I was afraid that the 1st of my Dreams which I posted as a comment only might have been lost in the shuffle, so I am reprinting it here. It is so near and dear to me that I hope, by doing so, people will grab hold of it as they have so fantastically with my Dream to find Gary Johnson a new driving ony.
I believe we are already well on our way to making Gary’s wish come true. Thanks!!!
So here it is-my 1st post, again.

Well, I just have to say how beautiful the words those of you who have written in have been for me to read. I truly hope you will keep on sharing your dreams with me and others, and I will now share with you one of mine. I want you to know that this is by no means my only or even my greatest, though I admit it to be one of my fondest.

One of the great loves of my life is neither a person nor an animal; though again I admit that these two will always be my highest priorities and I will discuss one in my next “Dream Wish” with you all later. It is actually a place many of us simply refer to as “The Team” and it is the home of the United States Equestrian Team in Gladstone, NJ.
In one of my early posts, I recounted my very first time setting foot in the fantastic stables which also house the offices, living quarters, trophy room, and library. I remember the feeling of entering a building which felt as holy as a Church or Synagogue, but probably cleaner. Every last inch of this shrine to our top horses and riders from decades before was polished and gleaming and NEVER was even a shaving seen where it did not belong. Our great Jumping Coach, Bert de Nemethy, ran the Team as his ship and the riders and staff were the ever faithfull shipmates who ensured his exquisite attention to detail be applied each and every day in not only the care and training of the horses, but to both the interior and exterior of their home as well. Since Bert’s retirement, and because the team stopped being used as it was in his time, as a true “Training Center”, the facilities slowly fell more and more into disrepair. It is certainly partly a result of the nature of the Show Jumping business having evolved into one which sees the trainers and their students spending the greatest bulk of their time annually at the competitions as opposed to training at home or at a “center”.

Needless to say, over these many years I have been very emotional and sometimes even angry over the state of this place I called my second home for many years in my youth. It is absolutely nobody’s fault any more or less than it is all of our’s for letting it become so run down, but last month as I was there for the Festival Of Champions and it was being discussed that next year’s Championships will be the last one probably ever held there, a light came on in my head and I’ve been obcessing about it ever since, and want to share it with you now.

I dream of the “Gladstone Restoration and Beautification Project” which will ask for, recieve, and use funds not associated with those necessary to be used by our Federation to train and field teams, but rather will have the goal to bring the USET back to its former glory, and then some! This fantastic building and the much smaller but still substantial grounds associated with it need not have it’s story come to a close. By restoring what is truly an amazing Olympic Training Center, there is an enormous opportunity to bring back the days of De Nemethy, but now with the discipline priority being placed, instead of on Jumping, on Dresssage. The building and stalls are fantastic; the living quarters and indoor arena need to be refurbished with heavy emphasis being placed on making it the world-class facility it can and should be.
I dream about seeing training sessions and camps taking place there on a consistent schedule, and of nurturing top young athletes, both two and four-legged who may, as I did, take up residence, provided they understand that once again, they will be treated with the same respect as is expected of them in the care and maintenance of this sacred place. And I would be more than thrilled to march myself around daily, humbly remembering that I would be walking in the footsteps of Bert de Nemethy, who I am absolutely certain would be right there in spirit, thrilled to see his home once again with its wood and brass shining and bright! And there you have it - my Dream.

Cheers!

RD

Posted: Sunday, July 19th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Filed under: Dover's Dream's....And Yours