U.S. Olympian Adrienne Lyle and Wizard Return to the Show Ring After One Year Break

Shows

2014 CDN Wellington

U.S. Olympic duo Adrienne Lyle and Parry Thomas' Oldenburg gelding Wizard (by Weltmeyer x Classiker) returned to the show ring last weekend at the national show in Wellington, Florida, after a one-year break due to an injury. The pair won the national Grand Prix in Wellington with 69.90%.

"I was really happy with Wizard," Lyle said. "He stayed quite good in the head and very relaxed. We haven't been in the ring for a year now since the [World Dressage] Masters last year, which was a lot of atmosphere for him to handle and he got a little wild. We just wanted to get him back in a big ring at a big venue and have a good, calm, happy test. Now we can start revving it up as the season goes."

Lyle brought Wizard back slowly and carefully from an injury incurred during his last competition. "After the Masters, he sustained a coffin bruise," she explained. "We figured, you know what, we'll just wait and make sure he's 110 percent healthy. We don't want to start him and then find out we need to give him more time off."

The duo is aiming to ride the U.S. WEG Selection trial at the 2014 Festival of Champions in Gladstone in June with the hope of qualifying for the World Equestrian Games.

Lyle aims to compete two horses in Florida. Wizard and Dax, an 11-year-old Hanoverian by Don Frederico. Lyle explained that due to quarter crack issues over the last few years, Dax is slightly behind the ball in terms of experience for a horse his age. Nevertheless, Lyle is confident about opening new doors with him.

In addition to Wizard and Dax, Lyle and trainer Debbie McDonald have an ensemble of babies with them. "We kind of went out and collected horses - it's fun," Lyle said. "We can't borrow horses, we have to make them. I'm not buying a Grand Prix horse, that's for sure!"

Lyle's young horses include Leandro, Schufro Gold, Harmony's Duvall, and Dillinger, who is by Damsey out of former U.S. Olympic team horse Brentina. "Dillinger is going to be turning 4 this April and he's just barely started - we broke him and then he lived out in a field this summer and we played with him," Lyle said. "I think he's going to be very special. He's very, very sensitive like Brentina was to the leg and to anything. He's light and naturally balanced. He's got this fire in him, but he's so sensible. I can hack him out on a long rein, I can ride him everywhere, so it's a really cool combination. He's an exciting one."