"When I go in the ring I spend a few minutes in a quiet place, just thinking about my test," she says. "Sometimes I draw the movements in the air with a finger, or I think about my ride meditatively. I only watch one ride or so in preparation for my own ride."

Michael Poulin found the horse but originally Kasper wasn't for sale. Circumstances changed, and when he became available, Phelps knew she had to have him. "I had tried a lot of horses in Holland, but when I listened to my heart I knew he was the right one," she said. Dansby-Phelps stated that Poulin also told her he thought Kasper was the nicest horse he'd seen in twenty years, which added to her surety.

Originally owned and trained by Willem Schott of the Netherlands, the horse did not pass the stallion testing because of a cyst in his foot, which has caused him no problems. Now she says all he needs is more strength and he will be ready to move up to Grand Prix. She plans to ride him next week at Wellington.

Text by Amber Heintzberger