Tag Archives: Bethany Peslar

Everglades Dressage Trainer and Grand Prix Rider Bethany Peslar Teaches Successful Clinic on “Seat, Position and Effectiveness of the Aids”

Bethany Peslar taught a successful clinic to an enthusiastic group of students recently at Planeta Stables in New Hope PA. (Photo courtesy of Everglades Dressage)

New Hope, PA (July 22, 2011) – Grand Prix Dressage rider and trainer Bethany Peslar taught a clinic this month at Planeta Stables in New Hope, Pennsylvania.  The focus of the clinic was “Seat, Position and Effectiveness of the Aids”. Known for giving her students 110% during a clinic or lesson, Peslar’s talent, dedication and ability to keep the concepts clear helped the riders not only enjoy the day but come away with a better seat and deeper understanding of the effectiveness of the aids.

“Everyone was very enthusiastic about learning how to improve their seat. I really enjoyed working with each rider and it was a fun day,” Peslar said, adding that she enjoyed the camaraderie with the riders including Pam Olshavsky, Alex Poggi, Eileen Ward and Roberta Weiss. “Alex rode Zoey, my lesson horse who is a nine-year-old Friesian mare. I always enjoy teaching on Zoey, and I know there are a lot of my students who can’t wait to ride her each week.”

Peslar said much of the clinic was focused on getting everyone to sit correctly. “Almost everyone spent their entire ride on the lunge so they could really concentrate on their seat without worrying about steering. Some of the issues I worked on were sitting straight and upright in the saddle, never leaning forward or backward and not collapsing to one side or the other. We also worked on keeping an invisible straight line from hip to heel as well as how to achieve a deep seat. An issue many of the riders had was gripping or pinching in with their knees and holding too much tension in their upper leg. This literally pushes them out of the saddle and prevents the rider from having a deep seat.”

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Hope Greenfield Wins Everglades Dressage Adult Amateur High Score Award at Gold Coast Dressage Opener Festival CDI

Hope Greenfield, of New Jersey, won the Everglades Dressage Overall High Score Adult Amateur Award with her horse Zuni at the Gold Coast Dressage Opener Festival CDI. Everglades Dressage Farm, and trainer Bethany Peslar of Wellington, sponsors the award. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (February 4, 2011) – The Gold Coast Dressage Opener Festival CDI may have been the biggest show of Hope Greenfield’s career, but that didn’t stop the New Jersey rider from earning the highest Adult Amateur score of the entire show. With a score of 69.714% in the USEF Second Level class aboard her Dutch horse Zuni, Greenfield rode away with the Everglades Dressage Overall High Score Adult Amateur Award at the show, sponsored by Everglades Dressage Farm and Bethany Peslar.

“I was thrilled with how my horse went. The whole weekend was really wonderful,” Greenfield said. “This is my first season to come to Florida and it is a big deal for me. It is much more competitive than what I am used to and this was, by far, the biggest show I have ever shown in.”

Greenfield said she has owned Zuni for a year-and-a-half and bought him because she thought he was a “nifty” horse. She trains with Lauren Sammis and last year sent Zuni to Florida with Sammis. “He’s a nice young horse that I wanted to start correctly so I sent him to Florida last year although I didn’t come down except for a few visits,” Greenfield said. “Zuni is a really fun horse and I was pleased with how he went during the show. I haven’t competed him since June or July so it was a great return to the show ring.”

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Everglades Dressage Hosts Successful Lameness Seminar with French Olympic Team Veterinarian Philippe Benoit, DVM

Dr Benoit and the gathered veterinarians and vet students manually diagnose lameness issues before using advanced imaging technology to back up the diagnosis. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (January 21, 2011) – Accomplished dressage rider and trainer Bethany Peslar, who operates a training and competition facility at her Everglades Dressage Farm in Wellington, recently hosted a lameness seminar for veterinarians. The seminar, which focused on diagnosing lameness, featured Philippe Benoit, DVM, the veterinarian for the French Olympic team at the 2004 Games, and was attended by veterinarians and veterinarian students from around the country.

“This seminar was a great success and I was really pleased to host it at Everglades Dressage,” Peslar said. “We have hosted these seminars before and really enjoy the fact that we are able to contribute to the industry and give back to the veterinarians who work so hard to keep our horses healthy and sound.”

Dr. Benoit, one of the top international horse show veterinarians in the world, taught an in-depth approach to diagnosing lameness during the seminar. “His approach is much more biomechanical than we traditionally learn in the United States,” said Diane Isbell, DVM, who has her own practice in California. “I have attended these seminars before at Everglades, which is a fantastic facility, and it has totally changed my practice and enabled me to help horses and owners in ways I never had before.”

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Catherine Malone Wins Everglades Dressage Adult Amateur High Score Award at Wellington Classic Holiday Challenge

Catherine Malone won the Everglades Dressage Overall High Score Adult Amateur Award with Florianus II at the Wellington Classic Dressage Holiday Challenge Show. Malone trains with Todd Flettrich, left. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (January 10, 2011) – The Wellington Classic Holiday Challenge ended the year on a good note for dressage rider Catherine Malone, who rode away the Everglades Dressage Overall High Score Adult Amateur Award at the show. Sponsored by Everglades Dressage Farm and Bethany Peslar, Malone won the High Score Award with a 66.026% in the USEF National Young Adult “Brentina Cup” Test of Choice.

Malone, the daughter of Mary Alice Malone of Iron Spring Farm in Pennsylvania, rode Iron Spring Farm’s Westfalen stallion Florianus 2. “It was our first show and it ended up going quite nicely,” Malone said. “I think we will have more confidence in the future.”

Malone, who rides with dressage trainer Todd Flettrich, said she was thrilled when her mother gave her the chance to ride Florianus 2, the first stallion fully approved by the KWPN outside of Holland. “He’s my first Grand Prix horse so I am very excited,” Malone said. “He carried me through the test where I wasn’t sure about things. It’s definitely a great privilege to ride a Grand Prix horse.”

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