Lyle and Pape Win Grand Prix Classes at Opening CDI of 2025 Global Dressage Festival

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2025 CDI-W Wellington

British Susan Pape and American Adrienne Lyle were the winners of the two first Grand Prix classes of the 2025 Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida.

The opening week — the Lloyd Landkamer memorial week—of this year’s Global Dressage Festival begun on 9 January 2025 and features a World Cup qualifier as key class of the weekend.

Lyle On Point

U.S. team rider for the 2024 Paris Olympics Adrienne Lyle emphatically opened her 2025 account on day one with a personal best score and victory in the CDI-W Grand Prix. Lyle posted 74.065% for the unanimous win from the five judges from final draw of 13 starters aboard Zen Elite's 13-year-old Helix (by Apache x Jazz).

Germany’s young 'senior' Felicitas Hendricks returned to Wellington with her 14-year-old Drombusch OLD after a sterling 2024 season in which they were only beaten once in their eight CDI starts. The 14-year-old by Destano logged 70.913% to secure the runner-up spot.

Sweden’s seven-time Olympian Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén finished third with Devanto, Lövsta Stuteri’s 16-year-old Holsteiner gelding by De Chirico, on 69.565%.

Unfazed

The conditions were unusually chilly for Florida as a blast of arctic air has lowered the temperatures considerably this week, but Helix was unfazed. The liver chestnut came from Sweden, where he was trained and competed up to Grand Prix level by Marina Mattsson before selling to the U.S.A. in January 2024.

“Conditions do not affect him at all,” explained Lyle. “It was 100 degrees in Paris and he was still hot to trot. Hot, cold, doesn’t matter—he’s ready to roll any day. Personally, I love it.”

Lyle partnered with Helix in January 2024, with a tight window in which to qualify for the Paris Games and the pair made their international debut at the 2024 GDF in late March. They went on to ride at the 2024 Olympics, scoring 72.593% in the Grand Prix to place 20th.

“It’s really good to be back here,” said Lyle. “I’m excited to get a jump start on being able to show a little earlier this season and not have everything crammed into the end of it. It’s been nice to be home for a few months after Paris and to be able to relax and train without a big, looming deadline quite so close."

“In our test today, I thought there were places we were able to show continued improvement in the self-carriage, and a better frame,” added Lyle, who trains with Debbie McDonald. “I thought the piaffe/passage felt good; a bit more powerful than the grand prix we had in Ocala in December. In the changes I felt like I could really relax and ride into them.”

Adapt

Lyle praised the KWPN gelding’s character and his willingness to adapt to his new circumstances, saying, “Helix has been so agreeable to changing programs and changing rider, and all of that with a tight qualifying schedule last summer.

“He’s a sensitive horse and he’s very hot in a good way,” she added. “He likes a routine, so I have to figure out what works for him and stick to it. If I do my job right, he does his and he doesn’t make mistakes, which is a pretty awesome quality to have in a horse. Now it’s a matter of building strength, improving the self-carriage and lengthening the neck. All of that will come from him getting stronger and carrying more weight on the hind legs. It just takes time.”

Season Plans

Lyle has not ruled out a run at qualifying for April’s 2025 World Cup Final in Basel, Switzerland. She may also aim her 13-year old Helix at the lucrative new 2025 US Equestrian Open of Dressage, which offers $200,000 in prize money.

During the current season, GDF will host seven qualifiers for the US Equestrian Open of Dressage Final, taking place in California in November.

“We will go step by step with Helix,” added Lyle, who will contest the first ‘Friday Night Stars’ freestyle evening of the season under the lights on Friday, January 10. “He’s still a relatively young grand prix horse with a lot of years left in him hopefully, so we’re just looking to keep slowly building him for the future.”

Eclectish Relishes His New Life as a Gelding

In the 3* Grand Prix Wellington regular Susan Pape (GBR) came out on top riding 16-year old KWON bred gelding Eclectisch (by Zenon x Olivi) to 68.174%. The German-based British rider has been coming to GDF for a decade with her string of horses from sponsors John and Leslie Malone of Harmony’s Sporthorses. Another team Harmony rider, Michael Klimke (GER) was also in the mix, finishing third and fourth with Zomancier (by Zonik x Furst Romancier, with 66.544%) and Fado (by Fairytale x Sir Donnerhall, with 65.565%).

Kevin Kohmann (USA) was the filling between the Harmony bookends, claiming the runner-up spot with 66.826% on Diamante Farms’ 14-year-old KWPN mare Giulietta (by Bordeaux x Olivi).

Pape’s ride, Eclectisch, is also a regular to GDF, but life is a little different for the 16-year-old this time round, as he was gelded over the summer.

“I think it was a really good decision to geld him as he felt very focused in the ring. He doesn’t have the biggest piaffe, but all the rest gave me a good feeling and he was in front of me,” said Pape. “I was very satisfied with Eclectisch’s test even though we had a little blip after the second pirouette where he did two one-times, but that can happen.”

In past years—as a stallion—Eclectisch has spent the winter season confined to the showgrounds at GDF due to biosecurity, but this year he is able to join Pape’s other horses which she has brought for the season, Giulilanta and Shiraz, at the Malones’ Four Winds Farm.

“He was really not focusing and at home in Germany. I couldn’t even ride him in the indoor with a mare. Now it’s such a relief for both of us; we walk on a long rein and he doesn’t care. He can finally go in the paddock and do all the things you can’t do with a freaky stallion so for him it’s a nicer life—even better than before. He’s proven everything already, so we just want to have fun and maybe do a couple more CDIs,” added Pape.

Prix St Georges

The first class of the day, the 1* Prix St Georges, was won by Kevin Kohmann on Diamante Farms horse, the 10-year-old Scala (by St. Schufro x Belissimo M), to 70.676%.

He edged out Spaniard Pablo Gomez Molina aboard Cristina Danguillecourt's Farinel di Fonte Abeti (by Grand Galaxy Win x Fidertanz). They scored 70.294%. Third place also went to a Spanish rider, Juan Francisco Fernandez Munoz aboard Precision Andalusian Stables' Hanoverian Doppelkorn (by Don Index x Lauries Crusador xx). They scored 67.441%.