By Alice Collins for Wellington International 

In a re-run of her week one victory, Paris 2024 Olympic U.S. Team rider Adrienne Lyle led the hunt in the FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix, sponsored by The Dutta Corp, on opening day of action during week five of the 2025 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, Florida. 

Lyle and Helix tabled 73.283% with closely aligned scores from the five judges, who awarded lots of eights for the gelding’s piaffe. Lyle’s compatriot Anna Marek rode Fayvel, Cynthia Davila’s 15-year-old Zizi Top gelding, into second with 72.348%. Marek and Fayvel were the highest-placed U.S. combination at the 2024 FEI World Cup™ Final, finishing ninth. Both Lyle and Marek will be eyeing a win on Friday night to log the maximum of 20 points towards a qualifying spot for the 2025 final, which takes place in Basel, Switzerland, in April.  

Germany’s Evelyn Eger had a busy day with much to celebrate, finishing third with the Totilas daughter Tabledance 3. The 12-year-old mare—who was bred by her owner Ullrich Kasselmann, for whom Eger works—scored 69.609%, with two judges awarding over 71%. Eger, who is competing at AGDF for the first time this year, also topped the CDI1* FEI Prix St. Georges, sponsored by Centerline Stables. She rode another Kasselmann horse, the eight-year-old Grey Flanell gelding Global Power OLD, to a personal best of 72.529% at the pair’s second CDI since graduating from the young horse divisions.

Lyle and Zen Elite Equestrian Center’s 13-year-old Helix (Apache x Jazz) were just shy of their career high grand prix best of 74.065%, set in AGDF 1, but their performance was mistake-free.

“He’s feeling great,” enthused Lyle. “I am super excited about the work we’ve been getting at home and the trajectory Helix is on. We had some good piaffe and passage work today, and the changes felt nice. I did have a bit less horse than I was expecting though because of the heat; this is quite a temperature change from a week ago.”

Lyle, who was thrilled to have her one-year-old daughter Bailey in attendance along with the Zen Elite team, makes sure to keep Helix’s home routine varied.   

“He schools about three days a week, does a lot of hacking out and a little work on the track,” said Lyle. “We try to keep him physically and mentally in a good place while continuing to be super picky on the details, including the balance and gaining strength.  

“Tomorrow will be our second time riding at night under the lights, so I’m hoping that given that he was more relaxed in the grand prix today, that will carry over until tomorrow,” she added. “I want to give him a good experience and make it something that he looks forward to when he goes in there.” 

Lyle would like to go to this year’s World Cup™ Final, and is hopeful of a place on the U.S. squad that travels to Europe to compete over the summer. Longer term, her major focus with the horse is the 2026 FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany. 

Click here for full results from the FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix, sponsored by The Dutta Corp. 

In the day’s other top level class, the CDI3* FEI Grand Prix, sponsored by Blucreeq Spirits, it was AGDF regular Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén—a seven-time Olympian for Sweden—who was untouchable and recorded a new personal best in this test on Lövsta Stuteri’s 13-year-old mare Hyatt. She scored 71.348%, a full three percentage points clear of the runner-up, Pablo Gómez Molina (ESP) who rode Yeguada de Ymass’ 12-year-old Servus Ymas (San Amour x Depardieu) to 68.348%. Erin Nichols (USA) joined the top three line-up with a 67.848% performance on Premiere Sport Horses’ 16-year-old Elian Royale (Johnson x Sandreo). 

Vilhelmson Silfvén said of the Apache x Sandreo daughter Hyatt, “I love this horse; she’s fantastic and talented to ride. She’s so sensitive and ambitious that it really asks a lot of me to do her justice all the time. She got a bit too hot—I had fire under the feet.” 

Hyatt competed at AGDF in 2024 and in Europe over the summer, but has not been to a show since July.

“Because she has had some time off from showing I wasn’t sure how she would react today,” continued Vilhelmson Silfvén. “The warmer, quiet weather was positive for me because I didn’t need more power—I’m happy I didn’t do the last show when it was cold. I was a bit insecure about how to warm up, how much power I wanted and how she would react when she came in, but she was good.

“My goal was to stay relaxed and keep her happy, with positive energy and no mistakes. We’ve been out training at lots of other arenas and over half a year she has matured. She’s maybe a bit rusty in the ring, but she feels even better than last year,” concluded Vilhelmson Silfvén, who plans to next compete Hyatt at AGDF 7 later in February. 

Click here for full results from the CDI3* FEI Grand Prix, sponsored by Blucreeq Spirits. 

Dressage competition in AGDF 5 resumes with the schedule highlight, ‘Friday Night Stars’, hosting the FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle, sponsored by The Dutta Corp, under lights starting at 7.15pm ET. It is free for spectators to watch, both in person and on the live stream. In Friday’s Intermediate II Lövsta Future Challenge, which starts at 2pm ET, 10 developing grand prix combinations will vie for a spot in the week 12 final. AGDF, which hosts seven weeks of CDI competition and weekly national shows, runs through March 30. For more information and results, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.