Dressage-News

WELLINGTON, Florida, Jan. 14, 2021–Adrienne Lyle rode an unusually nervous Harmony’s Duval to victory in the CDI3* Grand Prix Thursday to open Big Tour at the 2021 Global Dressage Festival, the inaugural international event in the world this year.

Adrienne, based in Wellington and the 13-year-old KWPN gelding that was bred in the USA by Harmony Sporthorses of Kiowa, Colorado, was awarded 71.304% for the win at the Palm Beach Intertnational Equestrian Center with the only spectators the handful allowed with each competing horse and the VIP pavilion.

The win was the 10th in 21 starts since beginning Big Tour two years ago with the aim of making a prospective U.S. squad for Europe before the Olympics. Adrienne’s top American team mount is Salvino, a 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion that the duo rode on the silver medal team at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon. Adrienne and Salvino are the highest ranked American combination on the world standings.

Great Britain’s Susan Pape and Harmony’s Eclectisch posted a personal best score of 70.522% for runnerup, surpassing the previous high of 70.435% in their debut Big Tour also at Wellington a year ago.

Susan, based in Germany, shares ownership of the 12-year-old KWPN stallion with Harmony Sporthorses. Harmony was also sponsor of the Grand Prix to qualify for the Grand Prix Special.

Jennifer Williams and Millione, the 2020 U.S. Grand Prix championship pair, were third on 70.456%, a personal best for the pair and the first CDI Grand Prix result of 70%.

The previous best for Jennifer, based in Roy, Washington, and the 18-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, was 69.239% posted in Wellington last February.

Duval, Adrienne said, was “a little more nervous than I was anticipating, I don’t know if it’s the cooler weather or what, but he was a little on edge, which is interesting because we’ve shown here plenty of times before, but there was a little bit of a different horse in there today.”

While Duval was lacking the level of harmony and elastic energy that is usually the highlight, she said, the focus was preparing for the Grand Prix Special that counts for selection for the elite squad.

Adrienne said training at home during the Covid-enforced time out of competitions “wasn’t a big advantage because he is a horse that needs to be exposed, and out and doing stuff. To sit at home all summer, it was a bit difficult to get his mind back into it.”

The World Cup Grand Prix is scheduled for Friday.

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix