Wellington, Fla.—Feb. 8
Adrienne Lyle knows that with horses, it’s important not to plan too far ahead. However, after winning today’s Adequan Global Dressage Festival CDI***** Grand Prix Special with Wizard, she’s looking forward to the future—at a bid for the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Finals (France) and then a possible bid for the U.S. Dressage Team for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (France).
“It’s the end of a long, hot weekend, and he tried so hard. Winning a four-star, that’s huge,” said Lyle, who’s usually based in Idaho but is wintering in Wellington. “I’m happy not just that he won, but also that he was honest in places where I needed him to be honest. I think he’s in a better place than he was before his injury. He’s getting more consistent and rideable in the ring.”
Lyle, 29, made mistakes in both of her sets of tempis today, but her score of 70.35 percent still placed her above Canada’s Megan Lane on Caravella (69.92%). Wizard, a 15-year-old Oldenburg (Weltmeyer—Pica, Classiker) gelding, is owned by Parry and Peggy Thomas.
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“I thought the piaffe and passage tour today was the best in all our tests so far,” she said. “Then the rider totally blew the changes, but I’d rather it be me making mistakes than him. Our canter work is usually very solid, and those mistakes were pretty uncharacteristic.”
Lyle will compete in the remaining two CDI-W competitions here in Florida, hoping to earn adequate scores to qualify for the World Cup. She’s rearranging the music in her freestyle with the help of Terry Gallo
“I think I’m on a good path with him, and I’m going to keep going and try and improve the little parts that need improving,” said Lyle, who is Debbie McDonald’s assistant trainer. “So far I’ve been able to do more shows this season than I did all last year, so that’s been very helpful.”
Full results from the CDI**** Grand Prix Special available online.
