By Alice Collins for Wellington International 

Adrienne Lyle (USA) expertly guided Zen Elite Equestrian Center’s 13-year-old Helix (by Apache x Jazz) to a new combination high score of 80.6% to top the Havensafe Farm CDI5* Grand Prix Freestyle on Friday, March 14. The spectator seating was packed and buzzing during ‘Friday Night Stars’ at the 2025 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. 

Ecuador’s Julio Mendoza Loor put down a 78.52% performance aboard 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 (USA) rode Cynthia Davila’s Zizi Top gelding Fayvel to a third place finish 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 AGDF. Marek currently sits atop the rankings with 88 points, with Germans Evelyn Eger (76 points) and Felicitas Hendricks (64 points) in second and third.  

Lyle and her Paris Olympics partner Helix—winners of the qualifying Grand Prix on Thursday—executed a demanding floorplan flawlessly. Their 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 FEI World Cup™ Final in Basel, Switzerland in April, has been diligently working on Helix’s relaxation and finding a longer neck during the test.   

“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—didn’t even break a sweat—and 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”. Her groom Marina Lemay was awarded the $500 grooms prize, sponsored by Lövsta Future Challenge.  

“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. Lyle is enjoying their collective wisdom.

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

Mendoza Loor came to AGDF 10 hot off the back of a CDI Freestyle win in Ocala earlier this month. Despite a blip in one of the canter pirouettes, he was delighted with the family-owned Jewel’s Goldstrike (by Bretton Woods x Watermill Scandic) whom he acquired cheaply because he was so feisty.  

“I’m always happy,” he enthused. “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.”

Mendoza Loor rode to music put together by Leslie Berro, which included the lyrics “Ecuador” by Sash! Seeing the partnership the pair have, it’s hard to imagine the rocky journey the two have taken. The rider paid $20 for “Goldie” as a wild eight-year-old and found that the key to his success lies in 24/7 turnout. 

“When I got him, I turned him out in the field to be a horse,” he explained. “It took me a year and a half to be able to ride him, and he still lives out full-time. Right now I’m renting a field for him, not a stall, because he loves to live out. I’m not going to put him in a stall and take his happiness away for my ego.”

Third-placed Marek is a regular Friday night competitor, but she had some extra nerves when she drove into the venue and saw how full the parking lots and then the stands were. Luckily, the 15-year-old Fayvel absorbed none of those nerves.

“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.”

Judge William Warren (USA) was particularly impressed with the quiet riding he saw. “Sitting at C for the only five-star competition in the Western Hemisphere was exciting, but also nerve-wracking,” he said. “Adrienne achieved harmony and I appreciated that. I don’t like a lot of visible acrobatics, and all the riders did such a fantastic job. The rapport with each of these riders and their horses was outstanding.”

Lyle was keen to add her appreciation for the only five-star dressage show in the Americas, saying, “This is a big deal. We’ve all ridden at a lot of facilities around the world and agree this is one of the most electric and fun environments. We had some awesome entertainment [with singer Taylor Dayne putting on a live half-time performance] and things drawing people in, so it was very much a big international feel and it’s great to have these competitions here.” 

Click for full results from AGDF 10.

Dressage classes resume on Saturday, March 15, with the day’s big class, the CDI3* FEI Grand Prix Special, sponsored by Prestige Italia USA, starting at 12.345pm ET. Week 10 wraps up on Sunday. AGDF, which hosts seven weeks of CDI competition and weekly national shows over three months, runs through March 30. For more information and results, and to watch all the classes hosted by Wellington International in the main arena on live stream, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.