So, I’m on my way tomorrow to Long Island, New York, for the next stop on my Symposium Tour. Jane and Robert Springer have been working tirelessly preparing and I know it will be a great weekend! If you are interested in joining us as an auditor, you can still contact Jane at the number on the ad on the front page of my site. I promise you will enjoy your time and I will give 100% to make sure you go home having felt you learned a lot.

Across the big pond, they are gearing up for the European Dressage Championships at Windsor in England. I predict a huge win for Holland and the big upset of England beating Germany for the silver. That won’t be easy for the Brit’s but as long as they keep their cool and enjoy the home turf advantage, they should barely edge Deutchland out.

For the individual medals it looks all but certain that Edward Gal and Totalis will be the victors over Anky who has been showing more strength with Salinero and producing extremely high scores as well with Painted Black. The bronze could see a real horse race between Mattias Alexander Rath, Emme Hindle, Laura Bechtolsheimer, Adelinde Cornelissen, Imke Schellkens Bartels, and Russia’s Alexandra Korelova. If I have to pick one of these for the bronze, my gut would be to go with Adelinde and Parzival.
There you have it - my picks for Windsor. If I could, I’d be there for all the fun, but I have way too much going on here at home.  Iwish all my friends and colleagues the very best of luck!

Don’t forget that September 7-9 is the historic Judging Systems Trials in Aachen, Germany. This event will run very much like a normal show with close to 40 Grand Prix riders and horses and will test out some new and quite radical ideas to improve the method of judging. The goal of the FEI Dressage Task Force is to modernize and, where possible, modify Dressage sport so as to bring it into the 21st century and make it more appealing and embraced by the widest possible world audience. Auditors are welcome and I will personally be working with Richard Davison to ensure that everyone feels they are understanding the goals of each trial as well as helping to write a new page in the history of our sport. I hope you will join us!

That’s all for now. Cheers!

RD

Since starting my website, Dover’s World has grown by leaps and bounds, thanks to my loyal readers around the world. It’s really sort of funny since I never imagined it being more than simply a way of keeping my family and a few friends in touch and up to date with my “goings on”. What started as sort of a lark has evolved into a true sounding board for myself and all kinds of people everywhere and about everything, horsey and not.

One thing that I have learned is that presenting stories in the media can make some people very happy and others not so much. In our little world, it seems everyone feels they have to compete for a piece of the pie, and if one person gets something they believe there just won’t be enough left for themselves. Naturally, the truth is that there is so much abundance in our lives that everyone can have whatever they dream without it costing someone else’s  not to come true. And that is the case whether you are a business person, an equestrian, or a journalist.

Our responsibility is to do the best job we can in an honest fashion which brings us happiness, satisfaction and, at the same time hopefully makes the world even a tiny bit better of a place than how we found it. I guarantee that, if we do that, the universe will take care of us and all the rest!

Cheers!

RD

More Musings
Or

How To Make Lemons Into Lemonade!

Lemonade!
There was a time we lived in a lovely little villa, perfect for two, overlooking a lake surrounded by lovely friends and neighbors,

Lemons!
Then came that fateful day in March 2009 when all that fell apart due to mold and mildew. Our life, as we had known it also fell apart, to say the least.

Lemonade!
After many weeks of redoing the outside, and finally the inside, we are happily ensconced in our little villa by the lake.

Lemons!
No one wanted to tackle rehanging shutters hung the first time with out a permit. The city finally suggested a firm I quickly called. I told the owner some of my dreary story. He came out and said since the city had recommended him he would be happy to rehang them for us.

More lemons!
Months went by. No one called or came. I made plea after plea to no avail. Finally on August 13th. the owner came out with a crew to show them what was required.
You had to see these charming fellows to believe they were really going to do the job. The Boss and his crew looked like a huge version of the seven dwarfs. I kid you not! Each one had a white pony tail, small beard, and a huge smile. You had to trust them. They may have been awaken from retirement for the job, but each looked and acted like they were looking forward to working again. I didn’t ask when their last job was. I figured I didn’t need that information, right?

A little bit of lemonade mixed with lemons, can’t be all bad!

No one showed up Tuesday, but bright Wednesday morning they arrived, and started to check the existing shutters for code violations. Next they began the task of hanging some of them In about two hours I heard a knock on the door They had come to explain that they were done for the day because one had cut his thumb badly, and also a finger on the other hand. I tried to give him a bandage which he refused because he is under a doctors care for brittle skin that cracks easily. I said how about a towel so you don’t get blood on the seat. No he said, he would shoulder his way home and take care of it there with the medication & bandages the doctor gave him.
I truly hope they show up tomorrow and that he is wearing gloves.
Keep tuned, time will tell. Will it be a lemon tomorrow, or lemonade?
Living in excited expectation I remain,

IN THE BEGINNING

Robert’s first experience on horseback was in Toronto. The owner of the stable was a very wise woman who immediately saw that there was something special about this young boy on horseback. He seemed to feel the horse under him, and know how to move him to respond to the aids as this woman was instructing him to give.
The first thing Robert did on arriving in Freeport Bahamas was to ask for a ride to the stables. Fate brought him to his first real mentor, Myra Wagner, who gave lessons in all the disciplines including Dressage. There were a limited number of horses due to the difficulty and expense of importing them, so it was soon evident to Myra and his supportive father, Herb, that Robert needed his own horse. Off he went to Florida to search for the perfect horse. His name was Ebony Cash. Finding the right horse was easy, compared to chartering a plane, finding a groom, and having a stall built to transport them over the ocean to Freeport .
On June 9th they arrived via this unheard of plane ride, to be greeted by cheering children. There was only one problem! How to get him off the plane? Again, I am trying to remember, but I think they brought up a flatbed truck equipped with a forklift to lower Cash onto the ground.
The local paper took pictures that day, but on Robert’s 40th birthday I gave him everything I had saved and that article is with him. He had snipped off a bit of Cash’s tail and stuck it on the picture with red tape. I had it framed leaving it intact. I added a plaque with his words that day. He said it was his “best day ever”.
Cash had been taught to do tricks .When you touched him in a certain place, he nodded his head, “yes”. If he was touched in a different place, he would shake his head, “no”. For instance, Do you like girls? “yes”. Do you like boys? “no”. Can you count to ten with your hoof? “yes”, and he did. Robert was very upset with me because I asked him to show people this talent. He said, “Mom, Cash is not a circus horse anymore. He is a Dressage horse!”
Here are two more things about Cash which were special. He would see Robert coming and put his head out, grab his bridle and throw it to him. He also knew how to open his stall and loved to try to follow Robert home.
Robert won a trophy for jumping clear in the second horse show ever held in Freeport. The trophy was almost as tall as Robert. Luckily I still had that article though I must admit I had to cut most of it out to get it small enough to e-mail.
Myra Wagner instilled in Robert the need for excellent groundwork. When she visits Florida she still comes and sits on the sidelines to watch him teach.
The first heartbreak Robert experienced, was having to leave Cash behind. The Bahamian government decided to deport all foreigners. That meant us. However, Robert’s dad assured him that finding a new horse would be first on his “to-do” list.
Sometimes it is fun to go down memory lane. Thank you for letting me do that.

Robert’s Mom.

So here we are in mid-August and I am feeling a tremendous void! No, it’s not about work related stuff. Nor is it about the seemingly endless resolution to the “Joe Zada Saga”. My void is that, until sometime in September, there isn’t any American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance!

Now, I know you are probably thinking, ” How GAY!” But I just can’t help it - I love watching these two shows and being able to see incredibly talented young people given an enormous chance to catapult their careers into stardom.
It isn’t just the fact that I love the singing and dancing (which I do), but also that this would, in my dream world, be  what we could eventually do for great riders and horses. As a matter of fact, this was exactly what I hoped to do with my reality show, “Search For America’s Next Equestrian Star”. For what each of these shows are is a talent search allowing a platform from which unknown, amazingly gifted people may show the world what they can do in their respective fields.
Sadly, horses are a very tough sell to the networks. It seems we are an extremely  small, niche market which is quirky and doesn’t even support our own programming well when it is aired. Even with the excellent work that Bob Hughes does to bring us the great equestrian shows which his Carr-Hughes does, it’s not like there are sponsors out there lining up to pay to have their brands associated with horse-related TV. The sad truth is that getting equestrian programs on the air is somewhere between difficult and impossible!
So what is the answer? It is going to require a very smart group of people with the knowlege of Bob Hughes, the understanding of our best marketers, the drive of our top horsemen and women, and the resources of our top business people and entrepreneurs to work together to create a true business model that will work.
If we ever hope to bring our sport into the 21st century as one embraced by everyday America, we need to get together and think outside the box.
If you truly think you are one of those people who fit the bill to help bring about horse sports on TV in a huge way, I would LOVE to hear from you!

Cheers!

RD

Well, I can never say that life has been boring! As my readers know, this has been quite a tumultuous week for me; one that has brought many conflicting emotions.

At the end of the day though, I come back to just how blessed my life is. To have Robert, my family, great friends, Simon, and horses is a miracle from God, and I love and cherish them all beyond words!

It has been a week also of recognizing again that, just because so much in my life has come to me through hard work, dedication, luck, wonderful friends and a bit of talent, it doesn’t mean that this will always continue to be the case. And friendship is also something which one should never take for granted. It is truly one of the most rare commodities and I am very grateful to all those who have been there for me throughout my life to encourage, support and love me for who I am. I hope that even those whose estimations of me are clearly not what I wish, know who I am in my heart of hearts, and I wish them only the very best.

Cheers!

RD

So, I just read Rhonda’s latest column and it’s both hysterical and very informative, as usual! I would really love it if you would PLEASE write in and ask her questions! They can be about pretty much anything under the sun and, as you know she isn’t shy about giving advice. And every month, the best question will get a Dover’s World T-shirt, personalized by moi. So start a wrintin’!

Cheers!

RD

Here are my favorite Summer Shows. What are yours?

In MY OPINION, there is no summer show better then The #1 Detective Agency. Nevertheless, summer brought along a few winners. The best summer shows were America Has Talent, followed by So You Think You Can Dance. Their last episode was a stunner in every way. It was beautiful, exciting, and very unpredictable.
As for Paula Abdul leaving American Idol, I think she will be sorely missed and hard to replace. I don’t feel Spice has her personality, sweetness, talent, or chemistry with Simon and Randy.
Please tell me what do you young people make of the summer shows and American Idol changes?
Maybe if you can get over it, I will too!
As Robert says, Cheers,
I needed to say cheers because I have the flu and am feeling very sorry for myself!
Roberts Mom

Dear Rhonda,

I am going on my first job interview in twenty years. I am over 50 and petrified for so many reasons that I can’t even count them. I am not sure what experience you have in this arena, but if you do, do you have any advice on what I should or should not do or what I should or shouldn’t say?

Thank you,

Gladys

Dear Gladys,

What shouldn’t you do? I can tell you right off the bat…don’t fart. No offense, but your age, combined with your level of nerves can result in a complete and utter loss of control. It’s a little known fact that most don’t talk about, but sadly true. I’m sorry I brought it up because now that’s all you’ll think about.

Before I go on, I just want to ease your concern about my qualifications in this arena.
“Dear Rhonda” did not just get handed the job writing this column out of nowhere (and I use the term “job” loosely, since Dover pays less than a Guatemalan sweat shop). Doversworld.com put me through a rigorous interview process, which included a background check, three personal essays, four in-person interviews and two fluid samples (lets just leave it at that…I had a poppy seed bagel the morning of one of the interviews and lets just say that some of the tests came back “questionable”). Needless to say, Rhonda came through with flying colors and the job!

So as an accomplished interviewee, Rhonda’s advice is to focus on what “to do” rather than on what you “shouldn’t do”. Here are four full-proof ways to land a job.

1) Be yourself: You are going to spend 40-60 hours a week there, so you want them to hire you based on the real YOU. If you fake it and get the job you will only be unhappy in the long run.

2) Be professional- Be on time, turn your cell phone off and dress appropriately

3) Be prepared – Know the company, know the job description and let them know exactly why you are the right choice.

4) If all is going well and you want the job, (now this is very important, so read carefully) ask them why YOU should take the job. Remember that an interview goes both ways. You both have to convince each other that the other is right for the position.

note: if this is a part-time Burger King or similar job, disregard #1-#4. You will be unhappy anyway, so just lie and do whatever you have to get the job, so that you can make your $7.25/hour.

Good luck,

Rhonda