Last Updated on March 15, 2025 by adminahb
Adrienne Lyle & Helix. Photo ©susanjstickle.com
Adrienne Lyle (USA) expertly guided Zen Elite Equestrian Center’s 13-year-old Helix (by Apache x Jazz) to a new combination high score of 80.6% to top the Havensafe Farm CDI5* Grand Prix Freestyle on Friday, March 14. The spectator seating was packed and buzzing during ‘Friday Night Stars’ at the 2025 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL.
Ecuador’s Julio Mendoza Loor put down a 78.52% performance aboard the 14-year-old Jewel’s Goldstrike — a horse he bought for $20 and who took him to the 2024 Paris Olympics — to finish second. Anna Marek (USA) rode Cynthia Davila’s Zizi Top gelding Fayvel to a third-place finish with 77.135%.
The class was also one of the 23 qualifiers held around the country for the inaugural season of the US Equestrian Open of Dressage, with the final set for November in California. Seven of the qualifying classes are being held at AGDF. Marek currently sits atop the rankings with 88 points, with Germans Evelyn Eger (76 points) and Felicitas Hendricks (64 points) in second and third.
Lyle and her Paris Olympics partner Helix — winners of the qualifying Grand Prix on Thursday — executed a demanding floor plan flawlessly. Their test included 15 one-time changes right into a tiny double pirouette and a full piaffe pirouette on the final centerline. Lyle, who will head next to the FEI World Cup™ Final in Basel, Switzerland in April, has been diligently working on Helix’s relaxation and finding a longer neck during the test.
“It felt easy, which is exactly what I was hoping for,” said Lyle, who opted to walk into the ring on a long rein before starting her test. “Not only is this a five-star and a fabulous competition, but I wanted one more chance to get in an environment like this before we head to the World Cup. My main goal was to have a quiet, harmonious ride, and he felt like he did the whole thing effortlessly — didn’t even break a sweat — and walked calmly back to his stall.”
Lyle has been prepping for ‘Friday Night Stars’ by riding Helix in the evenings, getting him accustomed to being tacked up and ridden in the dark, and playing applause music because Helix is “not a horse who likes surprises.” Her groom Marina Lemay was awarded the $500 grooms prize, sponsored by Lövsta Future Challenge.
“We’re at a place now where we’re showing harmony and relaxation, and the frame’s getting better,” said Lyle, who rode to an upbeat Terry Gallo music compilation. “I still think there’s a lot more in there.”
by Alice Collins
Wellington International
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