On July 25-28, Kelly Angela and Quanderas competed in the Balkan Dressage Championship that took place in Yagodovo, Bulgaria. After remaining on the first place on all three days of the event and after three excellent performances in the Prix St George (69%), Intermediate I (72%) and Freestyle to Music (74,7%) Quanderas and Kelly won the Individual Gold Medal for the second time in a row and defended their Senior Balkan Champion title. The pair also won the Team Gold Medal with the Senior Greek team.
A few words by Kelly Angela:
“There are no words to describe my happiness and pride about this championship! Representing your country is an honor and a great responsibility, a responsibility to give 150% of your effort and go all the way.
This year I was also honored to have the support of Deree – the American College of Greece, an amazing institution with a long history of success in education, sports and social responsibility. I am truly grateful for this sponsorship, for the support and help.
I would like to dedicate the following lines to say thank you because one can achieve nothing as a lone unit.
First and foremost I would like to thank Quanderas, my partner, for trusting me and for fighting with all his heart in this competition. We fought through heat, long hours of training and very tough competition but we fought together!
I would also like to thank my family for traveling with me to Yagodovo to support and help me, my fellow teammates and friends, my trainers Eleni and Heike, the Hellenic Riding Club, the Kasselmann Stables, my groom Asif, the Vets and Physical Therapists for their continuous help, and finally my support system of friends that kept sending their love and positive energy from home. It is always a long list of individuals that, when working as a team, achieve great results!
Finally A big thank you to the Bulgarian Equestrian Federation and the organizing committee of the 2013 Balkan Dressage Championship and for creating such a great event! They had the horses as their number one priority and the rider’s best interest at heart!”