Get to Know the 2021 US Olympic Dressage Team

July 19, 2021

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By Chelsey Burris

While COVID-19 wreaked havoc around the world, competitions were cancelled and postponed, including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As the world begins to return to a new normal, meet the four human and equine pairs that will represent the United States on our dressage team in July! The dressage competition will be held July 24-25 and July 27-28.

Adrienne Lyle with Salvino and Harmony’s Duval

The Rider: Adrienne Lyle is the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic dressage team this year, at age 36. She hails from USDF Region 6, as a native of Whidbey Island, Washington, but now primarily resides in Wellington, Florida, making her a proud representative from Region 3. Adrienne began her riding career with the U.S. Pony Club and some group riding lessons, which fostered her passion for horses. As she rose through the ranks, she eventually began riding with Debbie McDonald, her future coach, as a working student in 2005. She has found international success in the dressage ring, including at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), and the 2012 Olympics in London.

Aboard Salvino (one of her two potential Olympic mounts for Tokyo) she was selected to her second WEG team in 2018. That year, the pair were on all three US Dressage Nations Cup teams, helping the U.S. earn gold at FEI Dressage Nations Cup USA, bronze at FEI Dressage Nations Cup The Netherlands, and silver at FEI Dressage Nations Cup Germany.

In 2021, Adrienne took the the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) by storm, where she won the FEI Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special CDI3* at AGDF 1 and the FEI Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special, and Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO3* at AGDF 10, aboard Harmony’s Duval. She didn’t stop there! With Salvino, she went on to win the FEI Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special CDI4* at AGDF 12.

The Horses: Adrienne has two horses in contention for a coveted Olympic team spot. The first of the pair is Salvino (Sandro Hit x Donnerhall), a 2007 stallion. The Hanoverian, owned by Betsy Juliano LLC, is currently ranked #15 in the world on the FEI Dressage World Rankings. The second is 2008 Dutch Warmblood gelding Harmony’s Duval (Rousseau x Riverman) who is owned by Duval Partners LLC. He is ranked #49 in the world.

How they did at the U.S. Dressage Mandatory Observation Event – Adrienne and Salvino achieved a personal best score of 82.413% in the FEI Grand Prix and 81.830% in the FEI Grand Prix Special and look ready for a career best performance at Tokyo.

While Harmony’s Duval was shortlisted for the Olympic team, he is not attending the event.

Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper

The Rider: Steffen Peters, out of San Diego, California in USDF Region 7, heads to Tokyo with Suppenkasper. Steffen is the veteran of this year’s U.S. Dressage Olympic Team, having represented the U.S. at four Olympic Games, four FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), and two Pan American Games.

Steffen began his career in the U.S. horse industry in 1984, when he moved from his home in Germany to San Diego to work with trainer Laurie Falvo. In 2008, 2009, and 2011, he was named United States Equestrian of the Year – making him the first rider to ever win the award three times.

Steffan and Suppenkasper went undefeated in 2020, lighting up scoreboards at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida., and the CDI3* at Desert Dressage in Thermal, California. At the 2021 AGDF, Steffen and Suppenkasper won the FEI Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special CDI4* at AGDF 3 and the FEI Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle CDI5* at AGDF 7.

The Horse: Suppenkasper (Spielberg x Krack C) is a 2008 KWPN gelding who is owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki. His name translates to “soup kasper” meaning finicky eater. The big gelding, who stands 18.2h, is the reigning Adequan®/USDF Grand Prix Horse of the Year. He is currently ranked #21 in the world on the FEI Dressage World Rankings.

How they did at the U.S. Dressage Mandatory Observation Event – In the FEI Grand Prix & FEI Grand Prix Special, Steffen and Suppenkasper earned personal best scores of 77.696% and 79.532% respectively. Can they keep their undefeated streak alive in Tokyo?

Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo

The Rider: Sabine Schut-Kery, of Napa, California, is the second member of Team USA representing USDF Region 7. Like Steffen, Sabine moved from Germany to the U.S. to pursue her horse dreams. Since arriving in the U.S. in 1998, she has built her career as a professional dressage trainer, first in Texas and later in California. Her international success began in 2015 with Sanceo (who she will ride in the Olympics) where the pair won a team gold medal at the Pan American Games in Toronto. In 2018, she was part of the winning FEI Nations Cup USA team in Wellington, Florida.

The duo have been on fire so far in 2021, winning the FEI Grand Prix Special at Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) 6, the FEI Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special CDI5* at AGDF 7, and the FEI Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special CDI3* at AGDF 10.

The Horse: Sanceo (San Remo x Ramiro’s Son II) is a 2006 Hanoverian stallion, owned by Alice Womble. Sanceo is a special mount for Sabine, who picked him out in Germany as a 3-year-old, and brought him up from the start of his career as a young horse to the highest levels of the sport. He is currently ranked #52 in the FEI Dressage World Rankings.

How they did at the U.S. Dressage Mandatory Observation Event – Sabine and Sanceo notched two personal best scores: a 78.978% in the FEI Grand Prix and a 78.298% in the FEI Grand Prix Special.

Nick Wagman with Don John and Ferano

The Rider: Nick Wagman is one of two members of the U.S. Olympic dressage team residing in San Diego, California, and the third representative of USDF Region 7. He also has two horses in contention for an Olympic spot, Don John and Ferano.

Nick was a representative for Team USA at the 2019 FEI Dressage Nations Cup in Geesteren, the Netherlands, as well as the bronze-medal winning The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team at the 2019 FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ France. That same year, Nick and Don John won the USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions.

This year, Nick has been off to a strong start. At the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), Nick & Ferano won the CDI3* Grand Prix Special during week three, and he and Don John racked up wins in the CDI3* Grand Prix during week five and the CDI3* Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special during week eight.

The Horses: Don John and Ferano are a pair of Dutch Warmblood geldings who will compete with rider Nick Wagman in the saddle. The older of the pair, 2008 gelding Don John (Johnson x Goodtimes) is owned by Beverly Gepfer. He is currently ranked #67 in the world on the FEI Dressage World Rankings. Ferano (Scandic x Parcival) is the youngest horse in the U.S. Olympic Dressage Team, at only eleven years old, and is relatively inexperienced compared to some of his older counterparts. He is owned by Elizabeth Keadle and is currently ranked #485.

How they did at the U.S. Dressage Mandatory Observation Event – In the FEI Grand Prix, aboard Don John, Nick earned a personal best score of 75.652%.

Nick Wagman and Don John will be the traveling alternate pair for the US team, and while Ferano was shortlisted, he will not be making the trip to Tokyo.