August 9, 2010–In the history of dressage in Eastern Europe–or, rather, in the former Soviet Union–there are many riders and horses we are proud of. The most outstanding is the black stallion Absent, probably the best known Akhal-Teke horse of our age.
At the tender (for dressage horses) age of 8, he won the gold medal in individual dressage under Sergei Filatov at the 1960 Rome Olympics with an astounding score of 82.4 percent. Absent went on to a bronze individual medal (again with Filatov) at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In 1968, under Ivan Kalita, he was a member of the Soviet Olympic gold medal dressage team in Mexico. Absent was named “Horse of the World” by the Association of Equestrian Journalists. He competed until he was 17 and retired to stud at Lugovskoi State Stud Farm, where he died at the age of 23. A monument to him stands at the farm today.
In any kind of sport, there are periods when public interest goes down or flares up. This probably happens because certain sportsmen personify the ideal as representatives of a sport. About 40 years ago, Elena Petushkova was one such dressage rider. Because of her, dressage became more understandable to people in the USSR. She won the Olympic dressage gold medal, was one of the greatest exponents of the equestrian art of dressage and was the first woman ever to become the World Champion.
Petushkova claimed international fame aboard the Russian Trakehner stallion Pepel (by Pilgrim). They won team silver at the 1968 Olympic Games and were World and European champions in 1971. At the 1972 Olympic Games, they won team gold and individual silver. They claimed bronze at the 1975 European Championships. Their partnership ended in 1977, but they were a successful, solid combination for 13 years. Following her sporting career, Petushkova devoted much of her time to promoting and developing dressage in the USSR and later in Russia. Her contributions to the sport, both internationally and in Eastern Europe, are immeasurable.
After the disintegration of the USSR in 1991, the Soviet republics suddenly became independent countries. At that time, the young states faced serious economic problems and that affected the development of equestrian sport, particularly dressage. They had to forget about international dressage competitions for a long time as equestrian sport suddenly passed from state-supported to self-sufficient.
Much time was lost, but national equestrian federations eventually formed. Today, Eastern European dressage riders dream of returning to their former glory days as elite equestrians. They try to participate in many international dressage competitions, including the WEG. It’s a good chance to gain experience in competing side-by-side with top riders. Belarus, Russia and Ukraine plan to send only individuals to the WEG in Kentucky. Here are the riders who would like to make the trip:
Russian Grand Prix dressage rider Alexandra Korelova is 21st on the FEI Dressage Ranking List. She rides Balagur (by Raskat), a 20-year-old Orlov Trotter stallion. This breed is relatively unheard of among the European warmbloods that dominate the sport. It is a rare situation when one horse can take an entire breed into modernity and bring centuries of breeding tradition back into the spotlight.
The grey Balagur began his long and eventful career as a circus horse. He was then bought by the mounted police, where he remained until age 10. He was then noticed at a parade by none other than Elena Petushkova. Her knowledgeable eye detected his potential for piaffe and passage, and she was right.
In 2009, in Neumünster, Alexandra and Balagur scored a perfect 10 for piaffe. This performance earned them second place in the Grand Prix Freestyle with 78.000 percent. At the 2008 Olympic Games, they were fifth in the Grand Prix Special and sixth in the Freestyle. At the moment, Alexandra is not sure they can participate together at the WEG in Kentucky, but she hopes so.
The best Belarusian rider is Iryna Lis. She is 87th on the FEI Dressage Ranking List and trains with Kyra Kyrklund. Iryna has the 12-year-old bay Latvian gelding Redford, owned by the Republic Olympic Equestrian & Breeding Centre. (Belarus is the only country in Eastern Europe that supports equestrian sport.) Iryna started to compete with Redford in Grand Prix in 2007, and their debut at international competition was at the 2008 Olympic Games. At the European Championships in 2009, the gelding (by Homers) earned 30th place in Grand Prix and 38th place overall. Their best result for 2009 was a 68.550 percent in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain.
Olga Klimko was a member of the USSR dressage team at the 1988 Olympic Games, and she competed at the 1992 Olympic Games–the last time Eastern-European dressage riders competed together as one team. Now Olga represents Ukraine, but most of the time she lives and trains in Germany. She rides the 17-year-old bay Bavarian gelding Highlight 36. They take part in one of Germany’s most interesting national Grand Prix tournaments, staged in Heroldsberg during the summer. In 2008, they were fourth in the Grand Prix Freestyle with 70.100 percent. At the 2009 European Championships, they were 40th in Grand Prix, and Olga is 94th on the FEI Dressage Ranking List.
Natalia Rubashko is an FEI “C” judge for dressage and eventing. A dressage competitor at the national level, she is a member of the Equestrian Federation of Belarus, where she has been a member of the organizing committees of International Events (dressage, jumping, eventing) since 2000.
