January 20, 2016–Olympian Lars Petersen, who owns and operates Legacy Farms near the international dressage show grounds in Wellington, Florida, is well known in the Wellington community for his buoyant attitude and infectious high spirits. Petersen is surprisingly humble given his accomplishments. In addition to the Olympic Games, he has represented Denmark at two World Equestrian Games, three World Cup Finals, and two Continental Championships. He has been named Danish National Champion five times. Since relocating to the United States in 2002, Petersen has become a prominent figure in the community, but he remains modest— “I’m a farm boy from Denmark,” he laughs. “That’s how I want to stay.”
During the first week of competition at the 2016 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, Premier Equestrian— known for providing advanced riding arena systems throughout the United States— recognized Petersen for his exemplary skills, sportsmanship, and role model qualities by presenting him with a tri-colored ribbon, an engraved plaque, and the title of “Premier Equestrian.”
“I have done this for many years,” said Petersen when asked how he maintains such a positive attitude during a fierce competition such as the 2016 Adequan Global Dressage Festival. “Some days you win, some days you lose. On the days that it doesn’t go so well I always say to myself, well now we have to go back to the drawing board and make it better for next time. That’s all we can do.”
Petersen, who is consistently a strong contender in the Grand Prix level, is already off to another strong start this 2016 season. Petersen and his prominent partner Mariett, a 17-year-old Danish Warmblood mare (Comeback II x Zendi, Sidney), placed high in the FEI Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special with scores of 72.700 percent and 71.176 percent respectively. He also competed two horses in the Prix St. Georges, nine-year-old KWPN gelding Coltrane WRF (Jazz x Fable WRF) and eight-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding Quascai Nexen (Quaterback x Pearl Nexen). Petersen also brought along eight-year-old Oldenburg mare Elfenfeuer (by Florencio) to compete in the Grand Prix, and the pair captured first place on Saturday with a score of 72.200 percent.
The Premier Equestrian Award will be presented each week of the twelve-CDI competitions to honor riders who are not only competitive, but also kind and gracious to other competitors and show staff, put their horses first, and contribute to a positive overall atmosphere on the showgrounds. Premier Equestrian hopes that this award will let competitors know that their outstanding attitudes are noticed and appreciated, and will encourage all riders to enter the show ring in winning spirits.
Premier Equestrian is proud to offer continued support of the dressage community as an Official Partner and Sponsor of the 2016 Adequan Global Dressage Festival show series. The company offers high-quality and affordable products to dressage riders— including premier dressage arenas, world-class arena footing, revolutionized horse jumps, and accessories. For more information about the presenter of the Premier Equestrian Award, visit www.PremierEquestrian.com or call 800-611-6109.
