Adrienne Lyle (Wellington, Fla.) and Zaunkonig (Zack x Deessé), a 2018 Westphalian Stallion owned by Heidi Humphries earned the top prize in the 6-year-old class, finishing with an overall 84.240% score across the two tests.

Photo – Adrienne Lyle and Zaunkonig. (Avery Wallace/US Equestrian)

“He is a fantastic little stallion,” said Lyle. “We found him in the spring of his 5-year-old year in Denmark, and we’ve just been developing over this past year. What I love about him the most is he not only has three superb gaits with great talent for the Grand Prix stuff, and already the collection, but his character is just really phenomenal. He’s the sweetest stallion, and he tries so hard. His work ethic is just exceptional. And it’s so fun to get to work with one that wants to come to work like that every day.”

Innate Athleticism

While “Zeke’s” innate athleticism was apparent, his excellent temperament keeps surprising Lyle as she works with him.

“There are so many unknowns of the young horses,” said Lyle. “Every day, I just start texting Debbie and Heidi and saying, ‘Why is he being so good?’ He’s not looking at anything. He’s handling all the traffic so well, and he’s just being a good boy about it all. So he’s very easy that way.”

Charell Garcia (Middletown, N.Y.) and MW Mercury (Morricone x Weiss Schwarz), a 2018 U.S.-bred Oldenburg stallion owned by Jennifer Vanover, secured reserve champion honors with an 83.680% overall score. FOC was one of “Freddy’s” first big outings, and he impressed Garcia with how he handled it all.

Biggest Click

“MW Mercury is bred by Jennifer from Maplewood Warmbloods,” said Garcia. “I just started there in February, so I’ve only been working with him for six months now, but from day one, when I sat on that gorgeous back, it’s just been the biggest click between the two of us. I absolutely adore him. I think he loves me too. I like to think that he has opened his arms for me so well. He’s so rideable. I love riding him every day; it’s always fun. He’s always the same. He’s a very emotional stallion, but in a good way, and now he’s really starting to trust me, and he just gives me just extra of what I need from him. That, by itself, is already just amazing.

“I didn’t know what to expect, because he has never stayed off the property at a show,” she said. “This was his first show season, and usually when we go to shows, it’s maybe a 45-minute drive. We go to the show, we tack them up at the trailer and go home. This is the first big travel, and I cannot be prouder of him with how he handled everything.”

Christoper Hickey and Saskatoon OMF (San Amour I x Dolce Nera), a 2018 Hanoverian gelding owned by Cecelia Stewart finished in third place with 83.560%.

Atmosphere

“I was super happy with my horse and the way he handled the atmosphere in the venue,” said Hickey. “The final test is a little more complicated than the preliminary. I was cautious not to step on the gas pedal so much that I couldn’t get through the exercise in a quiet way. I had a little tiny bobble which disrupted the beginning of the test a tiny bit, but I felt like my transitions were pretty good, and I was happy.”

“Stan” has been at Hickey’s barn since he was imported from Britain as a 6-month-old weanling.

“He’s grown up at our farm in South Carolina. We have a natural horsemanship trainer that starts our babies for us. He comes to our farm, and that’s great because then they don’t have to leave and go off to boarding school,” said Hickey, adding that long lining and groundwork are a big part of the young horses’ regimen throughout their development. “Stan trail rode through the woods as a 3-year-old before he’d even cantered [under saddle] in the big indoor. He would trail ride by himself, and he was perfectly well behaved.”

“He came here last year as a 5-year-old, and was really well behaved,” said Hickey. “He was good as a 5-year-old, and he continues to get better and better. He’s a rock star, and we love him.”

Competition Information:

The 2024 FOC takes place Aug. 19-25, at HITS Chicago Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Ill. Competition takes place in two arenas and will be broadcast on USEF Network. Bookmark the FOC event page on USEF.org for the latest coverage of this year’s show.

Ring Schedule | Orders of Go and Results

2024 Festival of Champions Livestream

The U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions replay is available on-demand on USEF Network. US Equestrian members and subscribers, and fans can watch all classes live. Not a member? Join today!