Adrienne Lyle and Wizard. (Photos courtesy of JRPR)
Gladstone, NJ (June 25, 2014) – It was another 3 for 3 success for all of the dressage riders on the Vita Flex Victory Team at the US Festival of Champions. Riders Adrienne Lyle, Lisa Wilcox, and Caroline Roffman brought it full circle by all finishing in the top 8 and securing a spot to compete in Europe as final selections are made for the US Dressage Team for the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy.
Held at the United States Equestrian Team Headquarters in Gladstone, New Jersey, the Festival of Champions served as the selection trials for the World Equestrian Games, where the top 2 horse and rider combinations would earn a spot on the team, and the top 8 would be sent to Europe to compete. The Grand Prix division featured 3 classes set over four days, with each constituting a different percentage of the overall score. The Grand Prix was Thursday, and accounted for 45% of the total. The Grand Prix Special was Friday for 40%, and the final day was the Freestyle, which made up the following 15%.
Vita Flex’s top finishing pair was 2012 Olympian Adrienne Lyle and Wizard, who finished fourth overall with a 73.543%. She and Peggy Thomas’s 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Weltmeyer put in accurate and expressive rides in both the Grand Prix and Special, followed by an impressive Freestyle set to blues rock. Wizard also displayed an exceptional piaffe and passage tour, along with bold extensions.
Finishing sixth was Caroline Roffman and Her Highness O with a 72.760%. Hannah, as the mare is called, also displayed brilliance in her passage and extensions, along with neat, correct pirouettes and a freestyle set to upbeat pop music including Katy Perry’s Roar. Roffman could not have been more thrilled with the mare’s performance, saying, “The Festival was only Hannah’s fifth Grand Prix event, and I am so excited to be bringing her to Europe. Last summer we did the small tour with her in France and now we will be shooting for a spot on the team for the World Equestrian Games!”
Veteran Olympian Lisa Wilcox and Denzello rounded out Vita Flex’s top 8 finish with an overall score of 71.633%. The pair’s solid performance secured them a chance to compete in Europe and to contend for the additional two spots left on the US Dressage Team for Normandy.
“We were so thrilled that all three of our Victory Team dressage riders made it to the prestigious Festival of Champions, and now that excitement is doubled as all three will go to compete in Europe,” said Vita Flex Brand Manager Tanner Clark. “They’ve all worked very hard to get where they are, and Vita Flex is thrilled to be able to continue to support the horses as they travel overseas and hopefully make an appearance at the World Equestrian Games.”
The Vita Flex Victory Team is comprised of many world-class riders from all disciplines. Members rely on Vita Flex® products and are proud to represent the company. Vita Flex Nutrition offers animal health supplements, antioxidants, electrolytes, joint supplements, performance products, topicals and vitamins and minerals. Vita Flex® products are researched and tested by equine nutritionists and veterinarians and have been relied upon for more than two decades by owners, trainers and top riders.
Vita Flex is a registered trademark of Farnam Companies, Inc.
Contact Tanner Clark
Tclark@central.com
www.vitaflex.com
(800)848-2359