Hello,

My name is Erica Brant, and I’m 17. I started riding a little over five years ago, at Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center in Loxahatchee, Florida.

 My horse, Polly’s Vision and I are currently beginning to train in Paralympic Dressage. Polly is a young Thoroughbred mare. We found each other at Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue in Loxahatchee;

 she was pulled from a killpen at an auction just over a year ago. We will begin training

 with USDF Silver Medalist Leif Aho, in Wellington. I’ve been boarding at his Free Spirit Friesians Farm, Inc. for a year. I work almost every day doing barn chores and taking care of the 20 or more horses in exchange for pasture board. However, I’m now aiming to take my riding to the next level with Para-Dressage, and doing this will require full board and training, plus lessons. This will cost $1300 per month.

I’m looking for monthly sponsorships to be able to afford to train for Para-Dressage, with my goal being to compete seriously in the 2012 Winter season.

 If there’s at least two months of financial backing, training will begin on June 1

st.

I’ve understood for some time that succeeding in any equestrian sport requires lots of hard work, and I’ve gotten where I am today because of it and my determination to make things happen.

I’m trying to get 13 people to contribute $100 per month, but of course any contribution of any amount is always gratefully accepted.

  A two-year

  commitment (or longer) would allow my horse Polly and I to begin learning the discipline of Dressage and go on to show at locally held Para-Dressage competitions. All donations received can be made out to Free Spirit Friesians Farm, Inc.

 If you are not in the position to contribute at this time, please feel free to pass this along to someone who may be interested, or send me any contact information so I may contact him or her directly.

Also, please take a look at the following video of Polly and my progress:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHSvFNTCtkAPlease contact me for additional details and questions.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Erica Brant

Erica_Brant@hotmail.com
(561) 713-0022

After the usual 1 hour delay at Miami Airport, we finally took off non-stop for L.A. and after a pretty bumpy flight, arrived just in time to hear that I had missed American Idol as I waited another half hour for my bag to come. I heard it was good though and am looking forward to seeing it on Tivo when I get back to Miami, even though I plan to see the results show tomorrow night.

I always trust Hertz with Neverlost, especially since the last time I was out here, it took 45 minutes of waiting before the Thrifty bus arrived. And Hertz, as always, was right there to pick me up and take me to my car, waiting in the Gold Member line. All seemed perfect as I drove my Nissan to the lovely Amarano Hotel and arrived without a problem, leaving my rental with the valet. And then it happened!

I got to my room (very nice) and got a call from the valet that my car had locked itself with the keys in the ignition, despite the fact that the trunk was still open and the car had been unlocked. Now why would an agency not tell someone that closing the doors with the keys still inside would result in the car self-locking? So now its 12:30am and Hertz is sending out AAA to open the car, but the most ridiculous thing is that they intend to charge me $73.00 to come unlock the car. After several calls to dispute this charge, I gave up- too tired to fight with them anymore. I will wait to fight when I take the car back to LAX on Sunday. Argh!

Nighty night!

RD

So, I have been running non-stop all day since getting  my hair cut this morning and packing for my week in Burbank at the CDIW which I’m flying with my replacement, Markus Gribbe, to L.A. tomorrow to  attend as my very last gig for Dressage and Equine Canada.  I started the day at our place in Miami Beach, but then brought Simon up to the new house in Wellington, which is looking more beautiful every day, thanks to Robert Ross, Jimena Carjaval, Ken Aussiker of Wellington Equestrian Development, John Grimes, Jimmy and all the contractors who are helping turn it into a great home!  I am loving it now and know I will love it even more as soon as Bret Raflowitz of R-Lawn Service finishes the beautiful landscaping job which Architect, Chris Vance, has produced!  Good luck on peaking in then, Mason. LOL!

Anyway, Robert and a bunch of friends went to see Kathy Griffin, who is appearing here in town this evening and I was planning on coming up to do my radio show and drive directly back to South Beach to finish laundry there and prepare for my flight out tomorrow.  But is seems that everyone we know was also going to the concert and so I decided to come back to my home in Wellington to take our dog, Simon, outside for an evening walk before heading back south.  But now I’m here with Simon on my lap as I write this and I’m thinking, how can I leave my puppy for a week when he looks this cute; I can always just get up early and drive back down in the morning and have one more night with him and, of course, my boyfriend, Robert.  I am so happy, having changed my plans right now and there will be more than enough time to re-wash the whites which are sitting in the machine, dry them and put them away and still get to the airport without a hitch.  It’s totally worth it, eh?

Simon with his bone. How do you leave that?!

Cheers!

RD

I have been very proud of the Canadian riders at the last CDI here in White Fences, Quite a few had personal bests in the Pan American Selection Trials, with Diane Creech and Robbie W placing 2nd both days with close to 69%.  The great news is that this young horse is far from reaching his very best and I honestly believe he can get score high up in the 70’s in the future.  Jacquie Brooks, Crystal Kroetch, Lee Tubman and Julie Watchorn moved up their pesonal bars today and all rode well as did Chris Van Martels and Annaliese Farber and Lisa Bukowski. hese have been very big classes and strongly contested and I feel certain that the Canadian Team will earn a medal in the Pan American Games and a place at the Olympics in London!  And their new Technical Leader, Markus Gribbe, was totally committed to watching every rider from Canada go each day and took copious notes on each so as to be able to help them going forward.  He is a very nice guy and I know will do his best to bring ongoing progress to the Team.

The Grand Prix for the Freestyle was also today and both  Jacquie Brooks and Evi Strasser rode great to earn 2nd and 3rd places respectively! Congratulations go out to them as well as well to Shannon Dueck who placed 3rd today in the GP Special with Gary Vander Ploeg 4th.  I also want to congratulate the winners of both Grand Prix classes, Tuny Page with Alina and Suzie Dutta with Currency DC.  Great job, All! (Also, good job, Ashley and Jill! )  Ans a special Congratulations to Evi Strasser’s 15 year old daughter, Tanya, who rode great both days in the “Test of Choice” against Grand Prix riders and qualified with Dancing Tyme to go on the the CDI’s at the Junior ranks!  Awesome!

OK, so I do have to mention one other thing that happened to me today.  I went to ride Tacolando, as I had done the day before during the lunch break, but just as I entered the one arena allowed for non-competing horses, the sprinkler system went on, causing my horse to run in the other direction for a second.  He is so sweet that he stopped immediately when I told him we were not in danger.  So then, seeing that the other arena was being dragged, I went to the steward for the CDI arena where there were no riders because of the break and asked if I could ride there until they were finished watering and draggingthe other arena. They both said yes but that I would have to leave if a competing rider came in and  the second one did, I did just that and went out to the grass until they were finished with the other arena, where I finished having another great ride on Taco and then taught a lesson.  But here’s the thing - the Technical Delegate for the show came to me minutes later and told me that I was to go to the President of the Ground Jury, Cara Whitham when she was done judging to explain why I was, against the rules, in the CDI arena.  I explained that I had not entered the arena without asking and receiving permission from not one but two ring stewards and that if there is anyone she should be questioning, it is not me but them.  Still, I waited until the class was over but nobody came to the end of the arena and I was not going to walk out to ‘C’ on my own to speak with Ms. Whithamwithout a TD.  I do know the rules, after as many years as I’ve been around.  At the end of the day, I went home but will certainly update this post if anything strange happens tomorrow regarding this issue. 

One last thing. I went to the $500,000.00 Jumping Grand Prix tonight at WEF and I cannot tell you how much it made me feel like I was in Europe at the finest shows in the world.  What a fantastic sight to see so many people, many not horse people at all but members of the community, packing every inch of the place and having a fantastic time!  Congratulations go to the winner, Laura Kraut who topped the field of 15 clear rounds!  Amazing and I can’t wait for that same excitement to be in the air when”The Global Dressage Festival” takes place in 2012 at the new world-class venue in Wellington!

Cheers!

RD

Tonight,Robert and I went to the celebration of and “Thank You” for the new “Founding Sponsors” of the World-Class Dressage venture, both the venue and the Series which is becoming a reality after only being a dream for so many years!  The gathering at the White Horse Tavern was lovely and Mark and many of the ESP partners were there to welcome the new sponsors on board as we go about making history and bringing a great new era to Dressage for Wellington, America and the world.  I personally want to thank each and every one of the amazing people and companies that have shown their support, dedication and generosity!  In the next few days, I will name each and every one of you and hope to thank you in person if I have not already.

Cheers!

RD

I have a great show tomorrow evening for you on Dover’s World with Special Guests, Canadian Olympic Star, Ashley Holzer as well as my replacement as Technical Leader for Dressage Canada, Markus Gribbe.  They will talk about their careers as well as their personal and goals regarding the sport.

I also have a very fun (at least, for me) surprise with Special Guests who will go un-named until I introduce them to you on the show. Just think “Seinfeld” for a hint! :)  Please tune in to WBZT (AM1230) in the Palm Beaches or live around the world right here on DoversWorld.com and call in and take part in the show with your questions and comments about anything you would like to talk about to 561-844-6167 or toll-free from anywhere to 1-800-889-0267.  I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!

Cheers!

RD

While I was working at the horse show today, Gay Pride was going on in Lake Worth, Florida for the West Palm Beach area and the parade was lead by none other than our very own Wellington Celebrities, Mason Phelps and Ron Neal along with some of the boys from the Gay Polo League riding their horses. I can’t wait to get the photos from Mason to post here on this site. Very proud of them all!

Speaking of Pride, Gay Pride in Miami is on April 18th and in honour of it, my Dover’s World Radio show on April 12th will be an “all gay one” with none other than the star of 3 - count ‘em, THREE!- new shows on Oprah’s OWN Network, Carson Kressley!! Yes, fans of Carson, he will be returning for another interview to talk about his incredible life, horsey and show biz.

I will also be doing an interview with the owner of one of Miami Beaches’ most popular bars, The Palace, which is on Ocean Blvd. and 12th Street, Tom Donall. Tom is not only a great host for the gay community, but extremely involved in every cause near and dear to our hearts. He has owned The Palace now for 3 years and we will talk about the challenges at the beginning as well as how he has become not only extremely successful but a truly philanthropic person in the community.  What a great show this is going to be, so don”t miss it and PLEASE call in to 561-844-6167 or toll-free from anywhere to 1-800-889-0267!

Cheers!

RD

We are always talking about trying to get from one point to another in our lives, whether that is an actual place or refers to our state of being.  We are trying to get that perfect job to become wealthy and successful, or we are trying to find that perfect person to have a relationship with.  Whatever it is, the strange thing is that, as hard as we might try to take ourselves straight ahead in one direction, life eventually takes everything around in a circle - perfectly round like the earth we exist on.

The death of Elizabeth Taylor, one of the greatest actors of my lifetime, reminded me of the circle of life, just as going through the adventure of my parents’ later years is doing.  We try so hard to accumulate “stuff” and prestige, many times while forgetting how to be the very best “us” we can be and at the end of the day, we all end up in the same place with exactly what we came into the world with.  In Hebrew school we were taught that babies are born with fists clenched, a metaphor for their desire to take on the world, but we die with our palms open, showing that we “go home with nothing”.  I have always remembered that saying because it teaches us that it is what we leave behind- the good or the not so good- that we are remembered for.

The circle of life is everything.  There is no light without the circle or circuit of energy called electricity.  In fact, all energy, just like the sun itself, when swirling around, emits that which we need to live and breath.  The same is so for sports, arts, and everything mechanical which moves us and keeps us going - the recirculation of energy is what makes us able to fly in every sense of the word.  Anyone who knows anything about riding horses knows this truth as well.

What we hope from understanding the circle of life is not to fear the end or things which seem to interrupt it along the way that disturb or distress us.  The book, “Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff” is great for reminding us of what is and is truly not important.  In fact, aside from everything to do with LOVE, pretty much everything else is a total waste of time.  Love who you are - gay, straight, tall, short, skinny, big, and any colour of the rainbow!  Love what you do or quit it and find your passion because “the circle goes ’round and ’round” ever faster and faster and the story of our lives is written in the blink of an eye!

Cheers!

RD

Yesterday, I received one of those kind of posts that no one loves to get from someone who obviously can’t stand you. I’m not sure if sometime long ago I was unkind to him/her, but from his words it appears more that we probably have never met, because he/she was not aware that, since the late 70’s, I have trained for myself and other international riders, well over 50 competitive Grand Prix horses from the ground up and even more top riders who have gone on to make teams.  That being said, I told Mr. Blow that I do not mind even this kind of criticism but I do not allow people to use fictitious names on my website when posting.  I put myself out there every single day with my opinions and my only rule is NO GRAFFITI on DoversWorld!  With that, I told Blow that I would leave up the post if he/she replaced the fictitious name with a real one by the end of the day but otherwise I would delete the post.  Naturally, worms like Joe Blow live under rocks and are full of fear and hate,afraid to come out in the light of day to be reckoned with or even have some meaningful dialogue.  Therefore, at the end ofthe night before I went to bed, I deleted Joe Blow’s post.

I will gladly have respectful disagreements and even a few choice words with anyone with the balls to say who they are.  At this point in my life I am pretty fearless and will always have an open mind about pretty much any issue.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that the vast majority the things I was so certain about when I was young as being either black or white, most probably fall into a very huge grey area.  In other words, the only thing I am positive about in life other than that LOVE IS EVERYTHING, is that I’m 100% certain that I am not sure about anything else….for sure.

Cheers!

RD

This has been a fabulous week so far! The weather here in Florida has been beautiful along with the most gorgeous moon the other night. My Mom got a great report from her Oncologist today that she is doing fine and doesn’t need to see him for another month! I love it and her!

My little stallion, HGF Fiero, is going down to Miami tomorrow morning to hopefully be approved by the PRE organization, thanks to Kim Boyer and her great staff! They have been so wonderful in every way.

Robert and I have moved into our new home which is slowly but surely turning out to be everything we hoped for, thanks to Ken Aussiker and Wellington Equestrian Development, the best contractors in town! We won’t be ready for a house-warming for a while yet but hopefully sometime in the next 4-6 weeks.

And I want to say how honoured I have been to Coach and advise the riders for Dressage Canada for the past 15 months. Though I chose not to renew my contract and stayed on until April 3rd so that they could select my replacement, I hope to keep a strong working relationship with the athletes, all of whom I have truly enjoyed and know they can always call on me for anything! I want to welcome their new Technical Advisor, Markus Gribbe, who will join me this week at the CDI in White Fences as well as the CDIW in Burbank next week to create a smooth transition from me to him. I wish hime and the Canadian Team all the best of luck as they ehad toward the very important Pan American Games and the 2012 Olympics!

And I am thrilled beyond belief at the news that all is a “GO” for the new amazing Dressage/ Equestrian Venue where the old Polo stadium was and for the World-class Series to be held there in 2012! This is a dream come true for our entire community and I am just so excited to play a small part in it!

And now I’m going to go watch Glee and go to bed, after doing another great 2 hour Dover’s World radio show which you can hear if you missed it right here on DoversWorld.com along with all the other archived shows. Enjoy!

Cheers!

RD