Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

GLADSTONE, New Jersey, May 20, 2017–With two major events now on the record, Salvino is displaying the talent the American syndicate hoped for in buying the stallion two years ago as a team prospect for Adrienne Lyle.

First place in their debut CDI at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida two months ago and runner-up in the first two legs of the Tim Dutta United States Grand Prix championships at Gladstone, New Jersey has shown what Adrienne describes as “incredible potential… we haven’t begun to tap into.”

Now, 10 years old, the Hanoverian stallion is a different horse than came to the United States exactly two years ago with the tongue-twisting name of Sandronnerhall for Sandro Hit and Donnerhall as the sire and damsire. The syndicate changed the name to Salvino and the ownership group became Salvino Partners.

Rumors and gossip buzzed around the arrival of the horse from Spain where he had been competed in only a handful of young horse classes and some national level events at Spanish shows.

“We didn’t compete him the first year which everyone was kind of questioning,” recalls Adrienne, 33 years old of Ketchum, Idaho who has been an assistant trainer with Debbie McDonald taking Wizard to the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2014 World Games in Normandy.

“He’s a big horse. It took a long time to develop his strength, he’s still developing his strength to catch up to his big movement.”

When Adrienne and Salvino first made appearances to become familiar with the Global grounds and then in some national classes, a Wow! factor developed.

“I think he has incredible potential; we haven’t begun to tap into it. He seems super level-headed in different environments. I don’t think he’s going to have a weak point once he gets a little more experience, a little more strength and training.”

The two major appearances have been in vastly different environments, at Global in Wellington which has become the center of high performance dressage in the Americas with lots of spectators in grand stands and VIP tents and the traditional Gladstone arena nestled beneath a wooded hillside but with the pressure of competing in their first national championship.

“You don’t know how they’re going to react in a big environment,” Adrienne said. “I’ve been really impressed with his temperament everywhere.

“Oh my God, a stallion, I’ve never shown and traveled with a stallion before. He’s going to be a nightmare,” was her thinking.

“He’s a total gentleman among other horses in the stables. He walks into a big venue like this, he doesn’t care . I actually think he’s going to be better in a bigger venue. I think when he has more energy to feed off he’s that more brilliant. He can always let go of the tension.

“He has an amazing walk. Even after doing piaffe and passage he gets a super score on the walk. I think that’s going to be hugely beneficial in the long run.

“I think he enjoys having an audience, even at home. The more people that show up to watch him schooling, he sort of takes them in and eyes them and thinks they’re there for him. Horses either like that or they don’t. I think he likes it.”

Wizard, an Oldenburg gelding now 18 years old, was competed successfully by Adrienne on both sides of the Atlantic from 2009 through 2014 including the Olympics and the World Games.

“He was a very different personality type, very high anxiety, high energy horse, you never knew what horse you were going to get that day,” she said. “He kind of had multiple personalities, all 10 personalities could come out in a day.

“Salvino so far seems more straightforward than that. He seems to be pretty consistent. He is what he is. He comes out the same every day. I don’t know if it’s a stallion thing or his temperament but he’s very self-confident He’s not nervous when you take horses away. He’s not nervous on trail rides. He’s pretty cool in his own skin.”

Adrienne believes Salvino is still young at 10 years of age and in his first year at Big Tour.

“If you maintain him right and take your time to develop them they should go well into their teens. I think we’ve got a big future with him. We’re going to try and go to Europe this summer. Next year our sights are on WEG at Tryon. We’ll see how it goes, but I think we’ve got a a lot of years to get better.”