After a few days’ holiday in Turkey, Isabell Nowak and her husband carry their packed suitcases in front of the hotel. They are just about to start their journey home when suddenly the mobile phone rings. When the para-rider answers and listens to the words on the other end of the line, she immediately starts to cry – because this phone call has just fulfilled a lifelong dream: she is going to the Paralympics in Paris.
Nowak, who was appointed to the national para-team in 2022, missed the shortlist for the Summer Games in Paris and was instead given the position of first reserve. When Martina Benzinger’s horse died a few weeks before departure, Nowak received the call and moved up as the fourth rider in the German team.
The dark-haired athlete needed a week to understand everything. Especially because she was thinking about Benzinger. “Of course, when you’re the first reserve, you always know that fate has to come first,” says the former police officer: “But in my case, fate just struck too hard.”
It took a while before the joy and pride came through. “Of course it’s a lifelong dream to be able to ride here,” says the 41-year-old. Thanks to her steadily improving performance, she was able to “be among the front runners all season long.” It’s certainly not easy – but she wants to give it her all in Paris. “Now we’ll see what it’s enough for.”
© IMAGO/Mika Volkmann/IMAGO/Mika Volkmann
As a reservist, the athlete prepared in the weeks before the Paralympics just as if she were taking part. There were structured routines – hard training and relaxed rest phases – which are necessary for her highly sensitive gelding Siracusa OLD, called Siri.
In the morning, Siri went to his pasture, followed by training and a hearty meal. She planned the preparation in a very structured way, with Nowak adding a lot of variety: one day in the arena with lessons from the task at hand, the next day relaxed in what is known as forward-downward riding or letting her mind wander in the riding area.
In preparation, Nowak trained at the Olympic training center in Hanover together with other squad athletes, including those from regular sports. She tried to stabilize her body a little more so that “I can perhaps have a little more of an impact and make the most of my handicap.” In 2007, Nowak had a road accident, which left her with a lack of mobility and strength. In order to maintain her regained back mobility, Nowak has to ride every day.
After the accident, she couldn’t even hold her head up on her own – through horse riding, she got more back than she had hoped for. Even when she was riding in regular sport, she felt a deep connection to her animals. “But now it’s just so much more important – I owe my life and the quality with which I can live it to my horses.”
With Siri you notice that she wants to understand you more and more.
Isabell Nowak
She came across Siracusa OLD when she saw an Instagram story from a friend who had him for sale. After Nowak’s squad horse Stanford died, she started looking for a horse – which turned out to be a bit of a challenge. It is not easy to find a horse “that also matches the handicap.” But when she tried out Siri, she knew as soon as she walked: This is the horse for me.
“With Siri, you notice that he wants to understand you more and more,” says Isabell Nowak. The two have been a couple for a year and a half, which is not a long time for this sport. The two have worked on small things to ensure that horse and rider understand each other more and more. For certain lessons, she has a certain breathing technique that lets him know exactly what she expects from him. She also encourages him with her voice. This season, this was noticeable in a constant increase in her percentage, says the rider.
Nowak was able to confirm her impression on Wednesday, her first para-equestrian day in Versailles. For a long time she was even hoping for a medal – in the end she came in a disappointing fourth place, but that was enough to qualify her for the freestyle on Saturday.
When Isabell Nowak talks about her horse, she has a grin on her face and her eyes light up. Siri vibrates slightly when he’s having a really good day. Then he knows that he’s done very well. “When we’ve done well and I praise him,” says the rider, “he neighs once – as if to say: Yeah!”
