Dorothy “Dottie” Morkis competed on the U.S. Pan American Games team 40 years ago, and there’s a distinct possibility she’ll be making a bid for this summer’s Pan Am team as well. Morkis has been a fixture of U.S. dressage for decades—now 72, she’s found her way back into the big ring.

“I’m a much older person, dear Lord almighty, you know? You love it, you keep doing it,” Morkis said. “It doesn’t matter what sport it is, it doesn’t matter what you do, if you love it then you just keep going.”

Morkis has been competing at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (Fla.) this winter season with her Dutch Warmblood Artiest.

“He’s a fabulous, very talented horse, but he’s an emotional, sensitive ride so we’re on the ups and downs,” said Morkis. “A few weeks ago, we had a bad one because we were in the covered arena, and it was 38 degrees down here, and he just couldn’t handle that. He got tense. He doesn’t do anything naughty, and he doesn’t say no, it’s just that he gets tense, and that’s hard to make a nice, smooth, easy ride.”

But also this season, the pair won an FEI Prix St. Georges class at the AGDF 3 with a 71.18 percent, and they earned a 68.15 percent and second in an Intermediaire I at the same show.

“It’s confidence-building,” said Morkis. “I’ve been out of the ring a few years, just because I didn’t have a horse, and I had a knee replacement, so it’s kind of fun to go in and do the test.”

Morkis imported the 10-year-old gelding (Trento B—Norene, Zichem) from Holland when he was 4.

“I wasn’t looking for a horse, but this is what came up. I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’ve gotta have him! Mortgage the house, the farm, whatever!’ ” laughed Morkis.

But she didn’t realize quite how emotional the gelding was when she purchased him, and tension in the ring has been an issue.

“A little bit is that they put so much pressure on him as a 3-year-old that he worries; he’s very sweet—no spook, no shy, no stupidness—but he just worries about what you’re going to be asking him to do,” explained Morkis. “You just have to take time. He’s very talented, so it’s all really easy for him, but you have to just help him understand and get comfortable with what you’re trying to do.”

Morkis, who is based in Dover, Mass., most of the year, is making the most of her time in Florida. She still enjoys coaching as much as she loves to compete. Junior student Alison Redstone has a young horse in Florida with Morkis. The fast-paced winter show season also keeps her busy.

“Everyone’s all, ‘Oh, you’re in Florida, how lucky!’” said Morkis. “With 100 inches of snow in Boston, yeah, but you know, it’s more work because there’s more pressure; every weekend there’s a horse show. You go, go, go, go, go! There’s no, ‘I don’t have to show for months, so I’m taking it easy.’ It’s stimulating because you get to see all the good riders and all the horses.”

Morkis is confident that Artiest will be a successful Grand Prix horse in time, and she said the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto are a possibility.

“What I would love to do is make one of the horses that would go to Europe,” said Morkis. “But you know, that’s not really a realistic one; that’s such a high goal for him right now. If he gets more consistent the rest of the season, then sure. But I would love to be able to go to Europe and compete over there. That is something I have not ever had a chance to do other than when I did the World Championships and other things.”

Those other adventures included anchoring the U.S. team at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal to a bronze medal and a fifth place individually in the Grand Prix Special. Morkis also won team gold and individual bronze at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City and competed in the 1978 World Championship in Great Britain. For now, she’s enjoying the journey with Artiest.

“My goals are to go as far as I can go with him,” said Morkis. “It’s always about the challenge, always trying to better yourself. The body doesn’t always agree, the body’s a little stiffer now, but hey, I still love it. I still want to do it.”