. You learn to appreciate “home” even more.
Isabell and Wolfgang had a son, Frederik, in October 2009 when Isabell was forty years old. At the time, she had her life organized down to the most minute of details. She had a plan for every morning, and everything revolved around the horses. With a baby, it all changed. She had to learn to organize the horses around Frederik and make a drastic shift of importance in her mind from her four-legged family to her two-legged one.
Frederik was absolutely planned. He is my greatest joy, my greatest love, and he has expanded my horizon in the most meaningful way. Nothing else is really important, as long as Frederik is happy and healthy.
Often, Isabell feels bad because she is away from home so much, and Frederik developed an instinct early on to turn this to his advantage, seeking as much compensation from his mother as possible. Now, Isabell tries to choose competitions according to whether Frederik might enjoy them—for example, one with a petting zoo next to the showgrounds has a better chance of Isabell’s participation than one with lots of stress and obligations, where Isabell has to pose for selfies instead of being with her son.
In many ways, Frederik’s childhood has taken place on an idyllic island. His parents are intent on not turning him into a spoiled only child but instead teaching him the modest life of previous generations. The daily routine is due to careful decisions and planning. His world is more complicated and more organized than his mother’s was. He, too, is surrounded by animals, but he is not stuck on the farm. He has already been on a plane many times. And best of all, somebody is always there