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Robert Dover Rides Well Despite the Pain

Robert Dover and Ranier For two years now dressage rider Robert Dover has been in a lot of pain. They call it an enlarged disc and after the Games are over Dover is having back surgery that will help make his life more enjoyable. Right now the disc is putting pressure on his sciatica nerve and he feels the pain all down his leg. But once he enters the arena he focuses on the job at hand.

As Dover explains it the surgery is going to "make one disc that is very large go away." In the meantime Robert deals with the pain, but you never would have known from his dressage test. Ranier, his fairly green horse scored 67.12, which helped put the team in the third spot after the first half of the riders had gone.

In the meantime, Robert goes to the gym everyday. Stretching and lifting weights helps him cope with his problem and keeps his body supple and strong. But for now, Robert is putting aside his pain, which is obvious by his limping, and enjoying the Olympic experience. "Being in the Olympics is such a thrill. There's nothing like an Olympics. The memories go so far beyond the eight minutes you are in the arena."

When Robert looks back to this Olympics in years to come, will his memories be slightly tainted by the pain he endured. Or will he be proud to have ridden so well under such difficult circumstances.

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