Wellington, Fla. – March 19, 2021 – Continuing on with the CDIO3* Nations Cup festivities in Week 10 of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), the Intermediate I and Grand Prix Freestyles took place on Friday evening, welcoming back the riders who wrapped up their team competitions on the previous day. Taking advantage of the opportunity to gain experience riding under the stadium lights at the Global Dressage Facility, the energy was high among the horse-and-rider combinations, all looking to add an Individual Nations Cup medal to their belt of accomplishments.
The FEI Intermediate I Freestyle kicked-off the evening, seeing German rider Frederic Wandres dominate the night with a score of 78.875% aboard Quizmaster. As a part of the team gold medal-winning team just the day before, Wandres had a great start to the week with Hof Kasselmann’s 9-year-old Hanoverian stallion, earning a Prix St. Georges score of 74.765%, and an Intermediate I score of 76.529%. Hoping to remain consistent with his new mount going into the Freestyle, Wandres wowed the judges in the electric environment to top the class once again.
Germany’s Kevin Kohmann was awarded second place honors riding Equitas LLC’s 11-year-old KWPN stallion Five Star after receiving a score of 77.040% from the judges. Rounding out the top three was Australian rider Sally Lofting with a score of 69.345% aboard Quinlan CF, a 12-year-old Oldenburg stallion owned by Janet Rubino.
Immediately following the Intermediate I Freestyle, a competitive field of riders in the Grand Prix Freestyle took center stage. It was Adrienne Lyle of the USA riding Harmony’s Duval who would dazzle the judges and claim the top honors with a total score of 80.020%. Lyle and the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Duval Partners LLC received high marks from the judges including several marks of 8.5 and 9 for their pirouettes and passage work. A hopeful U.S. Olympic Dressage team competitor, Lyle is focused on keeping Duval and her other Grand Prix mount, Betsy Juliano’s Salvino, in top shop going into the summer months even as plans for competitions later in the year remain tentative. Lyle noted that she will bring Salvino out for the CDI4* competition at the end of the month.
Earning the silver medal for their Star Wars themed musical performance was young rider Benjamin Ebeling partnered with Amy Roberts Ebeling’s Illuster Van De Kampert. The youngest member of this year’s Nations Cup team for the U.S., Ebeling and the 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding earned a score of 77.555% in their first freestyle performance under the stadium lights. The pair took on their first CDI test with the U25 at the beginning of the 2020 season, and although they faced some challenges at the beginning of their partnership, Ebeling was thrilled with how much they have progressed with the help of their team in just a little over a year.
Wrapping up the podium with a bronze medal finish was Canadian rider Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu and her own 16-year-old KWPN gelding All In on a final score of 77.075%.
Competition in Week 10 will continue on Saturday, March 20, at 8:30 a.m. with the FEI Preliminary Test for 7-Year-Olds.
RESULTS:
FEI Intermediate I Freestyle CDIO3*
Rider / Country / Horse / Total Score
1. Frederic Wandres / GER / Quizmaster / 78.875
2. Kevin Kohmann / GER / Five Star / 77.040
3. Sally Lofting / AUS / Quinlan CF / 69.345
4. Hope Berling / AUS / Alpha HM / 67.030
FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO3*
Rider / Country / Horse / Total Score
1. Adrienne Lyle / USA / Harmony’s Duval / 80.020
2. Benjamin Ebeling / USA / Illuster Van De Kampert / 77.555
3. Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu / CAN / All In / 77.065
4. Jennifer Williams / USA / Millione / 75.370
5. Naima Moreira Laliverte / CAN / Statesman / 74.640
6. Kelly Layne / AUS / Samhitas / 74.345
7. Chris Von Martels / CAN / Eclips / 73.535
8. Carlos Salguero Ocana / GER / Vangens Star-Light / 63.545
FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE
Adrienne Lyle – Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO3* Individual Gold Medalist
On her ride:
“It was worth staying up past my bedtime! There is really nothing that compares to riding at Global under the Friday night lights. It has always been one of my favorite experiences in the horse world. To do this on Duval, who we have had since he was unbroke all the way up to becoming an individual medalist here is just really special. He has an amazing group of owners who have supported me along the way. It is always such a fun Freestyle, it is actually some of my older music. It is from Wizard’s freestyle from 2011, I rode it at Devon. I just kind of wanted to go back to something I knew since Duval has only done one Freestyle in his life. It was something that I was familiar with so that I could give him a good experience out there.”
On personalizing the test for Duval:
“I started with the canterwork with him. He’s got some fun, powerful canterwork. It is not the most difficult Freestyle out there, when I made it they did not have the degree of difficulty score the way that they do now, but it still has double pirouettes, full piaffe pirouettes, so it gets enough. I think it is also just really fun. For him, it does not always have to be the most difficult every time he goes out.”
On her summer plans and her hopes for the rest of the season:
“There is still quite a bit up in the air for our federation as far as exactly what our summer plans will be. We will know a little more by the end of this month. I plan on bringing Betsy Juliano’s stallion Salvino out at the 4* at the end of this month. Duval has been showing and he has been fantastic this season, so he will get to have a little bit of downtime now and I will focus on Salvino for the next two shows. Then we will see where we stack up at the end of that. I just feel so incredibly fortunate to have two horses going at the Grand Prix level and whatever goes on from there is just a blessing on top of it.”
Benjamin Ebeling – Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO3* Individual Silver Medalist
On his experience this week:
“Starting with being on my first Nations Cup team for the International Grand Prix, to be honest I was talking with Adrienne and Katherine and Jen, my other teammates, and it was so cool because I got to grow up watching them and people like my dad all ride on a team together. Finally, I am here and it is surreal. I would be remiss if I did not mention George Williams and Charlotte Bredahll and going through the pipeline of junior to young riders to U25, and now finally the International Grand Prix. The support I have had from them has really been amazing. Like Adrienne said, I don’t think there is anything like riding under the lights here. I have always wanted to do it for the last four years that I have been in Wellington, so to do this for the first time was really, really cool.”
On Illuster Van De Kampert:
“This is his first time competing three days in a row. In the warmup he was a little bit tired, which was to be expected, but then as soon as we got in that arena he perked up. Let me tell you, I had so much fun riding that Freestyle, also because I am a Star Wars fan. The choreography was ready yesterday and I ran through it on foot, tonight was the first time I actually practiced it.”
On his progression with Illuster:
“I would be remiss if I did not mention the support of my two owners, my mom Amy Ebling and Sascha Cutter. They have been behind me the whole way and have been a big part of that development, along with my dad who has been the day-to-day coach for when we go back to California and here in Wellington as well. And Christoph Koschel who has really helped me fine tune the horse. It is a big step from the U25 to the International Grand Prix, as I am sure Adrienne knows as well, especially taking the horse that you showed at the U25 level. I am just so proud of his development, coming from the U25 at the beginning of last season where he was not doing so well to where he finally managed to calm down his nerves and really bring a presence into the show arena that I am so proud of. I am so proud of my team.”
Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu – Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO3* Individual Bronze Medalist
On her ride with All In:
“For me, personally, All In wasn’t quite as fit as I would have liked him to be for the Grand Prix. He had to have about ten days off after some really bad allergies, so I had to withdraw from the 5*. But each day I felt him better and better and tonight he felt like his old self again, so that for me made me very happy. It was kind of a relief to think, ‘Okay, he is back. He has got this.’ He is so fun to ride under the lights. He has so much power, so much scope. Last time we competed under the lights was a year ago in the Nations Cup so this was such a fun time.”
On her test Friday evening:
“I think my pirouettes and my last extended trot down the centerline were very good. My passage felt really good, as well as my piaffes felt like a strong point tonight. Just overall it flowed very nicely.”
Frederic Wandres – Intermediate I Freestyle CDIO3* Individual Gold Medalist
On his preparations for being under the lights with Quizmaster:
“To be honest it was a little bit of a jump into the cold water. It was the first 3* for the horse and me together. He is still young and so we did the first 3* here, and then on top of that under the lights! He managed to do everything really well, when the music started I kept a super powerful trot to it and in the walk he is always easy and relaxed. When I started the canter, I wish the music had been a little bit more silent because I felt that I had to take care that he did not get too tense, but I am very happy. He had three days with this weather. He is a really powerful and expressive horse and I am really happy.”
On what it means to be able to compete at Global this winter:
“I think I am really privileged to be here. At home in all of Europe there is really nothing going on and we have to see when we can start to do some new shows. So to come here and to compete and to bring the horses out in the dressage rings here in Wellington with this atmosphere, I felt really there a super vibe going on here.”
