Canadian rider, Karen Pavicic and her horse, Don Daiquiri, won the Intermediaire 1 Freestyle this morning with a 72.417 over our other Canadian combination of Dominique Culham riding Utango DG with 70.333%!
it was great to hear the Canadian National Anthem play for our riders, both of whom would have fit nively in the top group of the 46 combinations from the CDIW in Wellington the week before.
There are still many shows to come on both coasts as well as in Canada to produce the Pan American Team, but I am feeling far more confident that there is more than sufficient talent to bring home the medal in October from Mexico. Go Canada!
Cheers!
RD.
I am so excited about my upcoming radio show, “Dover’s world” on this Tuesday, March 1st, from 6:05pm to 8:00pm EST on WBZT(AM1230) in the Palm Beaches and live around the world right here at DoversWorld.com! The subject is “EVERYTHING EVENTING” and I could not wish for a better panel of experts than to have 4 Olympic Stars: David O’Connor, Karen O’Connor, Darren Chiacchia and Phillip Dutton. We will discuss everything from the current state of the sport around the world to the upcoming change to a new American Coach ( both David and Phillip have their hats in the mix as candidates for the job). We will also talk about course designing and the direction it is going in, the weight of Dressage and Show Jumping on the overall results and everything which is being done to make the sport ever safer and healthier for all concerned. The conversation will be frank, open, honest and positive and I hope you will tune in and also call in with your comments and questions for this great panel of experts to 561-844-6167 or toll-free from anywhere to 1-800-889-0267! If you love Eventing, you won’t want to miss this show, Tuesday from 6:05 to 8:00pm EST! Please tell your friends and feel free to place this post on all the “Eventing websites” out there.
Cheers!
RD
The Intermediaire 1 was held today for combinations trying to qualify for the Pan American Games and thank God for the Equidome here at LAEC, because between the cold rain and the hail, the outside arenas were forced to close down,much like what happened at the Jim Brandon Center CDIW a couple of weeks ago. The major difference is that the Equidome here can easily fit two full arenas plus an ample warm-up area at one end. So, the show went on as scheduled and the open classes will be held into the evening inside as well.
Steffen Peters was the clear winner once again with Weltino’s Magic, which he rode a faultless test on other than a slightly crooked first halt. The pair earned a well deserved 76%. In second place, I was very pleased to see Canada’s, Karen Pavicic with her Don Daiquiri, a lovely bay gelding which I feel confident will only grow stronger with each upcoming show. Karen also did a much better test with her young grey horse, London Z, earning over 66%. I was also very pleased with Dominique Culham and her Utango DG as the pair received over 68% and I see potential yet untapped to get many more points. Their trainers, Leslie Reid and Dirk Glitz, respectively, are doing a great job with them and I was pleased to give just a bit of input which was very positively received.
Tomorrow morning is the Intermediaire 1 Freestyle, after-which I will be winging my way back home to Miami for a day and back to work on Tuesday morning. I will report on the class from my Blackberry from the airport.
Cheers!
RD
Today brought very cold and rainy weather to Los Angeles and we know how fun that is for a horse show! The Grand Prix was a warm-up for Steffen Peters and Ravel before they head out to Wellington for the World Dressage Masters in 2 weeks, and the combination showed their usual high standard with a smooth, absolutely clean test. Steffen obviously was not going for the greatest brilliance today, opting to ensure that Ravel will peak for the Masters, but the pair showed all the elasticity and correctness that gave him his two individual medals at the WEG’s last October. Kathleen Raine and her lovely mare, Breanna, placed 2nd and showed great potential and her husband, David Whiteman rode Partous, one of the most talented horses I have ever seen, to 3rd place.
The CDI Prix St. George began with a lovely ride by Marisa Festerlng on Big Tyme, placing 2nd today with over 71%. Canadian rider, Dominique Culham rode 2nd in the class and did a very nice job with her Utango DG, earning over 68%. There were a few other nice rides as well as some which had unfortunate outbursts due to the weather and other distractions. Karen Pavicic rode 2 horses, both of which are quite green but talented. I especially think highly of Don Daiquiri, although he was not as steady today as he was in the warm-up class yesterday where he earned a 70%. With many more shows to come this season, this pair is sure to have a successful season. The easy winner of the class today, once again, was Steffen Peters riding Weltino’s Magic, who loked like he might be too hot before he entered the arena but then went through a nearly faultless test with expression and Steffen’s usual grace, earning over 76%.
With that, I took my frozen body back to the hotel and stood under a hot shower until I could once again feel my fingers and toes and now am ready to go to bed. Tomorrow is supposed to be even colder and it’s still raining so I’m hoping that the classes go indoors tomorrow, though they are scheduled to be outside again.
Cheers!
RD
On March 8th, I will be doing a “Dover’s World” radio hour on Para Equestrianism, something near and dear to my heart. I have tried, over the last two years, to use this site to help deserving Pare Riders find horses they desperately need. Here is a letter from one such rider.
“My name is Adria Di Maria. Mr.John de Montfort suggested I contact you. I am a Paraequestrian living in Fallbrook, California, currently looking for a dressage horse to compete. I am first level moving to second. Because of bilateral leg weakness, I do not post and need a sound horse with good gaits who moves easily off the aids and can handle the show arena . I have a limited budget of $10,000 and could offer the horse a wonderful caring home @ Reins Therapeutic Riding Stables. Please keep me in mind should you know of a horse which would fit this criteria. Thank You.
You may connect with me directly at Adria15@gmail.com”
Cheers!
RD
Today was the warm-up day at the CDI* at the LAEC in Burbank, CA., and the weather was a bit chilly but at least no rain…so far. I hear that it is coming by the weekend, which is never fun a any show and really not fun in L.A. I have to say that the LAEC has been kept up extremely well over the 3 decades or more that I have been coming here. The “Equidome”, though a bit dated, is still exactly what is missing from Wellington ( in a newer model) as it is able to seat thousands of spectators and give the true feeling of being in a major indoor while still only being covered. Such an arena, as well as a modern, Aachen-style outdoor stadium would create opportunities for all FEI sports heretofore unseen in America. It all goes into my ” Dover’s Dreams And Your’s” column. 
I got to see a couple of my Canadian riders, Dominique Buckland and Karen Pavicic, warming up today in the small tour and they both did very well, winning their classes decisively. I will be there to watch them do the Prix St. George tomorrow and also will enjoy seeing Leslie Ried riding a new young horse in 3rd level that looks promising. The Grand Prix, though there are no Canadian combinations, will include Steffen Peters with Ravel and other nice horses and riders I have known and worked with before, so I’m sure it will be fun.
And now I’m off to the gym so I can be done with that and dinner in time for American Idol. Can’t wait!
Cheers!
RD
I’m racing out the door to fly to L.A. for the CDI in Burbank to watch my Canadian riders compete, but I didn”t want to leave without saying how much I enjoyed doing my radio show last night on WBZT (AM1230) and live around the world here at Doversworld.com. Both the segments on Gays Having Families and The Gay Polo League were so uplifting to me and I thank all my Special Guests who made the show a success.
But I also have to thank someone who I just don’t thank enough and without whom my show would screech to a very hard and fast STOP - Carmine Gialanella. Carmine is my producer, director, motivator and the person who keeps everything running smoothly from the beginning to the end of my show. He takes the calls, runs the board, and makes my show appear as if I really have a clue of what I’m doing, and if that isn’t a miracle, then nothing is! So, a VERY BIG THANK YOU to my great (and very hot….sorry Carmine ) right-hand man! I could not do this without you!
Cheers!
RD
Carmine, THANKS VERY MUCH!
Please tune in for a great “Dover’s World” show tomorrow night from 6:05 to 8:00pm on WBZT (AM1230) in the Palm Beaches or live around the world at DoversWorld.com when my Special Guests will be, for the 1st hour, “Gays and Lesbians Having Families”. Natasha and Alison are 2 published authors with amazing stories of sacrifice and survival, along with their 2 young girls, Dona and Allegra, 3 years and 3 months respectively. Ken and Steve have a new-born set of twins, Charlie and Olive and George is the parent of 4 amazing children from 6 years old to 1 1/2 year old twins. All will tell you their very differnet stories and this is sure to be a heart-warming as well as informative show for anyone who is gay and is contemplating having a family as well as for straight people who are both for and against the idea of such an idea. I hope you will all tune in and call in as well with your comments and questions to 561-844-6167 or toll-free to 1-800-889-0267!
My 2nd hour will also be very fun as we discus the “Gay Polo League’s Return To Wellington!” I have members of the League on hand as well as sponsor, Mason Phelps, to talk about everything from their present tournament going on right now in Palm Springs to the reasons behind forming a Gay League in the first place. When I wrote about the Gay Polo League last year, I received quite a few letters against such an idea, some asking “why a bunch of Gay men had to prance around the field in front of their children and what kind of message was this sending to our youth?” I wrote a reply then and I think such a conversation is appropriate for tomorrow night. Why, in fact, should there be “Gay Sports Clubs” of any kind, or Gay marches or Gay Pride for that matter? I truly hope you will tune in to WBZT (AM1230) in the Palm Beaches or live right here at DoversWorld.com tomorrow night when we laugh a lot but also get serious on these issues, and PLEASE call in with your comments or questions, whether for or against, to 561-844-6167 or toll-free to 1-800-889-0267. WE would really love to hear from you all!!!
And don’t forget that March 1st is a very special edition of “Dover’s World” when I dedicate the show to “Everything Eventing” with Special Guests, Olympic Stars, Karen and David O’Conner, Phillip Dutton, and Darren Chiachia, as we talk about the direction the sport of 3-Day is taking, the prospect of new Coaches on the U.S. horizon and what this will mean and, of course, the issue of Safety in the sport. From 6:05 to 8:00pm on Tuesday, March 1st on WBZT (AM1230) or live right here at DoversWorld.com. This is for sure one show that you will not want to miss and I once again hope you will call in to the numbers listed above. I have been rather outspoken and have come under fire for it from members of the Eventing community, so whether you agree with me or not, as well as with the members of my expert panel, I hope you will tune in and call in and let me have it if you disagree. I am never afraid to be wrong or to need to apologise when I am. But I think I’m more right than wrong here!
Cheers!
RD
To Mark, ESP, and everyone involved in putting on the 2nd annual “Challenge of the Charities” last night at the WEF show grounds, we all owe you a HUGE THANK YOU!!! This amazing event was not only great fun, with 30 jumping teams made up of one Pro, one adult amateur, and one young rider/junior, but gave out a whopping $750,000.00 last night to the 30 charities which were selected from over 160 that put their names in the hat. Directly on the heels of the Vinceremos benefit the evening before, which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for therapeutic riding, The Challenge clearly demonstrates that we horse lovers are committed to giving back to those in need in our communities and around the world, both 2 and 4-legged as well as to the environment. I am so proud to be a Wellingtonian at this moment and I want to once again thank everyone involved in last night’s event from the bottom of my heart!
Cheers!
RD
I am very excited about my upcoming radio shows on WBZT (AM1230, Clear Channel) in the Palm Beaches andlive around the world here at DoversWorld.com and want to let you know about my Special Guests for the next 2 weeks.
On February 22nd, the first hour will be talking with “Gays and Lesbians who are having families”. This is going to be an amazing hour with incredible individuals and couples who have made some true sacrifices in order to have children and we will investigate all the issues of both surrogacy and adoption as well as women who decide to become pregnant and have kids with their female partner. Fascinating! The subject of the 2nd hour will be “The Return of the Gay Polo League” to Wellington this March for the tournament and members of the league will be on handto inform us on how the league has gained momentum around the U.S. and what the future looks like for it. Mason Phelps, who has been a strong supporter of the League will be on handto join in the c0nversation. When I first wrote about the Gay Polo League coming to Wellington, there were some very negative responses on this site, some asking why their children should be subjected to having a bunch of Gay people running aroundthe Polo fields, while others wanted to know why “Gay Sports Clubs” of any kind should be necessary. We will tackle both issues and much more when I speak to these players and I hope that, what ever you think about both subjects of this Tuesday’s “Dover’s World”, you will tune in and also call in and share your opinions or ask questions to 561-844-6167 or toll-free to 1-800-889-0267. It is going to be a great show!
And get ready all you 3-Day Event lovers, because March 1st will be dedicated for both hours to “Everything Eventing” with an amazing panel of experts including John Lechner calling in all the way from Australia, top Olympian, Phillip Dutton, and other world renowned members of the community! This show will deal with the state of the sport from course designing to coaching to issues of safety and as it has created some of the most contentious rounds of posts here on DoversWorld.com in the past, my hope is to have a frank and open, positive andconstructive discussion with the experts. Once again, I truly hope that you will tune in to WBZT (AM1230) in the Palm Beaches or live around the world right here on this site (or throughout the U.S. and Canada at WBZT.com) and call in with your questions or comments to 561-844-6167 or toll-free to 1-800-889-0267. I bet this will be one of my best shows since I started “Dover’s World” so please tell your friends to tell their friends and post it on all the Eventing sites so everyone knows. OK?
Cheers!
RD
