Lexington, Ky. – The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team will make their 2018 FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ debut in front of a home nation crowd when the FEI Dressage Nations Cup USA gets underway on Wednesday, March 28, in Wellington, Fla. In addition, the U.S. will compete in the U25 Nations Cup, running alongside the FEI Dressage Nations Cup USA on Wednesday.
Chef d’Equipe Robert Dover will lead The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team of Ashley Holzer, Olivia LaGoy-Weltz, Adrienne Lyle, and Sabine Schut-Kery as they pursue a top finish to close out the 12-week 2018 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) and generate positive momentum moving into the summer Nations Cup schedule. The top three scores from each team earned during Wednesday’s FEI Grand Prix and Thursday’s FEI Grand Prix Special will account for the overall team score, whereas the Grand Prix Freestyle on Friday will determine overall individual honors. The U.S. has drawn third in the order, with Holzer and Havanna 145 heading down the centerline first.
Meet the Team
Ashley Holzer (New York City, N.Y.) and Havanna 145, Diane Fellows’s 11-year-old Hanoverian mare.
Olivia LaGoy-Weltz (Haymarket, Va.) and Lonoir, her and Mary Anne McPhail’s 14-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding. Follow LaGoy-Weltz on Twitter (@LivDressage) and Instagram (@livdressage).
Adrienne Lyle (Ketchum, Idaho) and Salvino, Elizabeth Juliano’s 11-year-old Hanoverian stallion. Follow Lyle on Facebook (@adriennelyleUSA) and Twitter (@adriennelyle1).
Sabine Schut-Kery (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Sanceo, Alice Womble’s 12-year-old Hanoverian stallion. Follow Schut-Kery on Instagram (@schutkery).
Last Time Out
Holzer and Havanna 145 have been competing at the AGDF where they recently placed third in the FEI Grand Prix CDI4*during week 10.
LaGoy-Weltz and Lonoir have earned five first-place finishes at the AGDF, most recently winning the FEI Grand Prix CDI4* and FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI4* during week 10.
Lyle and Salvino last competed during week eight of the AGDF where they placed second in the FEI Grand Prix CDI-W and FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI-W.
Schut-Kery and Saneco make the trip to the East Coast after competing in the Adequan® West Coast Dressage Festival V. They recently placed second in the FEI Grand Prix CDI3* and FEI Grand Prix Special CDI3*.
Career Highlights
Holzer: Three-time Canadian Olympian (London 2012, Beijing 2008, and Athens 2004); three-time Canadian FEI World Equestrian Games™ competitor (Lexington, Ky., 2010; Aachen, Germany, 2006; and Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, 2002); first time riding on a U.S. team after her sport nationality change was approved in early 2017
LaGoy-Weltz: Member of the silver medal-winning team in the FEI Nations Cup at CHIO Aachen and member of the gold medal-winning team in the FEI Nations Cup at CHIO Rotterdam in 2017; 2011 USEF Young Adult 'Brentina Cup' Reserve National Champion
Lyle: 2012 London Olympian; FEI World Equestrian Games competitor (Caen, France, 2014); member of the silver medal-winning team in the FEI Nations Cup at CHIO Aachen in 2017; 2008 USEF Young Adult ‘Brentina Cup’ National Champion; 2017 USEF Intermediaire I Dressage National Champion and USEF Grand Prix Dressage Reserve National Champion
Schut-Kery: Member of the gold medal-winning team at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games
U25 Athletes Teaming Up for FEI Nations Cup CDIO-U25
The U.S. will compete against Canada and Spain in the FEI Nations Cup CDIO-U25 competition. Chef d’Equipe Debbie McDonald will guide the team of Kerrigan Gluch, Natalie Pai, and Molly Paris as they look to defend the gold medal win the U.S. team produced in the U.S.’s debut U25 team competition last year. On Wednesday, they will perform the FEI Intermediate II 16-25 test, with the top two scores counting for the team score.
Gluch (Wellington, Fla.), a member of last year’s gold medal-winning team, will ride Bolero XCLVII, who she started competing with last month. The 2016 U.S. Young Rider European Tour participant and Hampton Green Farm’s 14-year-old P.R.E. stallion placed first in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDIU25 and second in the FEI Grand Prix 16-25 CDIU25 during their first competition, week seven of the AGDF.
Pai (Wellington, Fla.), a 2015 Adequan®/FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) individual gold medalist, brings Unlimited, Melanie Pai’s 17-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding. The 2017 USEF Young Adult ‘Brentina Cup’ Dressage Reserve National Champions recently placed first in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDIU25 and placed second in the FEI Grand Prix 16-25 CDIU25 during week 10 of the AGDF.
Paris (Charlotte, N.C.) will compete with Countess. The 2014 NAJYRC junior team gold medalist and individual silver medalist and her 16-year-old Danish Warmblood mare won the FEI Grand Prix 16-25 CDIU25 during week seven of the AGDF.
Competition Information
The FEI Dressage Nations Cup USA and FEI Nations Cup CDIO-U25 are part of the week 12 festivities closing out the 2018 AGDF. Competition begins on Wednesday, March 28, beginning with the Nations Cup CDIO-U25 FEI Intermediate II 16-25 test at 3:15 p.m. EST.
Follow US Equestrian
Stay up to date on The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team by following US Equestrian on Instagram, Twitter, and the USA Dressage Facebook page. Use #JoinTheJoy, #SupportYourNation, #NationsCup and #USADressage.
The USEF International High Performance Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, USOC, and USEF Sponsors and Members.