Robert Dover takes the reigns of Kennedy, the majestic horse
he intends to compete with this summer at the Olypic Games in Athens. (Above photo
by Werner Zefferer. Photos below by Andrea Neves.)
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By ANDY ZEFFER
Friday, July 09, 2004
It is a gorgeous day at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington, Fla.,
perfect for the Sunday Grand Prix, one of the biggest jumping events. Here, Robert
Dover is schooling a huge, gorgeous chestnut horse named Kennedy.
Kennedy is the horse Dover intends to ride in Athens this summer for what will
be his sixth Olympic Games.
Having trained and ridden horses for years, Dover is considered tops in his
profession. Alongside his partner, jump rider Robert Ross, Dover has built a
life around his passion for horses. And his contributions off a horse are just
as important as those he’s earned on a horse.
Situated 30 miles west of Palm Beach, Wellington is built around and supported
by the horse community. In fact, Wellington is the “place to be”
during the winter months, attracting competitors from both the east and west
coasts, as well as Canada, Europe and South America. Where else could you see
Tommy Lee Jones playing polo alongside heir to the BET fortune, Paige Johnson,
competing in show jumping?
Most people immediately associate wealth and prestige with the equestrian world.
Indeed, the sport continues to be largely supported by the gentry, attracting
names such as Georgina Bloomberg and Kelly Klein and the Kennedys and Rockefellers
before that.
But when gay men come to mind, they are rarely associated with horses. Yet
the equestrian world is soaked with gay men who have long been an invaluable
segment of the industry.
Mason Phelps Jr. of Phelps Media Group, Inc. promotes much of the major equestrian
events, and spends every winter in Wellington.
Phelps is himself a former Olympian in the sport, having competed at the 1968
games in Mexico City. Phelps is also gay, and has been with his partner for
the past 14 years.
“I would say that many gays are involved in the horse world,” says
Phelps. “They don’t walk around with a banner or anything. But it
is certainly no secret. This is a very accepting community. Nobody pays much
attention to it. Everybody goes about his or her job. They are training horses,
showing horses, riding horses, whatever the case may be. It is always about
the horse.”
Phelps says there are many gay men and women involved in the sport at all levels
from local barns to high caliber international competition, including the Olympics.
They fill many capacities, from riders to trainers to grooms. Gays compete mostly
in jumping and dressage, which is the equivalent of ballet on horseback. However,
Phelps stops short at polo.
“Not so much in polo,” says Phelps. “If there is anybody
over in polo that is gay, they certainly don’t identify themselves. I
think it is harder because it is a team sport, and you have many wealthy businessmen
involved [who pay for the teams]. You have a lot of Argentineans involved, and
they are very much the macho kind of group. Though it probably does exist, I
couldn’t tell you who, what or where.”
In the equestrian world, closeted riders seem to be the exception, not the
rule. Several top gay riders such as Gunthër Seidel and Robert Dover having
competed at an Olympic level and won medals, and they are stars within the equestrian
scene.
These men aren’t well-recognized names in the mainstream culture alongside
other gay athletes like Olympic diving gold medalist Greg Louganis. But they
certainly have the charisma and looks to match a Louganis.
Gay athletes in the sport have yet to receive widespread attention. This can
be blamed both on the sport’s failure to reach a general public as well
as the public’s inability to embrace riding as a true sport.
“It’s because this sport is much more of a European sport,”
Dover says over lunch. “It has had in the past the reputation of being
an elitist sport. And unlike many sports, we are not as visible as say, swimming.
“So the athletes themselves are only going to be as visible as the sport
lends to it. If you are a skater and come out, you are going to have a lot more
visibility than if you are an archer.”
Dover has just finished his training and instructing for the day. His green
cut-off shirt brings out the vivid green in his eyes, and showcases well-trained,
muscular arms.
After he has put in his hours with the horses, the champion equestrian enjoys
a change of scenery.
“There are people who are heavy hitters in the horse world but are able
to do other things and step out of it,” says Dover. “Yet there are
other people in the horse world that are insular and focused only on horses.
They don’t see that there are other things in life, and that’s too
bad.”
Both Dover and his partner Robert Ross know when to leave the horses behind.
The couple share a house with philanthropist and fellow horse enthusiast Joe
Zada in Fire Island for the summer months, where they relax at the beach and
socialize with gay men in other walks of life. And every year they attend the
White Party in Palm Springs, an event Dover is especially fond of.
“You can trust that the weather will be great all day, and you don’t
have all these competing parties like the White Party in Florida,” Dover
laughs. “You find everybody by the same pool at the same party.”
In addition to his titles and medals, Dover served on the Olympic committee
athlete’s advisory council, an opportunity he says enlightened him as
to just how many gays and lesbians excel at all sports.
“It’s sort of a nice thing to realize, and a liberty to know we
are everywhere,” Dover observes.
In March 2003 Dover attended the first ever Gay & Lesbian Athletic Conference
in Boston and was a keynote speaker alongside Billy Bean.
Equestrian AIDS Foundation
Dover is not shy about being a gay athlete. But it is his involvement in the
Equestrian AIDS Foundation that he is most proud of.
Dover started the foundation eight years ago along with Ross and Phelps. The
foundation cares for people from the age of 4 to 64. And his voice grows with
excitement as he recounts how one of his students, Kate Capshaw (a.k.a. Mrs.
Steven Spielberg) helped recruit Melissa Etheridge for last year’s fund-raiser
at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.
“Steven and Kate flew [Melissa] out with her wife,” Dover recollects.
“We had the best time with an attendance of 2,000 people. [Melissa] was
going to do three songs but stayed on for an hour and a half. The show made
enough money that we could go on through the year.”
Dover, Ross and Phelps saw a need for the foundation after realizing donations
from earlier fund-raising events supporting AIDS landed up largely in administrator’s
pockets.
Gay Olympic champion Robert Dover
trains with his horse Kennedy. (Photo by Andreas Neves) |
“Robert Dover came up with the idea eight years ago and we sat down together
and did all the legal work, secured [a tax exemption], and put a board of directors
together,” Phelps, the equestrian promoter, says. “Now it’s
become a strong and well-supported organization and many people are involved,
gay and straight, married and single, men and women all for a common good.”
Indeed, the equestrian community has embraced the foundation.
Heiress Georgina Bloomberg and Jamie Krauss, Joan Lunden’s daughter,
both serve as board members.
On a personal level, Dover says his relationship with Ross works well because
of their mutual involvement in the sport and mutual affection for horses.
The couple lives in Wellington during the winter and spends May to November
at their farm in Bridgehampton, N.Y., which would make it hard to have a relationship
with somebody who couldn’t live that lifestyle, says Dover.
There are, however, plenty of top riders out there that manage to maintain
relationships with partners outside the industry. Marc Grock is a rider based
in Rancho Santa Fe, just outside San Diego. His partner runs a nonprofit agency,
and is not involved professionally with horses.
“People in this sport become very isolated; it is so exclusive and involves
so much wealth,” Grock says. “That’s one of the reasons why
I love not having a partner involved. It keeps me aware of the larger picture,
keeps me grounded and alert to the world outside horses.”
Guenthër Seidel is one of the biggest riding stars on the west coast.
His horse business is headquartered in Del Mar, California, and he trains in
Rancho Santa Fe.
The German-born rider’s accomplishments include two Olympic bronze team
medals in the Atlanta and Sydney games. He has represented the U.S. at the World
Equestrian Games in Italy and Spain.
In addition, he has been in the World Cup two times, and last year came in
third place individually. Like Dover, Seidel is a top contender for the 2004
summer games in Athens.
Seidel has had romantic relationships both inside the sport and outside the
sport. His partner of 10 years is Sean Caddell, who sells real estate in Del
Mar and Rancho Santa Fe.
“I like it better because we can share other interests besides horses,”
confides Seidel. “But at times it is difficult. I compete internationally
for a couple months out of every year.”
As far as being gay in the sport, Seidel says that it has never been an issue.
“The equestrian sport is very open and gay friendly. Most people involved
with equestrians are very tolerant,” Seidel says.
The Palm Beach Equestrian Center,
where gay equestrian rider Robert Dover trains. (Photo by Werner Zefferer)
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The air of wealth around the sport certainly adds a sense of intrigue.
Along with training clients, Dover has done very well for himself by buying
and selling champion horses, as has Grock.
“There is a lot of wealth involved. There is no getting around it,”
Phelps says matter of factly. “It is a very expensive sport, not only
to purchase the horse but to educate the horse, fly the horse, groom and feed
the horse.
“That’s not to say there are not kids out there riding at a grass
roots level. But the further you advance, the more expensive it becomes. There
is no cheap way around this sport, I am afraid.”
Yet in many instances passion and persistence persevere.
Dover tells the story of his assistant, who first began visiting his farm at
16. “Her mother would drop her off and she’d sit down and watch,”
Dover tells me. “One day she asked if she could have a lesson, and I said
sure. Twelve years later she is my assistant trainer, and she had nothing.”
“To develop to the level of an athlete like a Robert Dover takes years
and years of practice,” Phelps says. “It doesn’t happen because
you buy an expensive horse. You are truly an athlete and you’re truly
here to dedicate a lot of time and effort to making it work.”
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