Salvino bows out: Update

The speculation about Salvino’s future is over.

The 17-year-old Hanoverian stallion who was a lynchpin of so many U.S. dressage teams will compete no more. He’s headed for a breeding career in Florida and Colorado.

Owned by Betsy Juliano and ridden by Adrienne Lyle, he had been a part of many successful international efforts, including the 2018 world championships silver medal squad in Tryon, N.C., then the Tokyo Olympics silver medal effort in 2021. In 2022, he was part of the sixth-place world championship team that qualified the U.S. for this summer’s Paris Olympics. He also placed sixth individually in the 2022 world championships and was named the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s International Horse of the Year as Adrienne was voted in as the International Rider of the Year.

The last time he competed was in January 2023, when he won the FEI World Cup qualifier in Wellington, his fourth victory in a little over a month. Prior to that, he was absent from the arena for four months. Salvino was set to take part in the 2023 FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha until he popped a splint and was withdrawn.

Salvino’s long absence from competition made it seem unlikely he’d be a candidate for Paris, so Thursday’s announcement of his retirement was not unexpected.

Meanwhile, Adrienne is still pointing toward Paris, but with two new horses. She is showing Lars van de Hoenderheide and Helix, owned by Zen Elite Equestrian, with the idea of qualifying for the Games–even though she only got the ride on them earlier this year.

At the TerraNova equestrian center in Florida this weekend, she won both the 4-star Grand Prix for the Special and the Special with Helix. He was marked at 72.021 percent and 73.979 percent respectively in those classes.

Explaining the decision to retire Salvino, Betsy said he is “still quite fit and energetic, but Adrienne and I feel the rigors of the qualifying process, in addition to the leadup to the Olympics would not be in his best long-term interests.”

Adrienne pointed out, “There has always been a great deal of interest in Salvino as a breeding stallion. We feel it’s time to explore this as the next phase of his career. Salvino has far surpassed any expectations we ever had for him.

“This has been a very difficult decision to make, but more than anything we feel it is the right decision for him,” she added.

“He continues to be ridden at home; he loves to work and show the other horses how it should be done. He has given us so much, and Betsy and I are committed to making sure he keeps on living his best life.”

Writing on social media, Adrienne gave her thanks to Betsy and offered this tribute to Salvino: “You are the best friend, teammate and partner anyone could ever have, and you were an absolute warrior in the ring. You had my back every time we went down center line… if I was nervous you took the lead and showed me there was nothing to be afraid of… if I messed up, you picked up the slack and did it right anyway… if I doubted myself, you reminded me that we could make it happen, and when we turned up the final center line and I would whisper under my breath, “Take it home, buddy”… I could always feel you rise another foot off the ground and give it your absolute everything.

She added, “You taught me that if you really believe in something, keep your head down and work until the rest of the world believes in it too. I am so glad I get to still greet your beautiful face every morning and saddle up for fun rides together, for years to come.”

Adrienne began competing Salvino internationally in March 2017. Previously he had been ridden in Young Horse classes by Spanish riders. Originally named Sandronnerhall, the son of Sandro Hit and a Donnerhall mare was rechristened when he came to the U.S. He was purchased in 2015 by a syndicate, of which Betsy was one of the original members. She became the sole owner in 2017.

In her social media post, Adrienne emphasized, “Betsy Juliano, none of this would have been possible without your vision, dream, dedication, and unwavering commitment to Salvino. I am so thankful for your amazing support! And to Debbie McDonald for the years of expert guidance and help. None of this would have been possible without such an amazing team.”