-- GDF press release
There was the slimmest of margins — just 0.109 percentage points—splitting the winner and the second placed combination in the 5* Grand Prix, presented by Hof Kasselmann, to open week 10 of the 2025 Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL.
Adrienne Lyle (USA) claimed winner’s honors on Thursday 13 March 2025 during what is the only five-star dressage competition in the Western hemisphere and offers a total prize fund of $150,000.
A total of 30 combinations went down the centerline across the day’s two grand prix classes, the CDI5* and the CDI3*, which was captured by Marcus Orlob (USA) riding Jane.
Ultimate Preparation for World Cup Final
Lyle rode Zen Elite Equestrian Center’s Dutch warmblood gelding Helix to 72.522% at their first five-star together, their fourth show since the 2024 Paris Olympics. Three of the five judges placed Ecuador’s Julio Mendoza Loor first, setting the scene for a thrilling freestyle dance-off under the lights during “Friday Night Stars” this week.
North Carolina-based Mendoza Loor rode the 14-year-old Bretton Woods gelding Jewel’s Goldstrike, his Paris Olympics partner that he owns with Jessica and Justin Mendoza, to 72.413%. Anna Marek (USA) piloted Cynthia Davila’s 15-year-old Zizi Top gelding Fayvel to 69.565% and the yellow ribbon. The fourth through seventh placed combinations all finished less than 0.3 percentage points adrift of Marek’s score, promising the possibility of a big leaderboard shake-up come Friday night.
“That was an awesome, long day with a lot of grands prix,” enthused Lyle, who has been working meticulously on the details with Helix to produce more relaxed performances from the Apache x Jazz gelding. “I feel I’m getting more of a step-by-step plan of how to ride the test and what he needs from me. It’s feeling more like we’re in control of every single step—and he still has plenty of energy, as you can see from our awards lap!
“He’s a super smart horse but he likes to have a system, so I can’t go in there and start changing things and riding stronger,” she explained. “We’ve been working on little things like when I take my right hand an inch away from the neck, or which seat bone I sit on. It’s about me being very disciplined in my riding and staying consistent in it. Getting the neck longer has been our biggest challenge and that comes from self-carriage, balance and relaxation—you can’t just throw the reins away and expect them to find their own balance.”
"Tough Judges"
Lyle is grateful for the opportunity the five-star show hosted by Wellington International offers. She said, “It’s tough competition and tough judges. It’s what we need to hold ourselves to that top international standard, which is what we want. Having a five-star here on home soil is really important to keep pushing ourselves as riders and putting ourselves out there in the bigger, better, tougher situations.”
Lyle and Helix are preparing to leave for Europe, where they will contest the FEI World Cup™ Final in Basel, Switzerland, in April. As an indoor show, the atmosphere is notoriously buzzy, and Lyle has been doing everything she can to prepare Helix.
“I chose to do the five-star as a warm-up for Switzerland,” she said. “He’s a horse that likes routine and I felt that keeping him out of the ring for almost two months would have been too much to then go directly into the big environment.
“I’ve only done one World Cup Final—on Salvino in 2019—and that was intense. Salvino would walk through fire and not blink, but even his eyes were rolling the first day. With Helix we are doing some night rides at home to prepare. We play applause music and have the lights shining. We aren’t schooling necessarily, but getting him used to being tacked up at night, walking out into the dark, and making it a happy experience. There’s so much more to it besides the movements. I like to control everything I can and leave nothing up to chance.”
Orlob's Jane is a "Work Machine"
Orlob partnered Alice Tarjan’s 11-year-old Jane in their first completed test since their elimination for a speck of blood on the mare’s leg at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the 2024 CDI Devon last September the mare did not pass the horse inspection and Orlob elected to retire Jane from the CDI Grand Prix in Wellington two weeks ago after she was scared of the atmosphere and very spooky.
“Today she was much more relaxed than last time,” said Orlob, who credits help from U.S. Dressage Team Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig for much of the mare’s recent improvements. “She started a little tense, but she settled nicely and I could ride her a bit softer. After the extended canter she started to breathe, so I was happy with that. In the special [on Saturday] I’ll be able to give her another round to see this stadium and get more confidence in the ring.”
Orlob took over the ride on the Desperado daughter from her owner Alice Tarjan in March 2024 after Tarjan found Jane too strong and powerful.
“I took a shot at riding Jane and it worked out, so Alice has let me keep riding her,” continued Orlob. “She’s incredible. I had to start all over again after Paris, but there is so much potential in this horse. She’s so light-footed and wants to work—sometimes actually too much and I struggle with the half-halts—but she’s really a work machine, which is fun to ride.”
Although Orlob was devastated about the pair’s Olympic elimination, he is grateful that the issue that ruled them out was so minor.
“It’s horses and unfortunately it can happen,” he said. “They are live animals. I was heartbroken but it could have been so much worse, like a colic or a serious injury, but there was just a tiny cut. I learnt from that not to give up and to keep going. Jane has taught me to be patient. I believe in the horse and I’m excited for the future.”
Orlob is aiming to be selected for the European competition tour this summer, and has his longer-term sights set on the 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany, in August.
Photos © Sue Stickle
Related Link
Scores: 2025 CDI Wellington