Dressage-News

Dec. 25, 2024

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

Zen Elite Equestrian is the now and likely a big part of the future of American dressage, an Olympics already in the books with multiple prospects for the 2026 World Championships and the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

In not much more than a year, Zen Elite created and owned by Heidi Humphries, has become a key in United States dressage with the purchase of some of the world’s best performing horses and youngsters to follow in their hoof steps in the longer term.

Deep pockets doesn’t begin to describe the commitment to buy and maintain three horses that have gone to Olympics, two others confirmed at Grand Prix and three younger mounts displaying capabilities for top sport.

Central to the program is Adrienne Lyle, the top rated U.S. rider with three Olympics on her résumé, the first at London in 2012 then Tokyo for an historic team silver medal and at Paris last summer on the Zen Elite-owned Helix. Adrienne, 39, the mother of a 16-month old girl, has been mentored for the past 20 years by Debbie McDonald, former U.S. team coach.

Adrienne, based in Wellington, Florida, achieved international success with Salvino, a Hanoverian stallion that over a decade she developed into a team horse to become one of only two American combinations to earn silver at both Olympics and World Championships.

Two Grand Prix horses have gone to Christian Simonson, her 22-year-old student who was the 2023 FEI Rising Star and competed on the U.S. gold medal team at the 2023 Pan American Games in 2023 as well as four North American Youth Championships.

The lineup of high performance horses and prospects owned by Zen Elite based near Heidi’s home base in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida but with a 23-acre farm an hour north in Wellington to be the training center when renovations are completed. All the horses will be officially a year older in a week’s time.

With Christian Simonson:

–Indian Rock, bought this month as an 11-year-old KWPN stallion (Apache x Vivaldi), successful as both a competition horse ridden by Emmelie Scholtens of the Netherlands, and for breeding. Emmelie first competed Indian Rock internationally as a five-year-old at the World Young Horse Championships, began Small Tour in 2021 and moved up to Grand Prix the following year. The pair competed on the Netherlands’ team at the World Championships in 2022, the European Championships in 2023 and the Paris Olympics this summer.

–Fleau de Baian, 14-year-old KWPN stallion (Jazz x Ulft) that was developed by former world No. 1 Adelinde Cornelissen of the Netherlands. Adelinde’s initial international event on Fleau de Baian was as a seven-year-old at the World Young Horse Championships. She competed the horse at Small Tour before moving up to Grand Prix in 2020.

—Guinness MT, nine-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Grand Galaxy Win x Romanov Blue Hors). Christian competed Guinness at a national show this month, winning at Prix St. Georges on a score of 68.676%.

With Adrienne Lyle:

—Helix,  12-year-old KWPN gelding (Apache x Jazz) competed by Marina Mattson of Sweden at Big Tour throughout 2023 until acquired by Zen Elite a year ago. Adrienne’s first CDI was in March and in two months of competing in Florida earned scores to qualify for the U.S. squad to go to Europe. After two European events she was selected on Helix for the three-member team for the Paris Games with dressage beginning at the end of July, just five months after the pair’s first competition. Since returning to Florida, the duo has competed with a double victory at the World Cup event at Ocala’s World Equestrian Center.

—Lars van de Hoenderheide, 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Negro x Layout) that had been competed with Britain’s 2022 World Champion rider Charlotte Fry with five victories in 13 CDI Grand Prix starts over 14 months. Adrienne has logged three wins in nine starts on both sides of the Atlantic.

–Zaunkönig, six-year-old Westfalen stallion (Blue Hors Zack x De Niro) that Heidi bought just over 16 months ago. Adrienne capped a string of national show successes as the six-year-old champion with a score of 87.600%.

–Top Gun, five-year-old KWPN stallion (Glock’s Toto Jr. x Vivaldi) that was fourth placed in the Pavo Cup, the Dutch young horse championships and to be competed by Adrienne. The original and likely future name is Orion W under which the horse competed in the Pavo Cup.

–Hussmanns TopGun, eight-year-old Danish Waremblood gelding (Totilas x Belissimo), was competed twice at U.S. 3rd level for a top score of 82.875% during last winter’s Global Dressage Festival.

With Endel Ots:

–Zen Elite’s Bohemian, 14-year-old Westfalen gelding (Bordeaux x Samarant). Denmark’s superstar Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour career on Bohemian included the Tokyo Olympics and the 2021 European Championships for Freestyle silver and team and individual bronzes. The partnership also achieved entry into the elite 90% club at Herning, Denmark in 2022 before being sold. Zen Elite bought the horse in late 2023 for Endel to compete. He was successful in qualifying for the European tour ahead of the Olympics and was selected as reserve for the USA team in Paris.