Gladstone, N.J. – May 21, 2017 – On the final day of the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions held at the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation headquarters in New Jersey, Adrienne Lyle and Horizon, a 10-year-old Oldenburg mare owned by Betsy Juliano, danced into first place overall in the Intermediate I championship after earning a freestyle score of 75.5 percent. The freestyle score pushed her overall division percentage to 70.976.
“That was a really fun test,” Lyle said. “That mare is so fun in the ring. She loves to get out there and perform. When she’s on, you just kind of sit there and pilot her through it.
“Horizon is so sensitive,” she continued. “Such a sweetheart. She tries so hard. I think it was a personal best score for her and that was really fun.”
Riding into second place was Jane Cleveland and Monique, her own 8-year-old Danish Warmblood mare, with a score of 73.175 percent in the freestyle and a final score of 70.768 percent in the championship.
“My ride was so much fun,” Cleveland said. “We did better today than any freestyle we’ve ridden. This was the last time we were going to ride it, so we went for it and she was super. She was better today than she’s been all week.”
Cleveland found her music inspiration in a Pure Barre class, mixing an older dance remix of “Genie in a Bottle” with more modern music by the artist Kygo. She balances her riding with her trainer Nicholas Fyffe with her real estate investment career, while also becoming involved in the equestrian preservation of Wellington.
She has enjoyed her time at the historic Hamilton Farm venue and the experience the competition has offered.
“It’s so special,” she explained. “The barn is exquisite, and it has so much history — I got Monique out of the trailer on Monday and we walked up this big hill to the fancy barn. I looked at her and said, ‘What are we doing here?’ I was here five years ago, and I learned that if you get the opportunity to come here, you get here.”
Rounding out the top three overall in the Intermediate I championship was Lyle on Harmony’s Duval, a 9-year-old KWPN gelding with a total score 70.466. The pair earned a score of 71.1 percent in the Intermediate I freestyle.
Intermediate I Freestyle Results
Rider/Horse/Total Score
1. Adrienne Lyle/Horizon/75.5
2. Jane Cleveland/Monique/73.175
3. Nicole Levy/Floratina/71.6
4. Adrienne Lyle/Harmony’s Duval/71.1
5. Catherine Malone/Dilona/70.250
6. Jennifer Baumert/Handsome/69.850
6. Jessica Jo Tate/Montana/69.850
8.Tiffany Silverman/Sebastian/67.625
9. Barbie Asplundh/Bittersweet/66.750
10. Bridget Hay/Faolan/66.425
11. Kim Yacobucci/Dona Rosa/66.175
12. Riana Porter/Dax/65.3
Overall Intermediate I Championship Results
Rider/Horse/40% Prix St. Georges/45% Intermediate I/15% Intermediate I Freestyle/Total
1. Adrienne Lyle/Horizon/27.905/31.737/11.325/70.967
2. Jane Cleveland/Monique/28.316/31.476/10.976/70.768
3. Adrienne Lyle/Harmony’s Duval/28.242/31.559/10.665/70.466
4. Nicole Levy/Floratina/27.653/31.666/10.740/70.058
5. Jennifer Baumert/Handsome/28.063/31.287/10.478/69.827
