As you all know I’m a strong believer in miracles, and know that the more people there are praying for one the better! So I am asking everyone who reads DoversWorld or my posts on Facebook and twitter to post, “I believe in a miracle for Courtney!” under this post. Let’s see how many of us around the world can put everything aside for just a minute to say those words as they write them. There’s unmeasureable power in numbers when we set our minds to something! So please join me in wishing this miracle for Courtney today and every day until she is well again.

Thank you all!

I believe in a miracle for Courtney!

RD

Check out this campaign to raise money for Cancer Research and also we have added an amazing new horse to our market place…Lover Boy

Close to 500 people from all around the world have sent in their prayers for a miracle for Courtney. This sounds like a lot until one thinks of the numbers of Dressage people and general horse enthusiasts world-wide. Literally hundreds of thousands of wonderful souls who may or may not know about Courtney’s fall and brain trauma.

So, my friends, I am asking you all to ratchette it up in the prayer department this week. Each time someone goes on Dovers World and write and says the words, “I believe in a miracle for Courtney” , we are combining our amazing powers with a common goal. Now, what we really need is for each and every one of us to ask 10 of our friends who have still not taken a moment to sign a prayer for Courtney today. If the 4 hundred who have already signed would make it their mission to find and get 10 more friends to do the same, we would have the power of over 4000 friends buy the end of the day combinig their power of prayer to ask God and the universe for a major miracle for our Courtney. Come on, Floks! Let’s DO IT!

Cheers!

RD

Well, I’m out in Del Mar just in time to have left behind the first warm weather in South Florida to now have more 50 degree temperatures here. I am told it will be better starting tomorrow. We’ll see.

Kim Keenan is amazing and building the show a la Den Bosche right before my eyes and including her usual flair for design. She is a very hard worker and I know the show will be lovely and show great respect for the horses and riders, from the footing to the food service.

The other thing I want to mention is that I and everyone else are wearing the green ribbons in honor of Courtney and prayers as well as helmets abound on the show grounds everywhere. We are all waiting, though it is hard to remain patient, for word of a miracle. I pray every day that she will wake up and be perfect. I know my prayers are shared by thousands of people all around the world and I will remind everyone daily to keep her and opur other friends in the hospital in their thoughts. Thank you!

I will be reporting daily from Del Mar and keep you abreast of the results and points of interest from my perspective.

Cheers!

RD

There will be a moment of prayer this afternoon at the Palm Beach Derby at 11:00. Mary Phelps told me yesterday that it will be led by a minister and I will be sure to be there along with everyone at the show to collectively ask for a miracle for her. Miracles are happening in every moment of our lives and the combined power os so many peoples’ thoughts cannot help but move the universe in the direction of our common desires and wishes. If you are not present but would still like to join us in that moment, you may do so.

Love to all!

RD

RD

Can you guess what they are???

We are talking screw-ups that actually helped humankind! Let’s see if you now any???

This man, halfway through an experiment with bacteria went on vacation. Slob that he was he left a dirty Petri dish in the lab sink. When he got back, he had found the bacteria had grown all over the plate, except where an area where mold had formed. That discovery let to two things? What were they and who was he?

In 1943, the war years, a General Electric engineer combined silicone oil and boric acid in an attempt to find a cheap alternative to rubber for tank treads boots ext, What was his name, and big discovery???

In 1870 this man was experimenting with the sap from a South American tree, as a substitute for rubber, After mounting failures, The dejected inventor popped a piece into his mouth . He liked it. He discovered what?

At the end of world war two, this engineer was looking for forms of magnetron, which generated the microwave for radar systems. While he was standing next to the device one day, a chocolate bar in his pocket melted. This magnetron worked better on what? Who became very rich from this?

In 1856 : this man was interested in finding a cure for one of the deadliest diseases, Malaria by replicate Quinine in his laboratory he inadvertently discovered the color mauve instead. As a result he forgot about malaria and made another product establishing what?

In 1987 This couple were using small does of a deadly toxin to treat “ aspasams and other eye spasms when they noticed another interesting side effect, wrinkles magically disappeared What did they discover & who were they?”

Today ended the Palm Beach Derby with an underwhelming Freestyle class, sorry to say. So many times I can remember over a thousand people there to watch a hotly contested class while a full tent of people dined at lunch. Today, due to most of the strongest combinations having gone for the Special, the field was not as strong and this could be seen as well by the lack of spectators. My Canadians placed 2nd and 3rd for which I was happy.

I will say that the highlight of the day for me was the prayer vigil held for Courtney as well as the presentation by Carol Lavel of the prize of $25,000 which was to be given directly to Courtney for having won. Instead, a very tearful and emotional Lendon Gray accepted the award on her behalf and told us that there has been no further bad news as to Courtney’s recovery, but reminded us again that we must not be impatient. It will be some time for sure before we can hope to see real progress. We will keep up our daily prayers on her behalf as well as the other friends of our: Charlie Weaver, Rebecca Howard and Jan Bynny. Nothing is more powerful than our minds when we put them all collectively together to produce any result we can dream of, including the healing of the world and all who inhabit it!

Cheers!

RD

There will be a moment of prayer this afternoon at the Palm Beach Derby. Mary Phelps told me yesterday that it will be led by a minister and I will be sure to be there along with everyone at the show to collectively ask for a miracle for her. Miracles are happening in every moment of our lives and the combined power os so many peoples’ thoughts cannot help but move the universe in the direction of our common desires and wishes. Later this morning I will post the exact time of the moment of prayer so that, if you are not present but would still like to join us in that moment, you may do so.

Love to all!

RD

There will be a moment of prayer this afternoon at the Palm Beach Derby. Mary Phelps told me yesterday that it will be led by a minister and I will be sure to be there along with everyone at the show to collectively ask for a miracle for her. Miracles are happening in every moment of our lives and the combined power os so many peoples’ thoughts cannot help but move the universe in the direction of our common desires and wishes. Later this morning I will post the exact time of the moment of prayer so that, if you are not present but would still like to join us in that moment, you may do so.

Love to all!

RD

So here’s the thing. I know that everyone can get the scores and placements on pretty much any website out there, so I’m not going to go through them all again, but rather am going to discuss the high (andnot so high) points of the day from my perspective. If you are not sure where to find the scores, go to Dressage Daily and they will al be there.

First, I want to say how much I admire Jacquie Brooks for her decision to ride both her Grand Prix tests with her crash helmet instead of her top hat today. And here is my prediction. Within a couple of months, some enterprising person is going to create and market a helmet cover made out of a nylon material over a semi firm but crush-able mesh which will fit over the helmet with velcro or elastic and will look like a top hat. the only difference will be that it will look a bit big andhave a chin strap. Men will be allowed to give a military salute which will be so much nicer when riding hot horses which don’t like to stand still easily. FYI, in case you are out there ready to create the prototype and want to make me a partner in the business, I’m ready to invest.

It was interesting to me that, though normally the Grand Prix which goes to the Freestyle is the more heavily contended at the Derby, this week was not the case. I think it was simply because of the number of shows which occurred leading up to this show made more riders decide to do the Freestyle at the last show at Jim Brandon. Therefore, they needed to do the Special here to follow the criteria for qualifying for the WEG’s for both America andCanada whereby the combination must do a minimum of 2 Grand Prixwith one Special andone Freestyle. At any rate, the Grand Prixfor the Freestyle did not impress me as a class, over-all. Like the first day’s Grand Prix, however, the Special had some major highlights, especially by the 1st and 2nd placed finishers, Tina Konyot and Belinda Trussell. Tina’s stallion, Collecto, has made enormous improvement in the last year and even in the last month. Lars has been tremendous help to her in finding the right amount of pressure to keep him engaged and lowered in his croup, while allowing him to express himself in an elegant posture. Tina has beeen having a lot of back pain but she is a chip off the old block of her Dad, and rode as if she were in perfect form. Only the end of the test showed the stallion still has to confirm his pirouettes and become slightly stronger to be fit enough for an even higher score which I believe will come in the near future.
Equally impressive for me was the combination of Belinda Trussell and Anton. This was their first time achieving over 70% and I am very excited because there is still so much further they can climb score-wise. Anton and Belinda have a wonderful rapport together and both are just now finding out how easy it is for them to dance gorgeously in the air as they move along.  I loved their test!

A few of the other Canadian riders were doing their first ever Special with their horses and the greeness showed a bit but this does not concern me because I can truly see the wonderful potential yet to be unveiled in these combinations. One or two more shows will do it for them and they will be proving why they are worthy of making our squad. And I can honestly say the same for a few of my fellow Americans who were not quite as successful today as yesterday. Their days will come very soon as well.

I have to commend the staff of the Derby who are once again doing a great job and making it look effortless. We also need to remember to thank Walter and Mary Anne McPhailwho year after year are the most incredible hosts anyone could ever wish for. They have always been two of the most special people in my life and I love them and their family.

And finally, I just have to say something quick about one of the show’s sponsors, Matt Johnson. Many years ago, Matt worked for me as a groom and then also worked for a client of mine, Linda Cameron. Now, Matt is one of the most successful Realtors in Wellington and was the sponsor of the Prix St. George. Don’t you just love America?!

Cheers!

RD