Just about 2 hours from now I will be taking on the extremely contentious issue of Carriage Horses in major cities like Manhattan.  I am truly hoping that people on both sides of the discussion will call in to share their views with me and my audience.  Once again, the call-in numbers are 561-844-6167  or toll-free at 1-800-889-0267.  PLEASE TUNE IN AND CALL IN!

Thanks!!

RD

Hope you guys like this.

I made this in photoshop today…

(click on the image to make it bigger)

Deep inside, nothing is as it seems

From these images…

Comment on what you think of it!

This weeks Police Blotter
  A few weeks ago I wrote about the amusing (to me) police report concerning the cab that came into the subdivision and saw the police fanned out across the street. When asked by the cab driver, one said they were looking for suspects in a home robbery. The cab driver answered, Maybe they are the ones who just called for a cab.
 This it is dead serious business, and is not supposed to be taken lightly, but some things that are printed sure do tickle my funny bone.
At 4:30 p.m. a thief entered an UNLOCKED car and stole the owners purse while she was pumping gas!
How about this one?  An acquaintance drove off in a woman’s white 1993 white Buick Century following an argument.
Here is one that is really insulting. Between 5:30 PM and 10:30 A.M. someone pried open a business rear door. Several items were moved around, but nothing was reported missing.
 There are about 5 more purse snatching. It is hard to understand women not hiding their purses in this day and age, and time of the year.
A women called the police to report her boyfriends ex-girlfriend is  harassing her.
And last but not least. A man called police to tell them his ex-wife was threatening him.
 I hope I started off your week with a laugh.
                                  Love,
                        Robert’s Mom, Jean

I have been truly very interested in bringing the issue of Carriage Horses in major cities like Manhattan to my radio show this Tuesday, November 30th at 6:00pm EST on WBZT(AM1230) from Palm BEACH TO Miami and live-streamed around the world at DoversWorld.com. Well, last night I was informed that one of my two “Special Guests”, Donny, has declined to appear on my show.  You see, he is an advocte for the abolition of Horse Carriages in major cities and believes, incorrectly, that I have come out in defense of the industry and have already made up my mind to say this tomorrow night.  I feel very bad about this, since I promised both sides that I would have a respectful show without debate and simply listen to each spokesperson one at a time, take only those calls in support of their side during their time-slot, and give my own opinion (not a judgement) in the final 10 minutes of the show.

So here’s the thing.  Since it appears right now that the Animal Rights Advocacy Groups have all agreed not to allow a spokesperson to come on my show, I have no alternative but to change the format altogether.  So this is what I intend to do.  I will open the show with details of my trip to New York where I met with Donny and Stephan, spokespeople for either side of the issue.  I will give my overall impression of what I saw and  details of what has formed my overall opinion on this extremely contentious issue.   I will open the phone lines up from the beginning and take your calls and listen to your opinions, provided they are respectful.  And we will see where this brings us by the end of the show.

In the end, this is about the welfare of horses, pure and simple.  I am hoping that those with whom I have spoken in New York, including people who are passionate from both sides of this issue, will call in to 561-844-6167 or toll-free at 1-800-889-1267 and share their opinions.  And to all of you who have written in to this website regarding the industry, pro or con, please tune in and call in as well!  We will never do anything to help our beloved horses if we simply stay quiet and  are afraid to speak out!

Cheers!

RD

We went to see Burlesque last night and, as predicted, the movie was cute and fine and Christina delivered the amazing vocals she is famous for. But CHER…… Oh My God!! Cher simply cannot help but steal that and any other show she would be in, even a cameo! It’s not just that she looks fabulous (who cares how many surgeries!) In every seen, even the close-ups. Here’s the thing - When she opens up her mouth and sings, she is as magical as she was when I was a kid and she I was doing, “I Got You, Babe”.

You know what? All those tween stars and the rest, including just about everyone, should bow down to the absolute and insurmountable Queen of Pop, There simply is no one like her and no one to compare…..with CHER!

Cheers!

RD

Thanks to many brave people around the world, including our President of the United States and his Secretary of State as well as celebrities, artists and yes, even Olympians, the message to kids who are feeling overwhelmed by depression and fear from bullies at school or in the home, that it TRULYDOES GET BETTER is being heard!  And the great thing is that it’s not just being heard by kids in crisis, but this strong message of a better future for these beautiful children who are absolutely perfect and 100% normal is creating a major effect on those who have shown less tolerance in our society.  They are hearing us in a very loud and unified voice say that there is no room in our world for hate or fear based on how we were born, whether that means the color of our skin, our religious background, or who we choose to love.  When we finally get rid of the idiotic, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rule for our men and women serving America’s military,this will surely show our country is on the road toward Equality for all our citizens, as should be the case under our constitution.  And each step like this will bring greater confidence to today’s youth that It Is Getting Better and it will continue to become more and more a place where diversity is embraced as one of the things that makes America great!

When I was starting High School, I was five feet tall and weighed 130 pounds.  I was very sensitive and smart enough to know that I would have to figure out some way to prevent myself from encountering situations in which I might be bullied.  I quickly realized that if I didn’t speak, nobody bothered me.  So, for 2 years, other than to answer questions posed by my teachers, I spoke not a word…..to anyone……every single day while at school.  When I was picked up or got  home on the bus, I immediately transformed into my outgoing “horsey self” and couldn’t wait to get to the barn to be with my friends who understood me and shared my love and passion for riding.  We laughed and sometimes cried together if some thing bad happened to some one’s horse, but no one ever sat in judgement or ever would have thought to bully another kid.  So, I had two lives - my school life which I survived in total solitude and could literally not tell you the name of even one student now from that time, and my horse life which was full of love, fun, hard work and harmony.  By college, I began to meld those two lives together. I had now grown to be 5′ 10″ and though I still only weighed in at about 142 pounds, my confidence from having excelled as an equestrian in Pony Club where I was the youngest person ever to receive their ‘A’  rating, as well as in Dressage where I had begun to specialize due to encouragement from both Elisabeth Lewis and then U.S. Coach, Colonel Bengt Ljungquist, had grown and I began to socialize on campus.  But I was far away from understanding or accepting my sexuality and in fact, I did everything I could to fit in and be accepted by my friends, including having a lot of short relationships with girls.  It was still the 70’s, so when I sat a lot, I mean A LOT!  That is, until I met one particular girl who also shared my love for horses.  Her father was one of my Professors at school and from the moment I set my eyes on her, I was so taken with her beauty, her smile, and mostly the light which poured out of her gorgeous eyes, that I just had to be near her.  When she laughed, I felt like the world was perfect and when we touched, it was so electric that I could hardly stand a minute away from her.  Recently, we found each other again on facebook and she sent me a photo taken of us together at a concert, I think.  There she was, absolutely stunning and I, with hair down to my shoulders, a floppy hat, a scrawny body, crooked teeth and generally goofy looking, and yet I believe she truly loved me.  She not only gave me my self-esteem, but when she met someone else and dumped me for him, though at the time I was devastated, the universe was actually taking care of me and sending me on a course which would soon reveal to me my true sexuality.  I will always love this very special lady for both loving me and leaving me.

With a clear understanding that I was not alone in my sexuality and that there was a very big world out there of people just like me, I was like a kid in a candy store.  Remember, we’re still in the end of the 70’s and the beginning of the 80’s (Pre_AIDS), so while I was extremely confident in my horse-life at that point and was becoming quite successful on a national level, I still had a very low self-esteem in terms of my looks and desirability.   I thought that the more sexual encounters I could have the better I would feel about myself, but naturally, that didn’t work.  I’m not saying it wasn’t fun, but what I was really looking for was love and acceptance.  What I finally understood, years later, was that non of that was possible until I learned to love and totally accept myself, flawsand all.  And let me tell you, that is a process which has spanned decades and included 6 Olympics, 4 World Championships, 5 medals,  two surgeries, braces and thousands of hours in the gym.  The thing is that I have finally learned how to balance keeping myself fit and healthy, inside and out, and recognizing that loving myself and others includes loving the things we may perceive as flaws or just part of growing older.  I am now in my 50’s ( hard to believe!) and am happier and more confident overall than I have ever been, due in large from the unconditional love I have received from my family, friends , my boyfriend of 23 years, and finally, from myself!

My friend, Carson Kressley, said it best on my radio show last week when he coined his own phrase, ” It doesn’t just get better; IT GETS FABULOUS!”

Cheers!

RD

I feel so lucky to have 5 great sponsors for my radio show, “Dover’s World”, especially because they are much more to me than just sponsors -they are my friends!  I was sitting at dinner the other night with friends at the gorgeous restaurant of Ken Aussiker, “Beef Wellington” and was admiring the enormous tree standing in the middle of the room.  It looked so alive, I wasn’t positive if it was until we asked Ken, who converted the space from what had been the old Silver Screen Movie Theater into the very warm and elegant restaurant.  Ken is also the owner of Wellington Equestrian Development Inc., which has been responsible for building our new fantastic Wellington Show Grounds, many of the top local barns, and my last and present home under construction as we speak.  He is literally working double-time to ensure that I and others receive the very best he can offer as a builder and a restaurateur.

Anyway, I was happy because the horse I have been training has been going so well and my saddle, made with the finest craftsmanship by Jochen Schleese ( Yes, even though he specializes in saddles for women, he makes terrific saddles for men too!), has made riding 100% more comfortable for me and my bad back.  The great thing is that it will fit my new baby horse, “Hampton Green Farm’s Fiero”, a beautiful USPRE stallion by HGF Grandioso as soon as he is ready to be broke in the spring.  I am so excited to have a young horse again after so many years, and HGF Fiero has been a total pleasure to deal with, like an over-grown puppy!  I love grooming him and turning him out in his paddock each morning, despite the fact that I’m dreadfully alergic to practically everything I touch and breath in a barn.  It’s still worth the itching and sneezing!  The thing about the Spanish horses is that, if they have 3 great gaits with scope and purity, one must consider the fact that they are able to achieve excellent scores as Team Horses at the minimum and may even rise to become the next Fuego, one of the best 5 horses of the world at the moment.  Now, when you realize what it costs if you can even find a warm-blood that has the potential to produce a future 69- 75% if all goes perfectly in its training and it stays sound, purchasing a top Spanish horse becomes even more practical.  The other day as I led him into his stall, he began to passage down the isle-way and when I held him back he produced what I know will be a perfect, classical piaffe.  You have to love that!

So, after boring my non-horse friends at dinner for what to them must have been like hours about my Schleese saddle and my new PRE stallion, “Hampton Green Farm’s Fiero”, my boyfriend (Yes, even after 23 years together, we still call each other “boyfriends”), Robert Ross, informed me that horses were now officially off limits for the rest of our lovely dinner.  Of course, we were also out with a friend who, like Robert, is a Realtor here in Wellington.  Well, we went from talking horses directly into talking real estate. something Robert is incredibly passionate about, having become one of the most successful Realtors from Palm Beach to Miami Beach in record time.  What was so funny is that just about every top local Realtor was having dinner at Beef Wellington that evening with their friends and clients because one by one, they kept coming over to our table and discussing places on the market and how hard the business is these days.  What is so amazing to me is that while I’m hearing how depressed the market is from others, Robert has been wildly busy, with closings almost daily for months and a seemingly never ending number of new clients who either want to buy or sell properties of all kinds.  I have to say, Robert has become the “workaholic” that I once was with the horses which is great in that I’m getting closer and closer day by day to becoming a kept man. (Just kidding…..sort of!)  Luckily, we are able to get away to our place in Miami and now our new summer home next year in Fire Island for some forced “R & R”s R & R”.  I just made that oner up. Funnym eh?

So there you have it - a day in my life and a long way around to say THANK YOU to my friends and my boyfriend who just so  happen to also be my sponsors. It is because of them that I am getting to enjoy the new experience of creating and producing my weekly radio show, “Dover’s World”, which is giving me a lot of pleasure as I hope it is all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

RD

I am really excited to have Jessica Ransehousen as my “Special Guest” this evening at 6:00pm (EST) on my radio show, “Dover’s World”.  Three time Olympian and former Chef d’Equipe for many U.S.Teams, Jessica is also an International Judge and will be speaking about her amazing career and the state of the sport of Dressage, here and abroad.  Tune in to WBZT, AM1230, from Palm Beach to Miami or listen live anywhere in the world at DoversWorld.com and PLEASE call in to speak to Jess and me at 561-844-6167 or toll-free at 1-800-889-1267!  It’s going to be a great show so don’t miss it!

Cheers

RD

Heaven knows it’s been a year full of many forms of stress for a lot of us, but this is the time when we should also take stock of all the things we should be thankful for.  It is so easy to forget that most of us have lives full of wonderful people and things and there are so many less fortunate than we.

So, every year I make it a habit to write down some of the things I am most grateful for in my life.  I am so lucky to have met my soul partner, Robert Ross, 23 years ago.  I would most certainly not be the person I am without him.  He has always been much wiser than his years and has taught me far more than anyone and has loved me even when I found it impossible to love myself.  Robert’s honesty and integrity as well as his daily work ethic are an example of why someone like him is successful.  And did I mention that he’s HOT?

I am so thankful that my parents are still alive and healthy enough to be celebrating Thanksgiving along with friends and Robert’s  wonderful Mom, Julie, who we are both thankful has moved out from California to just a few miles from our home in West Palm Beach.  Though my brother and sisters and nieces and nephew, as well as Robert’s are all doing their own things in the towns where they live this year, I am thankful for their continued good health and close and loving relationships.

I am always thankful for my special “family of friends”.  You know - the very few who you speak to almost every single day, just to shoot the breeze because you can.  They are the ones we have chosen to go through life with telling them our deepest secrets and who we know beyond a shadow of a doubt would be there in case of an emergency.  If anyone tells you they have loads of friends, I always think of that last statement.  I thank God every day for the dear friends I have in my life and hope they will never leave it.

I have been so blessed to have had a wonderful career with horses and also to have been allowed the luxury of creating other outlets for expressing myself, such as my TV show, website, and now my radio show, “Dover’s World”.  It’s s fun to expand my horizons and jump into new and different challenges, but you know what?  When I’m sitting up on the horse I’ve been training for a friend, and he has a revelation about what it is I am asking of him and produces a great reaction…… now that is a feeling that even after 40 years of doing Dressage, I still get an unbelievable charge from!  How can you not be thankful to these amazing animals for giving us such a gift?!  Not to mention my sweet and wonderful SIMON, who licks my face every morning exactly at 7am so I’ll be on time for work (and his morning walk).

And finally to all of you out there, my friends and readers as well as my radio listeners, I am thankful that you have allowed me to have this platform on which to connect with you.  I always say that I try every day to go to sleep with the knowledge that I have done at least one good thing for someone else that day, because I know that I am ultimately making myself happy with each Mitzvah (good deed) I perform.  I am very blessed to be able to help others and will do my very best to continue to do so.

Happy Thanksgiving!

RD

Tune in this coming Tuesday, November 23rd to DoveRansehousenr’s World (WBZT, AM1230 from Palm Beach to Miami and live-streamed around the world right here on DoversWorld.com) as I speak with “Special Guest”, 3-time Olympian and former U.S. Chef d’Equipe, Jessica Ransehousen, about the “state of the art of Dressage sport”.  Jessica, like myself, is famous for being extremely outspoken and we will take on issues such as judging, training, politics and who knows what else!   Jess was trained by some of the world’s best professionals and will share her experiences as rider, trainer, Olympian, and Chef and you can bet she won’t pull any punches.  I hope you will call in with your questions and comments throughout the show at 561-844=6167  locally or toll-free from anywhere at 1-800-889-0267.  I know it’s going to be a great show so don’t forget to TUNE IN and CALL IN!

Cheers!

RD