VERSAILLES, FRANCE — An athlete can train most of their lives to realize an Olympic dream, only to watch it come and go in a fleeting moment.
Whidbey Island native Adrienne Lyle experienced that bitter reality Tuesday at the Paris Olympics when her shot at a medal with the U.S. dressage team vanished instantly thanks to a freak accident involving a teammate’s horse.
After months of preparation, Adrienne Lyle’s quest to ride to a second consecutive Olympic team medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris ended before she even had a chance to ride.
US rider Adrienne Lyle describes her Paris Olympics partner Helix as “a goofball”.
“He’s in your face, he’s in your pocket – you walk down the aisle and he’s looking where you’re going and he wants attention all the time. But because of that, I think he really enjoys the training process,”she said after her Olympic dressage test yesterday.
During the years from 2014 through 2021 often described as the golden, silver at least, era of American dressage, performances were almost always supported in person by pretty much anyone and everyone wearing Stars ‘n’ Stripes, displays boosting riders rarely seen by other nations.
Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the four athlete-and-horse combinations selected to represent the United States as a part of Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games hosted from July 26 – August 11, 2024. The dressage competition will begin on July 30, 2024, and continue through August 4, 2024, at the equestrian grounds of Versailles.
The U.S. Olympic Dressage Team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig alongside Team Leader Laura Roberts, and supported by team veterinarian Dr. Laura Faulkner, team human physiotherapist Jennifer Mitchell, and team farrier Chuck Jones.
“There has been a lot of anticipation around the selection of this team, and I am confident in and proud of each of the combinations we have representing the U.S. at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” said Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig. “Everyone has been hard at work here in Europe for the past six weeks, working to solidify and build confidence in their partnerships and producing stronger scores for the U.S. We want to be sure our horses are peaking at the right time over the next few weeks, and I know these athletes will give everything they have to make our country proud.”
The following combinations have been selected to the U.S. Olympic Dressage Team and are listed in alphabetical order.
Adrienne Lyle(Wellington, Fla.) and Helix, a 2012 Dutch Warmblood (Apache X Zeester T) gelding owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center and cared for by Marina Lemay
Marcus Orlob(Loxahatchee, Fla.) and Jane, a 2014 Dutch Warmblood (Desperado x Zandra) mare owned by Alice Tarjan and cared for by Allison Nemeth
Steffen Peters (San Diego, Calif.) and Suppenkasper, a 2008 KWPN (Spielberg x Upanoeska) gelding owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki and cared for by Eddie Garcia
The following combination has been selected as the traveling reserves.
Endel Ots (Wellington, Fla.) and Bohemian, a 2010 Westphalian (Bordeaux x Sunshine) gelding owned by Zen Elite Equestrian Center and cared for by Caroline Hoerdum
For media inquiries, please contact Carly Weilminster, Sr. Director of Sport Communications & Social Media at cweilminster@usef.org.
The USEF International High Performance Programs and the USEF High Performance Pathway Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, the philanthropic partner to USEF. High Performance Program support is also provided by the USOPC and USEF sponsors and members.
Read full article at: https://dressage-news.com/2024/05/03/adrienne-lyle-rides-helix-to-victory-in-terranova-cdi3-grand-prix-last-competition-to-decide-short-list-ahead-of-paris-olympics-ashley-holzer-hansel-runner-up-endel-ots-on-zen-elites-bohemian/
Steffen Peters has an Olympic medal older than the horse he’ll ride in dressage this summer at his fifth Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Peters, 56, and Suppenkasper, 13, form one of four athlete-and-horse combinations announced to the U.S. Olympic dressage team Thursday by US Equestrian. They’ll join Olympian Adrienne Lyle and Salvino, Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo, along with Nick Wagman and Don John as the traveling reserve. They’ll all be looking to get Team USA to the top of the Olympic dressage podium for the first time ever.
Lyle, 36, made her Olympic debut in 2012 aboard Wizard. She placed 37th competing in the individual event. With Salvino, a 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion, she competed at the 2018 World Equestrian Games and helped the U.S. win the team silver medal.
Peters is a native of Germany who moved to the U.S. in 1984 and became a citizen in 1992. He made his Olympic debut in 1996 aboard Udon, winning a bronze medal with the U.S. team. Peters has gone on to medal at three World Equestrian Games, most recently in 2018 aboard Suppenkasper. Peters won his second Olympic medal, a bronze, in Rio five years ago riding Legolas 92.
Schut-Kery, 52, also hails from Germany and came to the U.S. in 1998. She has been teamed with Sanceo since the 2015 Pan American Games when she won the gold medal on a team that included Peters. Schut-Kery and Sanceo were on the FEI Nations Cup-winning team in 2018.
Wagman, who will turn 48 during the Games, competed in the 2019 FEI Dressage Nations Cup in Geesteren, Netherlands, and also in France where the U.S. won bronze.
Additionally, two athlete-horse combinations were named as alternates: Olivia LaGoy-Weltz and Rassing’s Lonoir along with Ben Ebeling and Illuster van de Kampert.
The Dressage Today team would like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in our Win-a-Day contest with U.S. Olympic dressage rider Adrienne Lyle, and to our sponsor, Vita Flex PRO, who made this opportunity possible for our fans.
We were overwhelmed by the number of entries and struggled to narrow down our choices. Ultimately, with the help of Adrienne, we selected Lexi Rohner, who entered the contest on behalf of her daughter Genevieve Rohner.
Genevieve is a 12-year-old grade IV para-equestrian from Park City, Utah, who stole our hearts with her big dreams and inspiring story. Scroll down to learn more about Genevieve.
Joy Conneally (https://www.joyconneallyphotography.com/)
I, Lexi Rohner, am the official entrant. I am entering on behalf of my daughter.
Hi Adrienne! My name is Genevieve. I’m 12 and I am a grade IV para-equestrian. I love to compete, and I want to be on a horse more than anything in the world. My parents started my brother and I in Hippotherapy when we were four because we have Cerebral Palsy. I loved it so much I decided riding horses was for me forever. When I was five, I told my mom I was going to the Olympics, even though I didn’t know there was a Paralympics. My current coach, Sydni Peterson, is amazing. She has taken me from Training 3 to working at Second level in one year. She knows how much I want this, and she supports my goal to make the 2024 Paralympic team and represent the U.S. I am very dedicated.
In my first recognized shows in 2018, I qualified for the USDF Region 7 Championships, the California Dressage Society Regional Championships and the California Junior Championships. At the shows, I earned scores between 62 and 68 percent in Training Level Tests 2 and 3 and placed fifth and sixth overall. I even got second in one of the qualifying rides. My goal wasn’t to win, but to see how I fit in for competition. I competed with 14 riders and I was the only para-equestrian. I was 10 and everyone else was over 12. Also, I trained on a quarter horse named Cody in Utah where I live and competed on a Morgan named Karamel in California. At one of the competitions, I was the youngest and the oldest competitor was Hilda Gurney. We got to take a picture together.
Now I ride a beautiful Arabian/Saddlebred mare named Star. She is the best horse ever and I love her so much. Last year we showed our first FEI test and scored 67 percent! My goals for the next two years are to learn more Grade IV FEI tests and compete them in Tryon in October and Wellington in the winter. I also want to earn scores toward my USDF bronze medal.
In Utah, I am the only American para-dressage rider. When I go to shows now, I am usually the only child and there are no other para-dressage riders. Right now, I am the youngest classified para-equestrian in the U.S. If I make the 2024 team, I will be the second youngest ever in the whole world to make it to the Paralympics. That’s my goal and I would be so excited if you came to my barn to help me in any way toward that!
