Robert Dover (equestrian)
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| Born |
June 7, 1956 (age 60) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Robert Jeffrey Dover (born June 7, 1956) is an American equestrian who has had international success in the sport of dressage. Riding from the age of 13, he began specializing in dressage at age 19 and competed in his first Olympics in 1984. He competed in every summer Games between 1984 and 2004, winning four team bronze medals. He also took a team bronze at the 1994 World Equestrian Games. Dover is the most honored dressage rider in the United States, and has been inducted to the United States Dressage Federation Hall of Fame. Outside of competition, Dover founded the Equestrian Aid Foundation in 1996 to assist others in the equestrian world, and hosted a TV show that searched for the next dressage star. From late 2009 to early 2011, Dover served as the Technical/Coach Advisor for the Canadian national dressage team. In April 2013, Dover was named Technical Advisor/Chef d'Equipe for the US national dressage team.
Dover, who is Jewish, was born in Chicago, Illinois to parents Herb and Jean Dover. He was given a horse for his Bar Mitzvah at 13 and was active in Pony Club, graduating at "A" level, the highest level. He decided to specialize in dressage when he was 19. Dover attended the University of Georgia. He is openly gay, and his partner is fellow rider Robert Ross. Injuries, including a torn rotator cuff and pinched sciatic nerve, began to plague him in the late 1990s, causing major back pain and reducing his ability to ride.
In 1984, Dover competed in his first Olympic Games at the age of 28. At the Los Angeles Games, he finished 17th individually, and the US team finished 6th. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, he finished 13th, and the team tied for 6th place. In 1992, at the Barcelona Games, Dover tied for 22nd place, while the American team took the bronze medal. At the 1996 Atlanta Games, the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athina Games the United States dressage team took the bronze medal each time, while Dover finished 25th, 23rd and 6th respectively. He was elected team captain in all six Olympics in which he competed. Of his Olympic experience, Dover says, "The medals themselves aren't the important thing. My memories of the Games and of the entire Olympic experience are, to me, everything."
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