Ocala, FL – With new mount Helix, owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center and Heidi Humphries, U.S. Olympic team silver medalist Adrienne Lyle scored a hat trick of victories at the World Equestrian Center (WEC) April Dressage CDI3* sponsored by Hampton Green Farm and Discover Dressage on Saturday, April 13, 2024. They won the Grand Prix Special CDI3* for Lyle’s third win in three days. Fédération Equestre International (FEI) and USEF/USDF-rated classes at the show conclude on Sunday, April 14.

Two New Horses Getting in the Miles

Helix and Adrienne Lyle ©Mary Phelps 2024

Helix started competition on Friday in the Grand Prix with a 2% winning margin, and Lyle won on Thursday in the Grand Prix for Freestyle CDI3* with Lars van de Hoenderheide, who Lyle also guided to second place in Friday night’s freestyle.

Helix returned to the ring on Saturday morning as the final entry in a 15-horse field. Lyle and the 12-year-old KWPN gelding by Apache x Jazz won by a smaller margin this time, but with a solid test and a score of 71.553% from judges Alban Tissot (FRA), Kristi Wysocki (USA), Raphaël Saleh (FRA), Alice Schwab (AUT) and Natacha Waddell (BRA).

Developing a Relationship

“Helix is coming off of three weeks of intense showing, traveling and training, and it’s catching up a little bit with him,” conceded Lyle. “He felt a little bit tired today, so we didn’t go pedal to the metal full power. However, I think for the long term when you’re trying to develop a relationship with a horse it’s really important that they know you’re never going to ask more than what they’re capable of that day in the ring. He still went in there and did everything I asked, and I think that’s really important.”

Qualifying for The Olympic Short List

Adrienne Lyle and Lars

While Lyle’s recent schedule has been busier than usual, she is not taking the situation to have two top grand prix horses for granted. In her limited time with Helix and Lars, Lyle has competed more than she normally would in order to gain qualifying scores to be considered for the U.S. Dressage Team short list for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, France.

“It’s been a challenge for sure, but it’s an amazing opportunity to have that challenge,” she acknowledged. “We have a lot of different goals along the way. Short term, what number of shows do we have to do minimally to even have the chance to qualify? And then long-term, what is really important? Because we want these horses for the long-term. This year, obviously, is a goal, but long-term is the bigger goal. You are constantly weighing all of that and trying to come up with the best program for them.”

Back In Shape

In addition to being an Olympic-level athlete and training top riders, Lyle is a new mother to six-month-old Bailey. She had stopped riding when she was five months pregnant but got back on her trusty Olympic mount Salvino just three weeks after Bailey arrived. It took three months to regain her riding fitness, and now with six months under her belt, she feels back to where she was when she last competed at a CDI in January 2023.

“I worked really hard at physical fitness and workout routines to be fresh because when I looked at the calendar, I was like, ‘Oh wow, [the Olympics] are pretty close.’ On January 1, I wanted to at least be feeling like I could go down centerline somewhere if I wanted to.”