Isabell Werth Goes Rogue With Giant Champagne

I mean, if you just won the FEI World Cup Finals, you’re pretty much free to do whatever you want.

Kind of like how the whole “I’m going to Disney World!” thing got started years ago with Super Bowl winners, in the horse world it’s customary to celebrate by spraying champagne everywhere. And no one has mastered the art of champagne spraying like the undisputed reigning queen of dressage, Germany’s Isabell Werth.

There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing Werth, still decked out to the nines in her white breeches and shadbelly and top hat, blasting the biggest bottle of champagne I’ve ever seen right at the face of American dressage darling Laura Graves who uses her shiny new plate to deflect Werth’s attack, and then watching Werth blast her way around the arena like a maniacal Buzz Lightyear of bubbly, indiscriminately spraying media types and FEI officials while (I imagine) laughing like a child.

You do you, Isabell.

Werth then proceeded to much more calmly share the victory vino with her fellow podium finishers, as well as her characteristic gesture towards the grooms of the winning horses (who, frankly, deserve all the champagne they can drink for the unenviable task of anchoring three warmbloods who clearly are not loving the prize-giving atmosphere).

I’m sad to say that our very own Beezie Madden is not nearly as proficient at the champagne spray and required an assist from a slim FEI intern who was clearly standing by strictly for the purpose of helping show jumpers open giant bottles of champagne.

Valiant attempt, Beezie. We love you anyway.

Go riding!