2005 Dressage at Devon

Robert Dover Announces Six Finalists for Search for America's Next Dressage Idol

Robert Dover announced the six finalists for his Search for America's Next Dressage Idol today in a press conference at Dressage at Devon. The six finalists are invited to stay and train at Robert Dover's farm in Wellington, Florida, from October 25 to November 13, 2005, where they will be subjected to a series of mental and physical challenges over the course of three grueling weeks as they are eliminated one by one until only three finalists remain. In a last all-encompassing test, the final three challengers will battle it out for the ultimate prize.

The 6 finalists are

• Rebecca Vick, 25, from Southern Pines, NC
• Brendan Curtis, 20, from Silver Springs, MD
• Philesha Chandler, 24, from Wichita, KA
• Jamil Kassum, 16, from Scottsdale, AZ
• Jessica Jo Tate, 27, from Wolworth, WI
• Cara Lordo, 19, from Katy, TX

The Search for America's Next Dressage Star will be taped by Brave St. Productions in New York, who will produce a 2,5 hour documentary of 3 episodes which will be broadcast on television. "It's going to be a combination of 'The Apprentice' and 'American Idol'," Dover said.

The idea for "Search for America's Next Dressage Star" originated a year ago at the 2004 USDF Meeting. "I wanted to give something to the younger members of the dressage community and decided to do a talent search. The program searching for young talent is non-existent. We don't have an umbrella situation," Dover explained.

Out of approximately 460 video tapes Dover received, 6 finalists were chosen. "These finalists all have something bubbly, something different. They can be in an arena with a hundred people and stand out. They are shining where they are now, but are not able to come to the next level," Dover stated.

Dover has three more riders on his wish list (all from California) he would love to include in the finals, but is not possible to do because of financial reasons. "If we had more sponsors, we would have a finals with nine kids," Dover said. He is still hoping for additional sponsors to jump on the wagon, despite of the already generous support of main sponsor Karen Offield.

With his Talent Search, Dover wants to draw more attention to the dressage sport in general and give young riders the opportunity to come to full potential. The winner of the show will receive several presents, like a newly designed County Competitor saddle, and s/he will become Robert Dover's personal assistant for one year.

The official website is www.americandressagestar.com

by Astrid Appels

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