Adrienne Lyle Debuts Helix at Wellington National Show, Ready for International Events to Earn Place on USA Squad for Europe
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By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
WELLINGTON, Florida, Mar. 17, 2024–Adrienne Lyle and the 12-year-old Helix made their American debut in a national Grand Prix at the Global Dressage Festival Sunday that drew admiration from spectators ahead of international competitions in the next six weeks seeking selection of an American squad for a European tour ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Helix, who arrived in the U.S. in mid-January, was ridden through the Grand Prix once at home the week before the competition, was awarded 75.326% from the two national judges.
“I rode a little bit on the conservative side intentionally because he’s a horse with so much fire and so much go that I wanted to make sure I gave him a positive run through the first time.” said the Wellington-based Adrienne. “That’s a fraction of what’s in the tank which is really exciting but he’s effortless to ride. I’m not even dripping sweat for once after a ride. You know he tries so hard and he’s so light and so sensitive that I’m just thrilled with him.
“I was really happy with how I could start to let his frame out already, like in the extensions. He’s really powerful in the extensions and then really can come back and fold up for the collection. That’s something we’ve really been working on with him, the self-carriage lengthening the neck. His piaffe-passage I think are phenomenal. I think there’s still a lot more in there, but he’s very honest in it and let me ride him through it. I think he’s going to be a really fun one because he’s got a big scope.”
Helix is the second of two horses that were bought by Zen Elite Equestrian Center of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for the Olympic and world team silver medal rider to compete. Adrienne made her show ring debut on the 13-year-old Lars van de Hoenderheide in a national Grand Prix at Global two weeks ago. Bohemian, the mount of Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour on Denmark’s Tokyo Games team was bought by Zen for Endel Ots, also of Wellington, to ride.
All three horses are expected to compete in the next six weeks in a selection of four international events in Florida–one at Wellington, two at Terra Nova near Sarasota and one at Ocala’s World Equestrian Center–seeking to earn a place on the squad to go to Europe that will include Nations Cups at Rotterdam and Aachen, Germany ahead of the Olympics.
Adrienne is a double Olympian who rode Wizard at London in 2012 and Salvino on the historically successful silver medal teams at the Tokyo Olympics and the 2018 World Equestrian Games.
“I was just so happy with him because he is a hot and sensitive horse,” she said of Helix that was competed by Sweden’s Marina Mattson in 2023, “but he was super focused so I was really glad to see him here with the people and the tents and everything going by… not bad for Sunday morning when no one wants to be at the horse show anymore.”
