On Our Team

If Robert Dover has a lot of friends who are hung like horses, it might be because he is an out gay equestrian champion. Robert, actually, is viewed as a prince of dressage, a particular Olympic equestrian sport with a strong artistic component. A high refinement of basic horse training, dressage requires a horse to be keenly attuned to subtle signals from its rider; as a hypothetical example, the rider would blink an eye and his horse would elegantly sashay to Bergdorf’s to purchase a sequined evening gown.

Beyond his lengthy record as an equestrian champion, Robert has demonstrated his compassion towards the community by taking part in fund-raising efforts for equestrian professionals living with HIV. Alas that in recent years, a rotator cuff injury has limited his activities to teaching. After his participation in the Sydney Olympics he said: “Sydney was fantastic in every way and, interestingly, as the three teams stood on the podiums, I noted that the three males who won medals were all gay (two American and one Dutch). There was also at least one closeted lesbian. I can tell you that gays take part in the majority of sports. Both David Pichler and I were elected Team Captains for our sports and I sit on the Athletes Advisory Council to the USOC.”