Dear Friends,

I received word last night via E-mail that Anne Gribbons had been selected to become the U.S. Chef d’Equipe / Technical Advisor. Please know that I wish nothing but the best for Anne as well as our teams and that I will always be the proudest supporter of our Dressage Teams.
I want to thank all those who supported my efforts and let everyone know that I am extremely happy and content with my life of retirement and look forward to many exciting adventures to come.

Cheers!

RD

Many weeks have passed since I said I would not post anything that wasn’t  news worthy on Joe Zada and I have kept my promise.
That doesn’t mean that things haven’t taken place which further the cause of justice in this case. It just means I haven’t wanted to spend time or energy knowing that the probability of our ever seeing our money seems to have lessened with each passing day.

At any rate, people have been asking if there is any news and I will say that if you scroll down to my last major post, you can take a look at the latest comments from myself and others to catch up.

Cheers!

RD

As one might imagine, I have been getting a lot of calls and e-mails asking what the situation is regarding the selection of the new Coach/Chef d’Equipe for the U.S.
The answer is that the top 3 candidates were interviewed last Monday in Denver and their decision will be taken to the High Performance Dressage Committee this week. Whoever is determined to be the desired candidate will then need to negotiate a contract with the USEF CEO, John Long, and possibly others.

From a personal standpoint, I enjoyed and was well prepared for my interview.
I feel confident that whatever the decision, the United States will be in very capable hands going forward.
I will keep my readers posted as to the results of the decision as soon as I hear.

Cheers!

RD

The European Jumping and Dressage Championships are about to be underway and I am once again left wondering why we still don’t have our own Continental Championships commensurate to theirs.  I will ask my readers from the Jumper industry to fill us in on their thoughts while I examine the situation of Dressage.

We have our Pan American Games once every 4 years which comes under the IOC ’s purview as opposed to the European’s which come under only the FEI’s control and take place every 2 years. Not only does the fact that the E.C.’s happen more regularly show how much stronger the sport still is across the pond; it is clear that it’s time for some radical changes to occur if we are to move Dressage sport ahead on our continent.

First, it’s time to stop catering to the lowest common denominator and raise the Pan American Games levels to Grand Prix. We have enabled the South American countries to only reach for the levels of the “Small Tour” for far too long, and in my opinion we have actually held back their stepping up to the plate in their training as well as competing. Even with that, I see more and more South Americans doing a good job at the Grand Prix level and know that they are working hard to develope their teams to earn spots at Olympic Games and World Championships. This is even more reason why having the Pan Am’s once every 4 years, the year before the Olympics, makes no sense when held at PSG and Int 1 levels.  It’s time to raise the bar!

We had a couple of North American Championships years ago and these were held at the GP levels, but the fact that only the U.S., Canada, and Mexico were eligible to compete made them small and expensive to hold. So what’s the answer?

1) Keep the prestigious Pan American Games for sure but raise the standard to the Grand Prix levels. There may be some growing pains for those countries still not quite there, but they need to be pushed to rise to the occasion and move their riders and trainers along. I promise it will work out in the long run.

2) Create an FEI santioned Continental Championships to take place once every 4 years resembling the European’s and ask the IOC to waive the technical regulation which has prevented such a competition in the past on the grounds that they would be another Pan Am’s. I truly believe that there must be a way to further the sport on our continent by providing the opportunity for us to create stronger competitions which relate more accurately to those being held in Europe. This makes sense and is in the best interest of the entire sport, everywhere.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts on this issue so don’t be shy!

Cheers!

RD

With the scores of our top competitors, such as Edward Gal’s Totilas, and Steffen Peter’s Ravel coming closer to the 80% in Grand Prix and 90% in the Freestyle, it is obvious that both the bar for the quality of our equine athletes and the scores for their tests are going up and up.
And I applaud it all! The world is recognizing more and more what it takes to be considered a top international horse and this evolution in the breeding and training of these amazing animals, many more of which show both purity of gaits and the brilliance and expression of champions, has resulted in the scores going up.
And it makes so much sense to me that our best combinations in the world should be awarded scores which average an overall “Very Good” if not close to “Excellent”.
Remember, the score for 10 may be the highest achievable score, but it truly represents the word, “Excellent”.
It is necessary for our sport, if it desires to be embraced by the wider public, that our stars earn scores which logically are in the range from “Very Good to Excellent”, provided their tests are being ridden as beautifully as they have been recently by our top group of riders.
Ice Skating, Gymnastics, and Diving -all subjective sports- have gone this route and each has found a greater and more enthusiastic public as a result.

I am very much looking forward to the Judging Systems Trials to be held in Aachen, Germany on September 7-9. It is my hope that we will find ways of modernizing and modifying the judging of Dressage to further clarify and bring greater world support for our sport.

Cheers!

RD

A picture of this remarkable Lady taken at the convention last December. The other two are Herb & me, her fervent admirers

Way back in 1981 or 2 The Insilco Dressage Finals were held in Kansas City at the Kemper Arena. Mary Ellen Purucker was chairing the show & was in charge of assigning a lady to escort each rider and see to their needs. As fate would have it the lady got sick at the last minute and Mary Ellen, at who’s home Robert was staying, decided to escort Robert herself.
And so began a life long friendship that has spanned these 30 some years.
Last night we were chatting about all the horses Mary Ellen has had Robert bring for an exhibition to the very appreciative crowds. There was Johnathon Livingston Seagull who died under Robert from an aneurism. Then Romantico, Federleicht , Deveraux, Juvel, Ranier and Kennedy.
I am sure there were more but Robert will have to fill us in on them.
This from Mary Ellen:
“I will never forget the night Robert was putting on an exhibition at the American Royal Horse Show in Kansas. There was a cocktail party before the show, hosted by the Woman’s Chamber of Commerce, and Robert was to speak. We left my house in plenty of time and arrived at the show building. Robert reached for his jacket in the back seat..it was not there!!! We just sat looking at each other, sure the other had put it there. I told him to go in. Fortunately it was a very warm November night, and I sped home in record time & back in 30 minutes. It usually takes 30 minutes one way. I could have been locked up for excessive speeding. Robert put on his jacket and calmly performed.”
“Another time he and Kay Meredith performed a Pas De Deux on foot! No one knew it was going to happen .It was a wonderful surprise.. Whenever Kay went off course Robert grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. The crowd loved it and laughed, showing their appreciation. The two came out wringing wet but happy to have pulled it off.”
Fast forward to the USDF, December 25th, in Denver Co. The temperature was a chilly 25 degrees and it was snowing. All the Dovers were thrilled to hear that Mary Ellen and her long time friend Micky Christopherson were going to join us for the festivities. Micky is on the board of directors of the USEF which was sponsoring the convention.
To see Mary Ellen with her vitality at 90 years old, it was amazing. We should all be so blessed! What a trooper she is. I sat her next to Robert and the two enjoyed eachother’s company very much..
Mary Ellen is still active and interested in all things having to do with horses.

I tried to get up this morning at 7:00am to walk Simon and get ready to go to the barn.
No way! I made it all the way to the kitchen door and told Simie he had to take himself out in the back yard and almost didn’t make it back to bed.
What I thought was only a minor cold after my flights from Hell to Denver and back the day before had turned into a fully fledged flu over night.
Between the sweats and the chills I just felt miserable.
I would say I was sick as a dog but clearly my pup is in far better shape than I.
It is extremely hard for me to miss even one day of work, even when I’m supposed to be retired!
I hope to feel better tomorrow and be back at the stables but I have to say that my day in bed was both unavoidable and probably exactly what I needed.

Cheers!

RD

I have told you before of my bad flying karma, and it’s still as bad as ever! I flew today from New York to Denver. Easy!
Then the trip back should have been just as easy. Denver to Atlanta leaving at 7:05pm and arriving at midnight in Atlanta where I booked a room directly next to the airport. Nice, right? I’d get to sleep almost 7 hours before my next leg back to Palm Beach.
And then it happened. My flight was delayed an hour due to an inbound delay. But e got on the plane at 8pm Denver time and taxied out to the runway and stopped- for 20 minutes- before the captain said we would have to go back to the gate to change our “booster pump”, even though he said we could fly with just one. And that’s when the woman in 10D woke up from her nap and decided she was going to have a panic attack at which point they called in the paramedics and had her hauled off the plane. I secretly was a little happy since my neighbor in 20F had been taking up all of her space and at least half of mine. So I jumped up and left for my new home in 10D.
Little did I know that it was to be a long term lease! We just arrived at 3am and I am writing this at 3:30 while waiting for my sleeping pill to kick in. PLEASE!
I only have 3 hours before my wake-up call!

Argh!

RD

I was to impressed with Gary that I made him my Hero before the beginning of the month. But make no mistake, Gary Johnson is my one and only Out for Good Hero For August, and Dover’s World is still as committed as ever to finding him his new driving pony and making his dreams come true! So if you missed it the first time around, may I introduce you again to my friend and Hero, Gary Johnson.

…………………………………………………………………………….

Every once in a while someone comes into your life and reminds you of just how all of us were meant to be - LOVING, CARING, GIVING, COMPASSIONATE, RESILIENT and FORGIVING.
I was up in Gladstone for the National Championships to watch and work with many of our top riders to help them improve their scores. Naturally, in doing so, I directed all my attention and energy to every possible detail of both riders and horses, obsessing over half-passes, flying changes, weather, and footing. But then I received word from my good friend, Maureen Pethick, that Gary Johnson wanted to come by to meet me. Maureen had to remind me who this young man was, but a few hours later everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, became crystal clear!

Gary walked in with the biggest smile imaginable and proceeded to tell me about his passion for driving and the fun and excitement he has by competing. Sounds all so normal-right?

But Gary’s situation is anything but normal. He has surmounted life-threatening challages as well as emotionally traumatic times which no adult, no less a child, should ever have to experience. But, as often seems the case, children like Gary have a wisdom and grace which belies their years and clearly comes from a higher source. Nothing in Gary’s demeanor makes one believe he spends even a minute feeling sorry for himself, though I would have thought it more than reasonable. This wonderful kid just wants to look for everything good in people and especially takes pride in his huge accomplishments as a driver. And He is ever so thankful to people like Shelly Zlotkin, Mary de Stefano, Bonnie Jenkins, Maureen, and others who work with an organization called, “Sharing Village Survivor Groups” (details below) which has brought horses and driving into his life. One of the USET’s top international competitors, Jimmy Fairclough and his wife, Robin, had donated their son, Ryan’s pony, Boxcar Willy, to the program. But, sadly, the pony which Gary bonded so beautifully with recently had to be put down, due to complications from Cushing’s Disease. Gary was crushed, just as any one of us would have been to have lost his friend and partner, but still continues to show incredible strength and wisdom beyond measure.

I am publishing Gary’s story below in its entirety along with my personal plea to all my Dover’s World readers and friends to help me find and secure a new pony for Gary Johnson, my “Out For Good Hero” for August!

I am absolutely positive we can all put our heads and hearts together and accomplish this goal in record time. So, if ever you thought about doing a great deed, now is your chance! Contact information for Shelly at Sharingvillage.org is below or you can always contact me right here at DoversWorld.com.
And, Gary, THANK YOU for reminding me that I want to be more like you!

RD

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE…