Interviewed by Barbara Fogler,  www.barnmice.com

This fall, Robert Dover was named Coach and Technical Advisor for the Canadian Dressage Team, so when I sat down to interview him I expected a cut and dry discussion about strategy, goals, and timetables. What I got was so much more. Robert is, quite simply, an extraordinary person to talk to. His focus, creativity, and positive energy are contagious. It is no wonder his appointment has the Canadian equestrian scene buzzing.

What is your specific role with the Canadian dressage team?
My role is to coach and give technical advice in order to achieve both short-term team success for WEG (World Equestrian Games) and long-term sustainable success for programs and strategies that will go into the future and impact all levels.

What were your deciding factors in taking the Canadian position?
I took some time to really think about whether I wanted to come out of retirement, but the Canadians were so interested and supportive.

I had already done a lot of preparation for that job possibility with the U.S. and had my creative juices flowing in that direction. I had put so much together to try to produce programs and strategies for the U.S. and when I looked at the situation that Canada was in, it was very similar to where America was in 1988, and even today America has a lot of similarities to Canada in regard to their program. It seemed like something that could be a lot of fun for me and really fruitful for the Canadians.

What are your priorities?
The first priority is a strong team for the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. That is where the greatest amount of thrust is being put with regard to my efforts and strategies, both for the riders and for funding.

I recently had my first meeting with the newly appointed high performance committee and we are all on the same page. What we have done so far is to set up training sessions on both coasts in January. Those sessions will be for the WEG declared hopefuls.

I will travel to Southern California for one training session, then the following weekend I’ll do a training session in Wellington, both well before the first CDIs. If the riders want to come with their own trainers of course they are welcome to do so and my priority is to support them and to give them help wherever I can. I will also be at the CDIs on both coasts two days beforehand and will be there to help the riders with whatever they need.

What do you see as our strengths in Canada?
First, the fact that Canadians are just so desirous to have positive change.

Second, they have been so hugely supportive of a positive and very strong sense of direction. They have a large group of people that see a common goal and they see that by putting their resources, talent, funding and experience together they can achieve that common goal and produce a great deal of success.

As I crisscrossed Canada it has been abundantly clear that there is a huge amount of talent both in riders and in horses at all levels. I think I saw approximately 160 combinations and what was most interesting to me was that the riders and trainers with the greatest amount of experience and those who are WEG hopefuls for Kentucky are really fantastic.

There are some new horses that people have not seen but that are amazing and there are some riders that haven’t been seen in a while who are extremely talented and experienced and will be hugely helpful toward a positive result for Canada.

I am far more impressed by what I’ve seen than I ever imagined I would be and I have very high hopes that with hard work and determination we can together create a super team for WEG. My goal is to have, by the end of April, a squad of riders and horses that are achieving a minimum of 70%. When we put everyone together and start working, that’s when we are going to see the evolution of the Canadian team.

Where do you think our greatest need for development lies?
The challenge is that there has been a lack of programs and strong strategies for all levels, so my plan is to not only give very, very strong programs for our lead riders, but to produce long-term sustainable world class programs for juniors with ponies and young horse developing riders, right through to our international elite combinations.

For everything that is a challenge there is an opportunity. For a country that is a bit of a blank slate, there are models that have worked well in other countries that, with small variations, we can use for Canada.

What are your short and long-term goals for the team?
Long-term sustainable programs. One of the biggest challenges will be to create the funding to make them viable, and to that end it is my hope that we’ll be holding two fundraisers in the spring - one towards the west and one in the east.

We need to raise a great amount of money in order to have world-class programs for our riders who are absolutely integral to our long-term success.

I am looking to ask the help of everyone in Canada who can help in various avenues of fundraising for our sport. If you are successful in business and you would like to be part of this fundraiser we want your help!

We actually have a shot at a team medal and possibilities for future Olympic medals that depend on funding for world-class programs. Not only am I putting out there a plea for everyone that has expertise, but for everyone who has a passion for dressage.

I’m asking that they get directly in touch with me and I will be delighted to work with them and find something for them to do and a way to participate.

Reprinted with permission. View the original at www.barnmice.com/profiles/blogs/robert-dover-talks-about-his