Elizaveta Minina's story with horses began almost by chance and has ended up taking her to one of the most important stages of her career. The rider will represent Palestine in Para Dressage at the FEI World Championships Aachen 2026 alongside Magnaat, a horse that came into her life just a few months ago and with whom she claims to have felt an immediate connection.<\/p>\n
Her entry into the equestrian world came as a little girl, after her mother looked for an outdoor sport for her. From that moment on, horses took up more and more space in her life. Minina explored different disciplines and went on to compete at a considerable level in several of them. She began in show jumping, later moved on to endurance riding, where she competed in events of up to 160 kilometres, and then returned to show jumping once again until reaching Grand Prix level.<\/p>\n
Dressage arrived in a much more recent way. About a year and a half ago, she began to take it seriously and, although she had previously competed at national level, the launch of the UAE Para Dressage Performance Program was the impetus that led her to begin the classification process and also develop in Para Dressage.<\/p>\n
Currently she balances Show Jumping, Dressage and Para-Dressage, a discipline she admits to enjoying especially. Horses are not solely a part of her sporting side either. Years ago she created her own team and built her stable in Dubai, which continues to be her main base and from which she has developed Xcelleride.<\/p>\n
In Aachen, she will defend the colours of Palestine, something that for her has a meaning that transcends the sporting result.<\/p>\n
\u00abI wasn't born in Palestine, but life led me to the point of beginning to represent Palestine in sport, and this happened during an incredibly difficult time for the Palestinian people. Because of this, it became much more than a sporting nationality to me,\u00bb he explains.<\/p>\n
Minina points out that, as a woman, a Muslim and an athlete, she felt she wanted to show her support for the Palestinian people. \u00abEvery time I step onto a track under the Palestinian flag, I feel that I carry a responsibility with me. For me it is a mission to show the strength, dignity and resilience of the Palestinian people and to ensure that that flag, that culture and that spirit are represented on the biggest international stages.\u00bb.<\/p>\n
Even the kit to be used in Aachen will have a special meaning. The garments have been handcrafted in Palestine by The Tatreez Collective and incorporate traditional Palestinian embroidery.<\/p>\n
In turn, the female equestrian maintains a deep bond with the United Arab Emirates, a country she considers her home and to which she attributes a fundamental part of her sporting development. Therefore, alongside the Palestinian flag, she will also carry a small flag of the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n
The journey towards Aachen had two particularly important moments. The first arrived with Hands Up, a mare from El Salto with whom she competed in her first CPEDI. Without any prior references regarding the level they might reach internationally, they achieved the MER required for Aachen.<\/p>\n
Then Magnaat appeared.<\/p>\n
The horse came into his life in April, when there was very little time left before the Championship. Their first competition together was straight at Fontainebleau and they did it without having previously shared a single training session.<\/p>\n
\u00abI simply trusted him completely from the very beginning and felt an immediate connection,\u00bb Minina recalls.<\/p>\n
At that first competition they achieved the MER and, the following day, even won their class. \u00abWith Magnaat the feeling was less of surprise and more of that certainty of: \u201cYes, I knew this horse was meant to be with me\u201d.\u00bb.<\/p>\n
Just a few months later, they will face their first World Championship together. Minina describes Magnaat as an extremely intelligent horse, attentive to everything happening around him and with a very defined personality.<\/p>\n
\u00abI feel like it talks to me all the time. It tells me what it likes, what it doesn't like, what makes it feel good and what doesn't. You just have to listen.<\/p>\n
Inquisitive, friendly and very fond of people, at home he can have little \u201cdiscussions\u201d with his female rider during training. However, when competition arrives, he changes completely.<\/p>\n
\u00abYou know when the moment matters. You become calmer, more focused, more precise and almost more serious.<\/p>\n
That capability becomes especially important for Minina when the pressure increases. Following her experience on Grand Prix Show Jumping courses, she is clear about how much it means to enter an arena knowing that she can truly trust the horse.<\/p>\n
\u00abI don't need a horse that is simply spectacular. I need a horse that is with me. And that is what Magnaat gives me.<\/p>\n
Their relationship has been built on trust and communication. The female rider believes that Magnaat has taught her the value of a true dialogue with the horse. For her, communication never consists solely of giving an order and expecting obedience, but also of listening to the animal's response.<\/p>\n
\u00abIt has made me even more aware that a horse is not simply an athlete beneath us. It is an individual, with its own feelings, preferences and opinions.<\/p>\n
Preparation for Aachen has been especially intense due to the short time they have been together. Over recent months, Minina has established her full-time base in Europe to stay by Magnaat\u2019s side from morning until night. Her other horses stayed in Dubai, and she has dedicated this period exclusively to him.<\/p>\n
The training has also been varied. In addition to specific Dressage work, he tries to change exercises, go outside and do cavaletti. His goal is not limited to improving specific movements, but to achieving a horse that is connected, relaxed, flexible and capable of working on its own four legs.<\/p>\n
\u00abAbove all, I want it to represent what a happy athlete should be for me.<\/p>\n
On the mental front, she has also recently worked with a coach. Minina acknowledges that she still doesn't know exactly what her feelings will be like when entering Aachen, but she finds a clear difference between her two main disciplines. Unlike the risk and adrenaline that characterise Show Jumping, Dressage gives her a much more stable feeling.<\/p>\n
\u00abWhat I usually feel before going into the Dressage arena isn't really nerves. It's a very positive emotion, almost as if Magnaat and I are about to do something really special together.<\/p>\n
Specifically, Paralympic Dressage has allowed her to discover another dimension of the connection between horse and rider. During her first international competitions, she was particularly impressed to observe certain partnerships in which the athletes had very limited physical control and yet the horse seemed to understand its role perfectly.<\/p>\n
Those images changed her understanding of the discipline. For Minina, they represent in an especially pure way trust, communication and the horse's decision to stay by the side of its rider and work with them.<\/p>\n
That approach is also present at Xcelleride, where she works training other riders. Her philosophy combines sporting rigour with an absolute priority: the horse's welfare.<\/p>\n
Minina seeks to train athletes capable of thinking and understanding the reason behind each exercise, not simply following instructions. Therefore, she complements on-track work with theory, seminars, and educational sessions. In turn, teaching others has also transformed her own way of riding, forcing her to be more adaptable, observant, patient, and open to the individual needs of each horse.<\/p>\n
With Aachen already very close, the female rider avoids reducing the Championship to a score. It is her first World Championship with Magnaat, just a few months after beginning their partnership, and she will arrive representing Palestine whilst also carrying with her a small part of the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n
\u00abEverything in this Championship feels very special. I want to create nice memories and truly live in the moment, not just chase a number on the scoreboard.<\/p>\n
If she returns home feeling that her relationship with Magnaat is even stronger, that the horse has felt happy and secure and that both have represented their country with dignity, Aachen will have fulfilled its true purpose for her.<\/p>\n
And before setting out on that journey, he wanted to leave a final message for those who will follow them from Palestine, the United Arab Emirates and the rest of the world: \u00abWe carry with us everyone who believes in us, supports us and has followed this journey. I hope that we can create wonderful memories together in Aachen and bring a little joy and inspiration to everyone watching us. We will take you all with us out onto that arena.\u00bb.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
La historia de Elizaveta Minina con los caballos comenz\u00f3 casi por casualidad y ha terminado llev\u00e1ndola hasta uno de los […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":41225,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1392,1400,15],"tags":[],"ubicacion-de-banners":[],"class_list":["post-41224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualidad","category-noticias","category-otras-disciplinas"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":false,"total_views":0,"today_views":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chaccoinfo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chaccoinfo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chaccoinfo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chaccoinfo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chaccoinfo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chaccoinfo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chaccoinfo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chaccoinfo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chaccoinfo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chaccoinfo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41224"},{"taxonomy":"ubicacion-de-banners","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chaccoinfo.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ubicacion-de-banners?post=41224"}],"curies":[{"name":"well played","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}