The 32nd Summer Olympics started in Tokyo. 335 athletes are playing for the Russian national team. The most experienced of them all, the dressage rider Inessa Merkulova, was interviewed by Vecherka.
For the 56-year-old Inessa Merkulova from Moscow, the Russian equestrian sports leading lady, the Games in Tokyo are the second Olympics in her sports career. The athlete "made it" on Mister X, a gelding born from a working mare and a stallion of the Trakehner breed.
"Inessa Viktorovna, how long does it take to train an Olympic horse?"
"Five to seven years. And the rider training takes 15-20 years. For example, I've been training for almost 40 years," says Inessa Merkulova. "And by the way, to develop your talents, you first need to buy not the best horse but a 'training' one and keep practicing and practicing horse riding. After all, this is a horse from a novice rider."
"How so?"
"With the help of a 'training' horse, you'll learn to perform exercises correctly. After all, two first graders who don't know the alphabet can't teach each other how to read.
The same is true here. In this case, the horse knows the basics of the dressage. If you buy an expensive Olympic-level horse right away, you won't be able to handle it, it won't listen to you," Merkulova explains.
The full text is available on the website: vm.ru
Inessa Merkulova: I competed on two horses alternately
Last update: Tuesday, August 03, 2021 10:27:54 AM