60 SIDELINES SEPTEMBER 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Lauren R. Giannini
Seven years ago, Adrienne Lyle, 27, cut short her college
education to sign on as a working student with Debbie McDonald
which led to a partnership with a horse named Wizard. In 2011,
at Dressage at Devon, Adrienne and Wizard won both the
Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Freestyle. Now she’s living her
dream, having made the US dressage team as an individual for
the London Olympics.
Why do you get along so well with Wizard?
A key to Wizard is understanding his emotions. He can
get very strong and aggressive when he’s feeling a little
overwhelmed or intimidated. He kind of lashes out and you
can’t come back at him with strength or get upset about it
or else the problem escalates. You have to take him back
to something that gets his attention on you, something that
restores his confidence and gets him feeling relaxed and
happy so that he’s back working for you again. Another thing:
you can’t take it personally. He’s a temperamental horse, and
you know that. You don’t get mad, you say, ‘Oh well, I gotta
figure out a way to make it better.’
Did you lose your cool when you realized you had a
chance to make the team?
Absolutely! We came to Florida this year and had the most
successful season we’ve ever had. I was really excited and
thought maybe we had a shot, coming into the trials, but of
course with horses you never know. You just take the training
one day at a time and never plan anything too far ahead. Going
to Florida defnitely gave me a bit of a confdence boost by the
quality of the shows there and the competitors, the number of
competitors, the international judges and the venue. I felt I was
more prepared going into Gladstone this year for the selections
trials than in past years.
When you rode Western at home as a child, did you
think about riding internationally?
From the frst time I saw top level dressage horses; I was
absolutely fascinated and fell in love with it. That was always
my dream; but it seemed like such a pipe dream. These horses
were so out of this world to me and it seemed like a horse like
that would never materialize for me. I was around nine when
I started eventing and doing my frst real dressage shows at
age 13. That’s when I knew for a fact that I wanted to be a
dressage trainer and that’s what I wanted to do with my life.
My parents, Ann and Greg Lyle, are amazing. They never have
been pushy horse show parents. If anything, I had to push for
it a little. It always had to be my thing. They were happy to let
me have horses; but it was me taking care of them, me paying
for them. They’re just so happy to see me achieve what I have
been working for.
e
Dressage
Adrienne Lyle
First Time Olympian
Living the Dream
What did Debbie give you as your mentor and trainer?
The biggest thing is that Debbie believed in me and was
generous enough to give me a chance. Her sponsor, Parry
and Peggy Thomas, had really nice horses and even schooling
them at home at frst was huge for me. I had never sat on horses
of that quality before. Debbie totally puts her heart and soul
into everything. She doesn’t just show up, teach you a lesson
and leave. She taught me the whole package: what it takes to
manage the horses and a barn, veterinary knowledge and skill,
the way you start training young horses all the way up to grand
prix, how to handle PR, working with sponsors, all that stuff,
because it takes all of that to get to the top level. Just having
a nice horse isn’t going to cut it. Debbie was instrumental in
helping me learn the ropes and fnd that support system. The
Thomas family gave me this amazing opportunity and believed
enough in me to let me ride Wizard. I am eternally grateful to
everyone at River Grove Farm for the amazing support they
have given me.
Are you okay – win, lose or draw?
Of course, but you want the process to end by doing well.
When I frst started competing, winning wasn’t the biggest goal
for me. It was about the training. I’m here to compete and do
the best I can; but it’s the whole process that I am enjoying.
Obviously, I’m training as hard as I can and we want to put in
our personal best test for sure – that’s the goal.
On their way to London: Adrienne and Wizard winning the West
Palm Beach 5* in Wellington during the winter circuit
Photo by SusanJStickle.com