Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Dec. 9, 2022–Adrienne Lyle rode Salvino to victory in the World Cup Grand Prix Friday in the first step in the campaign by the United States team Olympic silver medal partnership for a start in the World Cup Final before a home crowd in Omaha.

Adrienne and the 15-year-old Hanoverian stallion scored 78.196% in the first competition since the world championships in September where the pair were on the team that earned a start for USA at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Alice Tarjan of Oldwick, New Jersey and the nine-year-old American-bred mare Serenade MF that also competed in Europe in summer and were reserve for the U.S. world championship team were runner-up on 71.587%.

Sarah Tubman of Wellington and First Apple were third on 69.805%.

The Freestyle to decide points toward qualifying for Omaha next April is scheduled for Saturday.

Adrienne, based in Wellington, and Salvino are completing six years at Big Tour that have seen the pair earn silver on the U.S. team at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon and silver at the Tokyo Olympics three years later. The pair have competed in only one World Cup Final, at Gothenburg, Sweden in 2019.

Salvino, or Vinnie as he’s nicknamed, has been competed by Adrienne on both sides of the Atlantic every year of the partnership and gives no sign of slowing down.

“He felt very good today, quite excited to be here,” Adrienne said after the ride.”He was frisky from the time I got on, like raring to go. It makes me really happy that he likes his job that much.”

Salvino, she said, has taught her a lot about management that has enabled the horse to rank at or near the top of American combinations, logging more than 50 Big Tour starts, relatively few over the span of the top sport career.

“One thing that’s been really important about him is that we don’t show him much; we show him when it counts. I have to trust my training that I don’t go in there for myself; that I believe he will be there when we need him. And he has an incredible care staff… top class vets, top class grooms, to keep his body and his mind healthy, treat him like a really top athlete. ,” Adrienne said.

She credits as crucial her long time trainer, Debbie McDonald, and owner Betsy Juliano who “share the same philosophy as I do. He is denied nothing for his comfort and they will always put his welfare first above all else. I think this has been the key to keeping him going for so many years.”

The development of Salvino getting stronger and and more secure fits Adrienne’s program of “slow progression and watching horses have a long and happy career.”

Adrienne doesn’t want to speculate about Salvino’s competition schedule behind the World Cup Final.

Results:

CDI-W World Cup Grand Prix