WELLINGTON, Fla.--Adrienne Lyle on Helix won the CDI5* Grand Prix Freestyle on Friday, March 14 during ‘Friday Night Stars,’ and Marcus Orlob on Jane won the Grand Prix Special CDI3* on Saturday, March 15 after winning the qualifying grand prix on Thursday at the Global Dressage Festival.

Adrienne Lyle on Helix (Photo by Susan Stickle)Lyle scored a new combination high score of 80.6% for the win.

Ecuador’s Julio Mendoza Loor scored 78.52% on 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 on Fayvel placed third 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 the Festival.

Marek currently leads the rankings with 88 points, with  two Germans Evelyn Eger with 76 points and Felicitas Hendricks with 64 points in second and third.

Lyle on her Paris Olympics partner Helix, who also won the qualifying Grand Prix on Thursday, executed a demanding floorplan flawlessly.

Her 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 World Cup Final in Basel, Switzerland in April, has been working on Helix’s relaxation and finding a longer neck during the test.

Marcus Orlob on Jane (Photo by Susan Stickle)“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, he didn’t even break a sweat, and he 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”.

“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.”

Lyle has been riding with a pool of local trainers including Katie Duerrhammer, Ali Brock, and Christine Traurig, as well as with remote assistance from her long-time coach Debbie MacDonald, who now lives in Idaho.

“I have a whole group of people helping me, which is fantastic," said Lyle. "We have a great wealth of knowledge here and it’s fun to draw on it. It’s been a really cool group effort.”

“I’m always happy,” said Loor,. “If I have to lose against somebody, I’m happy to lose to Adrienne. This was our second show after the Olympics and it was very exciting. I’m so grateful to be competing in the five-star with mega riders and horses.”

Marek is a regular Friday night competitor.

“I usually come in and I don’t look at the crowd after doing so many Friday night freestyles, but this was exciting,” she said. “The really great thing about Fayvel is that he’s the same and I can trust him to go in any atmosphere. I know that I can have a clean test on him now at the grand prix, but now that he is mature and strong we’re working on the details of making everything just a little bit better.”

 

ORLOB on Jane scored 72.043% to win over a starting line-up of 15 after winning the qualifying grand prix on Thursday with over 72%.

Marek on Fire Fly scored 68.085% for second  and Australian Jemma Heran on Total Recall was third with 67.957%.

For Orlob, a disorganized strike-off to canter from passage on the serpentine was the only blip in an otherwise smooth and pleasing test.

Orlob picked up the ride on Jane at the beginning of 2024 after owner Alice Tarjan, an international grand prix rider herself, found her too strong.

The pair quickly gelled, and traveled to the 2024 Paris Olympics as part of the US team.

They were, however, eliminated moments into their test when the judge spotted a speck of blood on the mare’s leg.

Orlob is working to build up the powerful and sensitive mare’s trust and confidence, so he rode the Special with relaxation and flow at the forefront of his mind, rather than maximum expression and marks.

“Today she felt a touch more relaxed than in the grand prix and I was really happy because she was breathing, so I could soften my hands,” said Orlob, who was born in Germany and now rides for the U.S. “It’s baby steps, but this was a good confidence-building round for her. I didn’t put any pressure on her; I just let her do the job and tried to keep the relaxation as the priority. She’s a good horse and now it’s just about [giving her] time.”

“Being in Europe helped me to build the relationship because I was grooming her, riding her, turning her out—everything,” he said. “There were so many hours and just one horse. It was great to build a bond with her. Now, in the morning when I come to the barn she immediately kicks the door, whinnies at me and puts her neck forward for me to scratch her. I love this horse; she’s so cute and responsive.”

“We will travel over to WEF [home of the winter show jumping circuit at Wellington International] to hack around with the jumpers, and ride around White Fences to different barns; probably go once over to Kevin Kohmann’s barn, and keep giving Jane more opportunities to see different rings. I think that’s important for her,” he said.