Lyle and Helix Notch a Double Win on International Comeback at 2026 CDI Ocala

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2026 CDI Ocala

-- WEC press release, edited by Eurodressage

Three-time U.S. Olympian Adrienne Lyle rode Helix to a double victory at the 2026 CDI Ocala on 15 - 17 May 2026 thirteen months after their last international start at the 2025 World Cup Finals in Basel. The pair threw itself late into the game for US team consideration for this summer's World Championships but has produced scores that selectors cannot deny.

Back and Forth

It was a satisfying return to the show ring for the pair that competed at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. However a disappointing ride at the 2025 World Cup Finals in Basel, Switzerland, where Helix got overwhelmed by the electric indoor environment to finish 16th in the Kur with 71.255%, threw a spanner in the world.

The team surrounding Helix as well as U.S selectors had fingers in their hair and the decision was made to send the KWPN gelding back to Cathrine Dufour's in Denmark to be re-sold. No new match was found and in the early spring of 2026 Helix returned to Wellington, Florida, and Lyle picked up the reins again.

Lyle and Helix reconnected and they made their national show debut in Ocala on 25 April 2026. Last weekend was their first international in over a year.

Double Win in Ocala

With two wins under her belt this week - 72.239% in the Grand Prix and 73.213% in the Special - Lyle is thrilled with how Helix handled every question

“I've been working a lot on my position a little bit and tweaking it,” described Lyle. “It’s how I can sit differently to balance him, get more on my seat, be able to open the frame and lift, and find a more uphill balance. I think we're starting to click into that.”

In a press release for the CDI Ocala, Lyle said about her double win, "It feels awesome. I'm super proud of him. We haven't done a special in a CDI since Kronenberg before Paris, so it's been a while. We didn't do any last year. I'm just totally thrilled with him. It's hot, and it's the end of a long week, so I had to support him a little bit more to help him through the test today. He was just really accepting of that and let me ride him and put in, I think, the best effort that he could. So, that's all you can ask for. I was really happy.”

Bound for Europe

The pair did not qualify for the U.S. Grand Prix Championships in Ocala, which took place at the same time as the CDI. The Nationals were considered a mandatory team selection trial for the 2026 World Championships but USEF has plenty of loopholes in its rules to allow for other standout pairs to be considered.

The press release confirmed that Lyle will take Helix to Europe where Adrienne will be coaching her student and top team candidate Christian Simonson on Indian Rock. "While there are not currently any competition plans for Helix, he will join the rest of Lyle’s team and head to Europe in a few weeks, where they will base in Holland," the PR read.

Second and third places from Friday’s Grand Prix swapped in the Grand Prix Special, with Kevin Kohmann (USA) and Sonata MF, an 11-year-old Hanoverian mare by Sir Donnerhall I x Don Principe owned by Diamante Farms, finishing second on a score of 69.298%. Third place went to Denielle Gallagher (CAN) and Come Back de Massa, a 14-year-old Lusitano gelding (Galopin de la Font x Quixote SDS) owned by Ellen Lazarus and Gallagher, with 68.064%.