Wellington, Fla. – April 4, 2024 – Owner Betsy Juliano and rider Adrienne Lyle announced this week that 17-year-old Hanoverian stallion Salvino (Sandro Hit x Donnerhall) will not be a contender for the U.S. team for the Olympic Games in Paris and will be retired from competition. Salvino and Lyle were members of the silver-medal winning U.S. team at the Tokyo Olympic Games, as well as the silver medal team at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™. Most recently, they were members of the 2022 World Championship team and finished sixth overall for the U.S.
Throughout a storied career in the international dressage ring, Salvino has collected wins throughout the world. In 2022, Salvino was named United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) International Horse of the Year—as a result of membership votes—while during the same year Lyle was named USEF International Rider of the Year.
With great admiration for the stallion, Juliano noted, “Salvino 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.”
Juliano has supported Lyle and Salvino’s career as the stallion’s sole owner since 2017, having been a member of the original syndicate that acquired Salvino in 2015. “He will soon transition to a life of retirement while still being ridden at home. We are also very proud to be able to offer Salvino for breeding,” said Juliano.
Salvino will retire and stand for breeding in Wellington and Colorado. “There has always been a great deal of interest in Salvino as a breeding stallion,” said Lyle. “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,” continued Lyle. “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.”
Together with the international dressage community, Juliano and Lyle express their gratitude to Salvino for his contributions to sport, the U.S. Team and their personal experiences through the last nine years.
The details of Salvino’s availability for breeding, including exact stud locations, are being finalized and more information will be released.
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Photos: Courtesy of Betsy Juliano & © Stefan Lafrentz