USA Olympian Lisa Wilcox Returns to International Arena for First Time in Four Years with 19-Year-Old Gelding
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WELLINGTON, Florida, Jan. 27, 2021–Lisa Wilcox, USA Olympian and former No. 2 rider in the world, is returning to top sport for the first time in four years on a 19-year-old Dutch gelding.
Lisa, 54 years old and based in Wellington, jogged Valando BJ in the Global Dressage Festival veterinary inspection Wednesday in preparation for the CDI3* Grand Prix for the Special at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center this week.
Lisa told dressage-news.com that Valando was imported 18 months ago. Official records show the horse was competed in both jumping and dressage in Germany.
Valando was being developed by Lisa for owner Michael Sjerven of the Twin Cities in Minnesota who intended to campaign the horse.
She competed Valando in three national shows in Wellington last fall, with two Grand Prix Special scores above 74%.
“Valando has greatly exceeded our expectations in the national competition arena so the owner has offered the horse for me to compete in select CDIs and see where we stand,” Lisa said.
Lisa was a top rider in Germany early this century, riding Relevant on the U.S. silver medal team at the 2002 World Equestrian Games, placed second in the open European Championships in 2003 and was on the bronze medal team at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She was No. 2 in the world for six months in 2003.
Her last international event was on Galant in Wellington in March, 2017.
She also works horses for U.S. Olympian and championship rider Margie Goldstein-Engle, one of the most successful jumpers riders over the past several decades. Margie has told dressage-news.com she can feel the benefits of Lisa’s equitation exercises.
