2024-09-08 01:54:22
8-year-old Karina Çolakova is the youngest competitor in show jumping at the Equestrian Balkaniad in Istanbul, and at her first international event in the pony trial, she achieved the second time out of a total of 21 children.
Among them, one girl was from Romania, Karina Cholakova and Viktoria Stefanova from Bulgaria and all the others from Turkey.
For the first time, pony riders have been admitted to the balkaniad, and for the youngest of the trio of Cholakovi sisters (their eldest brother Ivan does not ride), this is also the first international competition.
She not only passed the parkour without a mistake, but also showed fast riding and was several hundredths behind the leading rider from Turkey.
For “24 Hours”, this year’s national male champion, 16-year-old Eliza Cholakova, who has the longest riding and racing experience in the family, commented on the differences between her sisters as riders:
– Karina is very stubborn, unyielding and does not give up until she achieves exactly what is set in her program. If it does not work out, she can scream, but she will not stop. With her, everything must be achieved, regardless of effort. Laura is much more balanced, calmer, she does not rush at all costs, but by accepting the circumstances more calmly, she achieves a balance that is very important. Karina is pleased with this participation, because it is the first time she appears at such a forum. If she were to compete in Bulgaria, however, she would probably be unhappy that she did not have the first result.
The pony parkour was difficult enough as a route, but of all the children only one lost his direction for a moment, and by doing two volts at a gallop he was able to hear the audience’s instructions as to which obstacle to proceed to. The horse of a Turkish competitor categorically refused to jump an obstacle and the child was disqualified. However, all of the other 19 riders showed such confident and steady riding that today’s senior riders should be very worried about what unstoppable competition lies ahead. In addition, riding a pony is often a greater technical challenge than riding a large horse, because small horses are extremely agile, flexible, capable of movements, not inherent in the massive bodies of huge horses, and good adult riders often fall from the ponies. “Sneaky little pony!” – excuse the adults when the little horse knocks them to the ground.
Children competed under floodlights
The pony race capped off a 15-hour riding day. It started with very angry parents who, together with their children, had to wait 13 hours for their turn to jump with the ponies. The distances and the traffic in Istanbul are such that no one even thought of traveling back to the hotel and then once again to the Kemer Sports Center.
Initially, the participation of the youngest in the second day of show jumping was announced for 8 in the morning, and almost none of the parents saw that at 9 p.m. on the organizers’ website, the start time was changed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. So all the pony riders arrive at 7am and on the spot find out that they will be waiting until dark. At various times of the day, children could be seen sleeping on couches and chairs.
On the third day of the tournament, the pony riders will again be at the end of the day, but from 18.30 and so the children will arrive in the afternoon, and will not spend the whole day waiting.