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  • Practical Horseman

    From Reality TV to Wellington Pro

    Dec 10, 2021 6 minutes
    INTERVIEW WITH STEPHANIE J. RUFF AND AVIVA NEBESKY

    Philesha Chandler has worked hard to get where she is today. From an 8-year-old girl in Kansas to a respected trainer and clinician based in Wellington, Florida, Chandler has broken barriers and become successful in the competitive dressage world.

    PRACTICAL HORSEMAN: Who were your mentors or people who have influenced you over the years?

    PHILESHA CHANDLER: My first instructor, Lydia Wainwright, because she’s the one who started me out with my beginner lessons and really helped me gain my confidence and understanding of correct riding.

    And then, of course, growing up at that point in time, Robert Dover was on basically every dressage Olympic team that I saw. I just thought that he was the best ever, and I idolized him.

    PH You were publicly announced as the winner of “The Search for America’s Next Equestrian Star: Dressage” in 2007. Can you tell us a little bit about your experience?

    I saw an article [Robert Dover] had put in a magazine saying that type of show. Then from there, it came about that it was going to be filmed and put on TV. Anyone who knows me from a young kid knows that I was very shy as a child. I don’t know that had it been presented in the beginning about being on TV that I would have ever applied.

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