Lisa Wilcox Returns to the Rectangle After Four Years with Valando BJ

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2021 CDI Wellington

American Olympian Lisa Wilcox returned to the arena after a 4-year hiatus from international dressage competition. Her new partner-in-crime is the 19-year old Valando BJ.

Wilcox saddled the tall bay gelding for the 3* Grand Prix Special tour at the 2021 CDI Wellington on 28 - 31 January 2021. In the Grand Prix the budding pair placed sixth with 67.978%, the Special they captured the same spot with 65.426%.

Four Year Hiatus

The 54-year old Wilcox last rode onto the centerline at the CDI Wellington back in March 2017 when she ended her four-year campaign on the then 11-year old Belgian warmblood horse Galant (by Escuro x De Niro), owned by Jacqueline Shear.

In those four years she spent away from the international stage, Wilcox kept training and working out of Marsh Pond Farm in Florida. She also collaborates with U.S. show jumper Margie Goldstein-Engle for the flatwork of her jumpers.

In July 2019 she got married to "the love of her life" David Chapman in an intimate ceremony at The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach.

Back in Business

Aboard Relevant (by Rubinstein) Wilcox was a team bronze medal winner at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and once nr 2 ranked in the world.

In 2021 she has returned to business aboard Michael Sjerven’s Valando BJ, a Dutch warmblood gelding by Jazz out of Ilanda (by Zeoliet x Amor).

The gelding has very little show mileage. In 2009 and 2010 Mareike Peckholz rode him at M-level at three local shows in Germany. He was trained to Grand Prix level, but only for "home use."

Sjerven imported the gelding 18 months ago and Lisa began competing him nationally in September 2020. Wilcox presented Valando BJ in the CDI ring at Micheal's request, although the ultimate goal is for him to achieve his USDF gold medal on the gelding.

Chilli Pepper

Valando BJ's bloodline sounds like a Carolina Reaper chilli pepper with Jazz x Zeoliet x Amor lined up.

In an interview with The Chronicle of the Horse, Wilcox said about the horse's character and rideability, "he’s pretty reasonable, but he can be a little looky. Last weekend was rather challenging. They had the temporary tents set up, and a wash stall was at the entrance near the [Grand Prix] Special [ring]. So when somebody was washing a horse, the water was flying and splashing and making that noise. He would get a little big looking at that, but he continued, and it wasn’t like he balked and turned or anything. So if he can handle that, I’m thinking he should be OK. I was very pleased with him."

Tokyo Dream

Lisa Wilcox on Templeton Honeymoon
(Photo © Sara Hellner)

Wilcox has a second Grand Prix horse on the way, the 14-year old Hanoverian mare Honeymoon (by Hotline x Alabaster x Bolero), bred in The Netherlands by Hans Miedema and owned by Templeton Farms.

The black mare could be a secret weapon for this season. Lisa has been trained with U.S. team trainer Debbie McDonald to get the buttons on this horse.

"I guess in a perfect world, it would be nice if I could get qualifying scores for Honeymoon for Tokyo," she told The Chronicle. "That would be a Tokyo dream; she would be my Tokyo dream. But it’s one day at a time with the horses, and it’s their calendar, not mine. So we shall see. Deb has been a great support and help, and we are thrilled with what we get. It’s the inevitable one step forward, two steps back, two steps forward, one step back."

Read the full interview here: The Chronicle of the Horse