Dover and I were the Reserve Champion 3rd level AA t the Alberta Provincial Dressage Championships.

I was so proud of him; for a horse that hasn't been in the show ring for 5 years, and had never shown at this facility he was fantastic. The weather was absolutely horrible. Rain and cold turned the warm up area into a sea of mud and Dover is afraid of bad footing (he walks around mud puddles LOL). He was also very worried about the indoor arena. With more show experience where he can learn to relax a little our marks will improve a lot. (his average was about 61.5%).

I received very positive comments from the judges on his quality. I was sitting next to a brilliant GP rider who has to sell the horse she has put 4 or 5 years into because he just doesn't "own the ring" and she can't get the big scores. It brought home to me, in a big way, how lucky I am to have a horse who DOES own the ring. It is not something you can train into them, they either have it or they don't.

We are going for PSG next year, although my coach thinks we should just skip it altogether and go straight to Grand Prix. Dover's piaffe is absolutely solid, his canter pirouettes exceptional and we are working on passage which is not hard for him either. The only glitch is in the tempi's because our indoor is so small, I can't get very many in a row.

He is an exceptional horse, charming and sweet who is, at 12, still as sound as a bell.