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Welcome to Horsetalk with Heather on this beautiful day in Anacortes, Washington. It is July 23, 2010. And I am super happy to tell you that I have a US rider, Robert Dover, who has earned more honors than any other dressage rider competing in six consecutive Olympiads for the United States Equestrian Team as well as four world championship teams and seven world cups. As a Canadian living in America I was delighted to find out that Robert Dover has decided to be the coach and technical adviser of the Canadian Dressage Team that is headed to the World Equestrian Games. So, I'd like to welcome Robert to my show this morning and I am just going to connect this here.
Hi!
Good morning Robert!
Good morning! How are you?
I'm doing excellent. And how are you today?
I'm doing just great. I'm looking out at the ocean from my room here in South Beach and it's a beautiful day so everything is wonderful.
Well, I'm really glad to hear that because, you know, this kind of mental state that you're entering into this World Equestrian Games sounds to me like you're very focused. I would love to ask you about the Canadian Team. Could you tell me a little bit about the preparations that they're making for the games?
Absolutely. The Canadian Team was just named and we have some great, great riders of horses with a lot of international experience competing for Canada. We have Ashley Holzer, who has been consistently ranked in the top 20 in the world with her Horse Pop Art as our anchor for the team this year. And Ashley was on our European tour, which we took this summer, and actually not only helped us to achieve a bronze medal in the Nations Cup in Rotterdam, but also one Grand Prix Freestyle in Lingen, Germany and a CDI there and Jessica is a phenomal trainer and rider so I'm thrilled that she is on the team as our anchor. We also have Belinda Trussell, who competed in Athens and also just a wonderful, wonderful rider and she rides a young horse, a 10-year-old named Anton. And this team is just terrific to work with. Anton is so similar to the horse that I rode in my last Olympics in Athens, Kennedy. She is extremely forward, extremely intelligent, and an absolute blast to work with. And she started last winter with getting...so I would say like mid-60s, and she progressed so rapidly that by two shows later, she was over 70% in the CDIs here in Florida, and does not only...
Wow.
Yeah. I mean it is terrific. And she did it again and again, and then went to Europe, and received scores over 70 in Europe as well. So, I was really proud of how she came along, and she is trained by the famous Chris Platt __4:04__, who lives in Germany and has been her trainer for many, many years. So, she and the horse have both been trained by Chris Platt for many years. And the fruit of all that labor is really coming together at just the right time.
Right.
And then we have Bonny Bonnello with Pikardi. And this is, I think, a really interesting story because Bonny contacted me last fall and said, you know, that she had this horse and I have known Bonny because she is also obviously a famous Olympian from Canada. And going back to many, many years ago in the games, but I haven't heard from her in so long and I haven't seen her do anything in so long, and in fact she was in Calgary and she was trying to sell her horse and I took a look at it on the video. And I said, "You know what Bonny, you should go for it with this horse. It's a really fine animal." So she came out to Florida and made a huge sacrifice as far as her business and her family commitment. And she proceeded also to go from old 60s and into the mid-60s, and then at the end of the season in Kentucky, she went to Kentucky, and was second in the grand prix with over 68 and then proceeded to get over 70% in the Grand Prix Special. So, again sort of third horse rider combimnation that was able to achieve over 70%.
For Canada.
For Canada. Yeah, yeah. So that was super. And the fourth rider on the team was not able to go on our European tour and that's Victoria Winter. She is an attorney and you know how bad like this.
Yes.
I mean, it's about delible hours and she has to stay home and work. So she fortunately is not only a great trainer but owner of the horse Proton and Cindy Ishoy and the two of them produce very good results through the summer season, and are able to actually get higher and higher scores throughout the season and now she is really nearing the 70% mark with her horse as well. So we have an experienced team. She has also ridden on Pan American Games Team. And then we also have our two reserves, Wendy Christoff who rides a horse called Pfalstaff. And she comes from Vancouver.
Yeah.
And then ___7:08___ who is coming all the way from Germany to act as our reserve as well. And our group is in preparations now. We have the horses still staying sort of focused on competing and a matter of fact the three of them that are on the East Coast other than Ashley are going to the Ontario Championships in a couple of weeks, and I will be going up there to work with them before that and then take them to those championships. And Pfalstaff is competing at the West Coast. Eddy is still in Europe and competing there and Ashley has done so much competing that basically, I am not worried about, she is taking a little bit of a break and then we'll do one more dress rehearsal when we're all in Kentucky from September 15 all the way to the WEG.
Wonderful. It sounds like that you've got a killer team. This is very exciting and it's wonderful for Canada to be so well represented by such experienced riders and an all-female team is just kind of pretty exiting.
Yeah. I say yeah I always love to see very experienced riders going into either a WEG or an Olympic because then you know that they have proven their nerves are good. But I also think that, to be honest, we have a very strong team and yet the bar internationally is very, very high right now. And so we are also realistic that we have to work very hard in order to have a high placement at the WEG.
Yeah. So there is absolutely no doubt about the high level of competition and what a testament to the sport really that their bar gets higher and higher. I caught you talking about the riders' ability to handle pressure and the nerve. And with your vast experience, would you possibly share with our listeners what is your technique for getting the best out of these riders and in creating that nerve that is so mandatory in this international competition?
I think that a big part of being able to deal with the pressure and the stress of going into a major competition is in having done your homework so well at home that there is nothing that you're going to face that you don't already feel extremely confident that you can produce in any arena. Because when you really think about it, the sandbox is just another sandbox. It has the same letters around it, it's the same dimension, it has the same little houses around it with the same little people watching you. And so there really isn't any difference other than maybe some atmospheric difference from the environment that has to do with the number of people watching in the stands or whatever. But this is why we go out and we show throughout Europe and in the biggest shows of the world before we go to the World Equestrian Games or Olympics to ensure that the horses and the riders both are able to go from one shoulder to the next and not really feel any different about the shoulder. Just doing their usual thing, they're very confident in their abilities and in their horses' abilities, and this is the beauty of what we do. When you see it done well, you recognize that at any given moment, a horse can do something out of the ordinary and a fly can cause it to shake its head or to kick out or whatever, and we understand that. But the beauty of very, very good riding or great riding in a show ring is that the person knows that even if something happens that is out of the ordinary, they know that their basics are so strong and they know that they've done this so well in such an accomplished way for so long that they just are able to bring the horse directly back from whatever the problem was and focus on the next ten.
And that's what great riders do. We've seen that many, many times before.
I completely agree with you. One more question I know you're very busy man. I don't want to keep you...we've got a lot of demands on the time, but how about cross training, Robert? And are there riders doing any other training outside of riding? Generally, is it something that you encourage?
Yeah. I mean, naturally if you know anything about me, you know that I am in a gym six out of seven days a week and I'm very much into physical fitness and also mental fitness or for riders, I believe that they are athletes just as their horses are. And if you take a look at this team, it's made up of people that recognize the importance of their own athleticism as well, plus the fact that it's an aesthetic sport and part of that is looking like you sit beautifully on to the horse, in such a way that you don't take away the person's eye from the overall beauty of the animal to looking at you.
Or an unbalanced or no picture. So my riders are all very fit people. And here you have somebody like Bonny, who is in her mid-50s and looks amazing on a horse. She really is an extraordinary rider and you know she also is just as fit as she can be. So, you know, it's terrific. And I can remember people like Jessica ___14:04___, and if you look at her today, she is more fit than many 30 year olds. And she is in her 70s.
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I am in full agreement with you on that one. I think that we have to be athletes in order to expert the horse to perform the way that this high level competition expects. We have to lead the way in being Canadians and being very outdoorsy and known nationally for being very fit people. I think that could be an advantage for our riders. And I think...
I agree.
Yeah. I wanted to ask just one more little question. Do you think that the fact that we're actually getting to compete at the World Equestrian Games in the Western Hemisphere for this first time ever will be a huge benefit to our riders?
Ahh..., it's always wonderful to have a major competition in your home territory. Now...
Whether that will be a benefit to Canadians like it could be a benefit to Americans, that remains to be seen. But you know, what I do love is for instance, we're having a major fund raising benefit for the Canadian Dressage Team, as well as to create funds for future programs for everyone from junior riders up to the international elite on September 12, and it's called the Send-Off to Kentucky benefit and that's at Gary Vander Ploeg's outside of Toronto. So, it's an afternoon, where we're going to showcase not only our full team and the reserves, but also we're going to showcase the up-and-coming junior riders and they're going to be doing a quad drill and we're going to just have a huge fun, fun day. And if we were going over to Europe, I think it wouldn't be as fun as having this Send-Off to Kentucky, which is basically in our own backyard. And obviously since of course I'm American too and I know Kentucky so well, we're trying to bring the flavor of Kentucky into our benefit on September 12, 2010.
Fantastic. Any other ways that riders at home can support the Canadian Team?
Hey listen. You know, we have a new found Asian, which is being created that is going to mirror what the USET (United States Equestrian Team Foundation) does. Their mission is to raise funds for high performance. And right now the group that's putting on this benefit on September 12, 2010 is an interim group that I put together that's called Take The Podium Fundraising Committee and this group is doing this benefit to not only bring in funds for the team and for future programs, but also as sort of a way to morph into the Canadian Equestrian Team Foundation. So, as this all comes to pass, then of course if you're a Canadian equestrian enthusiast, in any discipline, I'm hoping that there will be clearer and better ways to give financially support to all of the teams and the programs that will enable Canada to shine in the future.
Fantastic. Well, I will go ahead and give some links to websites also at the end of the program. If anyone is working to make a donation to the team or show up at your fundraiser, then I think that...
Wonderful.
Let's send them off, right.
Yeah. Absolutely. If anyone wants to know more about the fundraiser, you can go to my own website, which is doversworld.com, and right at the very top, there is a banner that is talking about the event on September 12, 2010 and all you have to do is click on it and it gives you all the information about the event, how to purchase tickets, and how to give if you can't come.
Thank you. That's wonderful. Well, I'm so grateful for your time this morning and I wish you all the best and I will definitely be at the WEG cheering loudly. I'll be the one with the arms really (Laughs). And...
It's great.
It's so grateful for this Canadian Team and let's see if we can really give the world something to cheer about.
Absolutely. Thank you so much. We'll do our best.
Than you. Bye.
Take care. Bye.
You too. Bye. Well what a glorious conversation that was. You know, I didn't get a chance to really let you know more details about Robert. I really wanted to just introduce him immediately, but if you have been following any sort of dressage for the last 20 years, you probably were very familiar with him. He began riding at 13, but he is quite late for an equestrian. He, like I said, earned more on it than any other US dressage rider competing in six consecutive Olympiads. What I didn't tell you was that he was the captain of each of those teams, which tells us that he has extraordinary leadership abilities. His highlight of his career as quoted from his website was when he helped the US capture the North American championship. But also in 1987, Dover defeated six-time Olympic gold medalist, Dr Reiner Klimke, to win the Aachen grand prix in Germany before a crowd of 65,000 people. This victory was the frist time an American had one since 1960. And he considers it the high point of his distinguished career. So, that was a fantastic conversation this morning. He, of course, talked a little bit of something exciting to share with you. I'm glad that he went ahead and talked about doversworld.com that is where you can get more information about Robert and his role as coach and mentor of the Canadian Team. A little bit of other business that we have got rolling around here this morning. I have found a great website of Eventing Nation, and it actually got this terrific contest that I entered last week, and basically you take a picture on top of your horse with a view in the background, and basically write a paragraph about what your horse sees. If you get a course of jumps or your farm in the background and just do a little horse eye view thing. So have a shot of that contest, check out eventingnation.com. And also I wanted to just let you know a little bit about what's coming up at Wildwood Farm, where I'm coaching. We're having a Freestyle Fun Night and the proceeds from that are going to go towards our team headed for the World Equestrian Games. So, come on out, Freestyle Fun Night at Wildwood Farm on August 31, 2010 at 6 p.m. We're going to ride on and have a light sort of friendly competition as they would call it. We're going to play it friendly out at Wildwood Farm. So, check out our website, www.wildwoodfarm.com. You can also see it on my website, heatherirogers.com. And while you're writing down websites, check out my blog it is, www.highercoaching.wordpress.com. You can read more about this conversation with Robert Dover. And leave a comment for me. If you have questions, if there is something that interests you that I didn't quite cover, than I would love to respond to you and be more interactive. So, that was such a great and exciting morning. I'm having a hard time backing it up, but I do have another detail, our contest last week where you had to come and answer in about the missing disciplines that I have purposely left out of my initial horsetalk break through. The contest was won Halley Stiller. And Halley talked about a little omission and now she gets a $20 gift certificate to Noble Horse Saddlery, who was our conversation last week about vintage equestrian clothing, so Heather Carder at Noble Horse Saddlery was happy to meet up with Halley and help her go shopping, and that's going to be fantastic for them. So, I just am thrilled that I had conversation with Robert Dover. I'm so excited as a Canadian to hear about the Canadian Team and I think that that was just fantastic. So thank you Robert for joining us today. Please check out his website, that's doversworld.com. You can find out ways to support the Canadian Team and I just wanted to say thank you for joining me today, and ride on!
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