LETS HELP THE DISABLED

Among those who support us the following were of especial help in making our sportsmen the participants of the 4th World Equestrian Championship in dressage for the Disabled in Denmark(www.wdc-99.dk). We acknowledge the support from the Russian Equestrian Federation, and from the president of it, Elena Nikolaevna Baturina personally for she supported The Living Thread by paying the initial fee.

For the help in organising the charge-free air voyage for our sportsmen, we express our gratitude to the Chairman of the Commission for "The Stimulating of the Socio-economic Activity of The Disabled" of The Business Committee at the Mayor and the City Council, Vladislav Vladimirovitch Yevdokimoff.

For the obtaining a free insurance for our sportsmen, thanks to the Russian Insurance National Society.

Due to our donators for the first time in the history of the Russian sport for the disabled our riders took part in the Championship of such a high level.

We are also thankful to our judges, Galina Nikolaevna Lanugina, Elena Martinovna Orlovskia and Zoia Fedorovna Shmakova, for their work in pre-competition training sessions at The Living Thread's summer camp. Their high professional level remains ever mentionable. They are all National judges of the riding in manege among the disabled.

The Competitions started on the 25th of July. Three weeks before our sportsmen competed in England. Then we got under the way to Denmark.

We arrived there late at night. Practically all participants stayed at a country school building, enjoying comfortable double-bedded apart-ment with all facilities. The surrounding landscape reminded England with its lawns and horses put out to the huge manmade grasses. So the scenery was very quiet.

Next morning we went to the Equestrian Centre Vilhelmsborg, the place of the 4th World Championship among disabled, it's near the city of Arhus, the second large one in Denmark. The Denmark National Equestrian Team trains for the Olympic Games in this centre. It is situated on the territory of an old park with an old Castle and a number of the training and tournament fields. There were built three manege and removable stables for 250-300 horses.

We were to have three days to be trying horses that everyone drew, and three days we had to compete. Again and again we were amazed how well the Competition was organised! You take your fully equipped and warmed up horse from a groom, on the right time and place. The volunteers, assisting all the competition, are watching carefully for the time of the training and pre-start warm-up. Hence each sportsman was literary passing "from hands to hands".

The first field is for worm-up - 40 minutes; then a rider goes to the next one for the riding following a scheme - 10 minutes; and having finished this warm-up, a rider proceeds to the competition place right on time he/she is to start. All the warm-up are held in the open fields while the competitions themselves - in the riding halls.

On the first day a beautiful ceremony took place. It was visited by the patron of the Competition, the Princess of Denmark Benedicta. Ten Irish pair-teams showed a perfect fancy riding. And the representatives of 28 countries took part in the opening of the Championship's parade. 115 sportsmen arrived.

Our sportsmen started in three types of the program of their 2nd level, in the ride № 4, 5 (the main sets) and they also demonstrated a Kur as an optional programme.

23 sportsmen partook in the official sets of the 4th World Championship; our Elena Mironova took the 11th place and Ilya Shulga - the 16th.

The competition proved that we took the "golden middle" in our group in-between the weakest and the most skilful riders of the world. This is quite luckily so as we had to stand down before the very experienced riders from UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Canada, Sweden and Austria. While we left behind those of Japan, France, Israel, Croatia, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Bermuda islands.

A 72 years old German was the eldest rider of the Championship and the youngest one was our Ilya.

This is our first visit paid to the Competition of such a rang. It enabled us to see our capability and learn what we shall work on in the future.

I consider that the main problem for us remains the absence of the special 20x40 metres training fields. And they will hardly appear very soon. Our winter is long, the Central Moscow Hippodrome's ridding hall is in a heavy demand during the year and hence there are no sufficient condition for the disabled training. Everyone understands it: no training - no results. At the same time we hope that the Equestrian sport among disabled shall develop in Russia.

We believe that the presidents of the Russian and Moscow Equestrian Federations, Baturin E.N. understand our problems and help us to overcome them to achieve better results in the International Competitions.

Kulikovskaia T.L.
Master of Sports of the USSR in the Equestrian sport,
Judge of Republican category,
National Judge in Equestrian sport for the disabled
The Chief Coach of The Children Ecological Centre The Living Thread