As I have told you before, I am the king of sticking my foot in my mouth! I thought you all might be ready for a laugh, so I decided to recall one such time.

I have loved my friendship with and teaching Kate Kapshaw, wife of Steven Spielberg. Their farm in the Los Angeles area is just beautiful, and as they were doing the finishing touches to the place, I was out to help her and her trainer, Ester, with their horses.

As I walked between the home and the stables, I couldn’t help notice there were some men installing a very large (and by that I mean life-sized) statue of a horse, seemingly made completely out of driftwood. It was being well anchored into a patch of knee-high grass, so as to appear that it was standing in a lovely field. Naturally, I thought to myself, “It’s very pretty, but isn’t the water needed to keep the miniature field irrigated going to make the wood rot?”

After teaching, Kate asked me to come inside for a drink and to meet the artist responsible for the sculpture being assembled outside. Sitting on the couch in the living room was a very slender woman with long blondish hair - very California 70’s hippie looking.  Kate said, “Robert, this is Deborah, and she is responsible for the statue out there.”

Well, Deborah had obviously been helping the guys install her work of art, as she was looking like she had been doing some of he heavy lifting herself, in her jeans and T-shirt. She seemed very sweet and said she was a dressage enthusiast and was glad to meet me. With the ice broken, I asked her how the driftwood would fare the elements, and was relieved to find out that it only appeared to be driftwood but in fact was bronze. She explained that she would travel and find interesting pieces of wood and scrap metal just lying around and, in her shop which was sort of like a big hanger on her ranch somewhere in Montana, she would go about making this “junk” come to resemble horses in every possible size and form.

I remember thinking to myself, “How sweet. Lucky that she can do this out there in Montana where life is probably far cheaper and she can indulge her artistic side. I’m sure her husband, like most horse-husbands, has to humor her and pay for all this and  her riding too.”

Anyway, we had a nice lunch and I left back for my home in New York. A couple of weeks later, we had our friends, Jim and Jerry, out for Chrismas to our place in Bridgehampton. With the fire going, we sat around opening gifts and Jim handed me what was obviously a book, beautifully wrapped. As I unwrapped it, he commented that he always loved this one “horsey” artist, and knowing she also loved dressage, thought I would enjoy her book. And wouldn’t you know it, the book was entitled, DEBORAH BUTTERFIELD!

I said, “You won’t believe this, but I just met this woman a couple of weeks ago.”  Jim gasped and explained that he always wished for even a tiny coffee-table sized sculture, since anything bigger would be way out of his price range.

What?  How much do this lady’s things go for? the answer was simple. Most of Deborah’s work can be viewed around the world in almost every major museum. Heads of State, Kings, Queens, and the ultra-wealthy are probably the only ones left who can afford one of her pieces, should she decide to grace that person with the opportuninityof purchasing one of her “herd”. The smallest sculpture might go for arouind a quarter of a million and the life-sized one…… let’s just say they are out of most human being’s price range!

Here I was sort of feeling sorry for this lady who I thought was giving Kate a sweet gift so she might help her along with her business,  just as starving artists have  often asked for help from me to do for them in the past. Needless to say, Ms. Butterfield needs absolutely no help from Kate, me, or anyone else in the world, and my only regret is that I didn’t come home with like a stray hoof or an ear or something.  It would have been worth its weight in gold.  Literally!

Cheers!

RD

Rarely do I venture over to sites where I have in the past felt that the blogs had a somewhat negative spirit to them. But, every once in a while someone will mention that a particular post is running on one of them that I have an interest in, so a couple of clicks later and there I am, reading stuff I can barely believe people have the nerve to write.
Of course, they almost never have peoples’ real names signed at the bottom, something which I require on my own site; however, this isn’t truly what gets me going. What I just do not understand is that, knowing that all they would have to do is simply go to DoversWorld.com and click on “Questions and Comments” and ask me directly something like for instance, ” Exactly what does the FEI Dressage Task Force hope to achieve with the up-coming Dressage Judging Systems Trials being held September 7-9 in Aachen?” Instead, “herd members” place their theories, most of them without much fact to back them up, as to exactly what will take place and the probable results.

So here is my challange to all those “nerds”, Ultimate or Chrono. Ask me anything and I promise to give you an honestg answer, whether you like it or not. If I can help peop-le to understand better any issues they are unclear on about this or anything else I have knowledge of (and it’s not so much- believe me!), I will do my best to help.

Cheers!

RD

What a week of Dressage it has been in Windsor at the European Championships!  I dare say the world has gotten to see the finest field of horses (minus a few from outside of Europe) ever competed on one site. World records were smashed time and again, and I LOVE IT!

Sitting over here watching some of it on line, I couldn’t help feeling we North Americans were being left behind, as if our best friends omitted to invite us to their fantastic party, even though a few of us at least thought we were “cool”, just like them. And then I wondered - could the European Championships create special invitations to compete any teams if they were ranked in the top 3 in the world as well as any riders ranked in the top 10, even if they come from outside of Europe?

The thing is, until or unless the rest of the world catches up to where whole continents have competitions in the same year and at the same level as the E.U., there will be nothing to highlight the top combinations from those countries and top teams, unless they fly to Europe to compete in other CDIO’s, will simply be left out of the mix. As I said in a previous post, eventually we must have our Pan Am Games moved to the Grand Prix level. Those countries which say they can’t field teams at Grand Prix have been enabled to keep their bar low and I promise that if the FEI says the competition will now be GP, they will rush out and buy horses at this level, just like they’ve been doing so at St. George/ Intermediare level for decades. We also need to get back to having North American Continental Championships for Grand Prix, and they should put them together with the Continental Young Rider Championships and give everybody a thrill! After all, it would just mean a few more classes at a show where the judges and all other infrastructure already is in place.

Let me hear your thoughts on this and other things, so I don’t keep feeling “left out!” :)      And CONGRATULATIONS again to the winners in Windsor!

Cheers!

RD

I cannot tell you how happy it made me to receive the message from my friend, Mary Phelps, that she made it to N.J. with her fabulous driving pony,Buddy, and that he and Gary Johnson hit it off beautifully together! Mary’s generosity in allowing Gary to have and compete Buddy for the next 2 1/2 months while many of us work hard to find him a permanent replacement for his last pony which sadly died of Cushings Disease.

I want to thank Mary again from the bottom of my heart, and tell Gary that he needs to work hard, have a blast, and keep me informed on the great successes I know he will achieve in the future!

Cheers!

RD

First, let me just say that when I am wrong I am wrong. Not only had I completely forgotten that, unlike the Olympic Games, the European Championships give separate medals for both the Grand Prix Special and the Freestlye. Therefore, there are a total of 3 medals each individual my receive, if good enough. Secondly, I was most definitely wrong about the outcome of the first individual championship class, the GPS. Not only did Edward and Totalis not win, my choice for third place overall, Adelinde with Parzival, won the class with a new world record, 84.024%!

As I said yesterday, I am so pleased that our top combinations in the world are finally receiving points which average at least a score with a value of “GOOD”! I predict that by next year we will see scores in the “VERY GOOD” range of 90-100%, and this will not only be amazingly encouraging to the riders and trainers who work year after year and decade after decade to perfect their art, but also to the public which could never understand why the best in the world only ever got in the low to mid-70’s, an average which says they were only “FAIRLY GOOD!”

So, I now stand 1 for 2, with my prediction for the Grand Prix right on the money, but off  in the Special where I had predicted Edward on top with Anky 2nd and Adelinde in 3rd. My only defense is that I thought the individual ranking was produced  by  the compilation of the scores from the GPS and GPF, and I was taking into account Anky’s masterful Freestyle ability. So let’s see how I fare after the Kur and then we’ll talk again.

In the meantime, congratulations again go out to Adleinde, Edward, and Laura for their amazing achievements!

Cheers!

RD

The other day I made my predictions for teams as well as Individual championships at the Europeans in Windsor, England this week. So far, I’m one for one. meaning I got the teams right. Now some might think  it was fairly easy to get this one on the mark, but saying that perennial winner, Germany, would win neither gold nor silver still gave me great pause to consider! Still, that’s exactly what happened as well as my predicted landslide win for Holland. We’ll see if I fare so well for the individuals.:)

The bigger question is, “Why and how could this happen to the German team?” My answer to this complicated question might be very different than that of other experts in the field, but I will proffer my opinion to you and see how it flies. OK?

The first and most obvious reason for the German defeat is their loss of their queen, Isabell Werth, with whom they most certainly could have produced sufficient scores to put them in the silver spot. Obviously, the problems of drug abuses as well as the firing of key administrators was a drain on everyone involved in the sport there. And, of course, both Heike and Ulla had horses which sustained injuries, causing each to be out of the team. But, Germany was always famous for having teams so long on talent that they could field multiple squads, each of which would have come back wearing gold around their necks. So how did a country with so much heritage, pride, money, trainers, and horses find themselves so short on available talent?

I believe the answer is that their “machine” broke down as their great trainers, some of whom I have had the privelidge to work with, aged and either retired, lost favor with their riders and National Federation, or died. Think of it - Schultheis, Rehbein, Klimke, Theodorescu, Tempelmann, and others were the mentors of so many young, talented riders and, once gone, who has been left to ensure the standard would be maintained at the level it once was? Not so many is the answer, and those, like Balkenhol and Hinneman, though both great trainers, were not accepted in the recent political atmosphere where those making decisions might be persuaded to make decisions based on financial implications instead of “good old fashioned horse-sense.” In short, the system which worked so beautifully for years under greats like Harry Boldt, now residing in Australia, was left with nobody manning the ship and those left in charge lost sight  somehow of how and why they were so successful for so many years.

This can most certainly not be said for Holland, which took the very best ideas from the Germans and applied them to their own system and now see themselves with enormous strength and huge growth and prosperity at all levels. It is a lesson which, I believe, America has yet to learn, though I am hoping beyond words that this will now be solved by programs and strategies created and administered by Anne, Debbie and Lendon.

And mark my words, Germany may be down for the moment, but don’t ever count them out long-term. This is their national sport and they will fix what’s broken and be back in the driver’s seat faster than you can say World Equestrian Games! In the meantime, my heartfelt congratulations to all the medalists, especially to Edward and Adelinde who have both provided the world with a new bar to strive for in the sport of Dressage!

Cheers!

RD

Dear Friends,

I am sorry that I have neglected to amend my Farewell Tour schedule where the dates and locations have changed over the months.
Below are the latest dates as well as the contact information for the organizers.
Cheers!
RD

Sept. 19,20 San Diego. contact Allison Harding at Allicat1979@yahoo.com or at 858-401-2668

Sept 21,22. L.A. contact Marie Meyers at 805-279-0731 or Amy Ebeling at acresrnch@aol.com

Oct. 31-Nov. 1 in Tallahasse, FL. contact Jenna Wyatt at Dressage1@mac.com or 561-568-6965

Nov. symposium is cancelled until further notice

.

I am back from conducting my latest symposium on my World Farewell Tour and I couldn’t be more pleased. Jane and Robert Springer put on the event at the lovely Old Westbury Equestrian Center for over 100 auditors daily and 10 riders. Jane also rode her coming Grand Prix mount, Talent, and did a super job showing basic work as well as some amazing piaffe and passage each day.
I have to say that each of the riders and their horses did very well and I could see great improvement in every one of them from the first to the second day. Everyone including myself was treated to watching Courtney King-Dye riding two of her up and coming Grand Prix horses and she most definitely did not disappoint. She is just fantastic and a credit to her trainer, Lendon Grey, who honored me by coming to take part on the second day. I am truly excited that Lendon will be taking on the challange of helping Anne Gribbons by producing a strong Junior/ Young Rider program which our country so desperately has needed for far too long.
Everyone attending this weekend had spirited conversations about Dressage, the basics, competition, and many more topics, and I thoroughly enjoyed the two days and am already looking forward to my next symposium at Carol Dover’s farm in Tallahasse, FL in October. I’ll also be back out in L.A. and San Diego for clinics in September and information on the dates and locations of these and other up-coming events are listed on my site under Farewell Tour.
Thanks again to Jane, Robert, Old Westbury Equestrian Center, and everyone who came out to attend the event!

Cheers!

RD

Saturday Night With The Dovers, Or, Can you top this? Friday night we were out to dinner, and so I wasn’t too disappointed Saturday that there was a huge storm brewing as bans from Hurricane Bill passed by on it’s way north. In a mad moment, even though it was looking ominous, and thunder was rumbling in the distance, I decided to cook Chili from scratch!  I had purchased most of the ingredients the day before.That meant we had to go back to the store for crackers, root beer and Bud Light to go with the Chili. Arriving back home we found there was no root beer or Bud Light. It had been left in the bottom of the shopping cart! Drat! Back we went. A man approached me, but poor guy, before he could utter a word I said, ” No, don’t even dare to ask me anything. Out of the way” You should have seen him jump as I  stormed into the store, Herb behind me.. A sweet bag boy recognized us, and came running with the two containers. I grabbed them and stormed back out. Once at the car I felt regret that I had only said thanks, but had not given him anything to show our appreciation. Back again I went, and  once more we headed for home, .  Now, when I say from scratch I mean, I browned the meat, and followed the directions as stated so clearly on the eye catching  packet by the two stately men, father, DR. Ghazi Taki, Food Scentist Founder, & his handsome son, Adam Taki, Co-Founder. The Amazing Chili was for 6, and only Herb was going to eat it, but never to be deterred I persevered.  Luckily it proved to be easy to make, and Herb thought it delicious.. I say that because he didn’t complain.   Next problem, what to do with 5 more servings! I have always put my storage containers on the second to bottom shelf of a long cabinet.. Being a little older then when we moved in 18 years ago I soon realized, as my back was giving out from bending down so low, that a change had to be made. We must put the assored seldom used stuff on the lower shelve, and rearrange the contains by size on the higher shelve.  How come  you put away containers tops & bottoms together, but when you get them out few tops fit bottoms and vise-versa?.  Behind all that was a chopping blade for a container Herb used when he cooked. Out it went.  Things were shaping up. Next problem,  How to fit three chili containers into an already stuffed freezer! I can’t believe I ever saved so many leftovers we will probably never eat. I must remember to give them to someone who will think each a great treat. So Dear Friends, here I am 2&1/2 hours later writing this as the thunderous storm roars over head. I am too tired to be scared. If the worst happens I don’t believe you have to clean shelves in heaven on Saturday night do you?. What do you think?.                                     Roberts Mo

Have I mentioned that I have absolutely no sense of direction? I’m not exactly sure who to blame between my mother and father for this apparent failure.
While I am fairly confident that I inherited this trait from one or both of them, it may just be my own personal weakness. But I don’t think so. I remember, as a child, my father refusing t o pull over to the service station dispite the pleading of my mother and the rest of us kids, all of whom had no clue of where we were at the time, though we had the maps and directions in front of us.

It was actually because of my problem with direction, especially when going faster than a walk, that led Peggy Whitehurst, the Regional Supervisor of the U.S. Pony Club South Region, to take me aside one day and mention that I might want to consider specializing in Dressage.
This proposal came at the end of a National Rally in which I won, as usual, the Dressage, finally went clean cross-country and in stadium jumping, but incurred 120 time faults when I somehow left the very well marked path for “rodes and tracks” and went off into the woods on a litle “trail ride of my own”.
OK, the truth is that I mistook one of those little red ribbons surveyors hang on tree branches to delineate property lines with the red markers showing where the trail for the horses to take is. I guess the fact that there was no white flag across from this red one escaped me.

Now, I also have to admit that the above situation was most definitely not my first (or even my 20th) incident
with getting lost. There is some amazing footage taken years ago by the great Anne Rieley, who was like a 2nd mother to me at the time, coming up a hillside trail out of the woods and into a clearing. I was riding my crazy Anglo-Arab with a long flaxen many and flagging tail. As I come into focus in the field, the expression on both my and my horse’s face is clear desperation
We lurch and vere left and then right. Then left again and right once more, before galloping wildly of toward the west.
Several more riders come confidently up the hill into the same clearing and Anne shows them quietly picking up a canter and riding off to the east, after which I come flying back into view, all 4 eyes from horse and rider now with the obvious look of terror. We prance right and left a few times at the opening where the trail hit the field and then, reminiscient of Zoro, gallop of to the east.
The saddest but also most funny part of this story is that a couple more riders trot out into the clearing and move off to the east before, back comes Robert Dover at a flat out gallop to the same spot to once again prance around before racing off to the west!
As I recall, I actually did finish the cross-country on the same day as everyone else, but with a few hundred time penalties.

Peggy was showing me a kindness by saying that I should stay within the confines of the Dressage arena where I would have a harder time getting lost and could always resort to looking at the letters. In the end it definitely worked out for the best, and all my friends know that whenever we are driving somewhere together and I say to turn right, turning left will most assuredly get us where we are supposed to go!

Cheers!

RD