At only 10 years of age, Salvino first made headlines when he and rider Adrienne Lyle won the USEF Grand Prix Dressage Reserve National Championship at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions in 2017. The pair earned multiple medals as part of Team U.S.A. at FEI Dressage Nations Cups, including gold, silver and bronze. Salvino and Lyle were part of the silver medalist team during the 2018 World Equestrian Games and the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games!
Salvino was named the 2022 U.S. Equestrian International Horse of the Year. His owner, Betsy Juliano, commented that all of the stallion’s accolades are due to Lyle, whom she called his best friend.
"In my opinion,” Juliano said when accepting the Horse of the Year award, “A horse can have talent to the moon, but without a rider who he or she can learn from, they will never reach their full potential.”
Lyle and Salvino, lovingly nicknamed “Vinny” in the barn, were ranked 11th in the world at the beginning of 2023.
The dark brown Hanoverian stallion’s name, Salvino, is Latin for “savior.” In the ring he was known for his ability to collect his stride for classic dressage movements such as the piaffe and passage, as well as showing off his stretch and relaxation in ground-sweeping walks. Retired from competition in early 2024, Salvino is preparing to settle into life as a breeding stallion and sire the next generation of dressage greats.