Athena Lekkas and Picobella De Pot Move to Modifieds and Finish in the Ribbons WEF 5 & 7
Wellington, FL (March 4, 2024) - Progression and practice paid off for Athena Lekkas of Elpida Equestrian during Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) Weeks 5 & 7 with higher jumps and consistent ribbons! Lekkas and her new mount, Picobella De Pot, advanced to the more technical 1.15M Children's Modified Jumpers, relying on steady power and refinement of their partnership to grow together under the tutelage of Carlo Graziani of Graziani Performance Horses. The dark bay mare (I'm Special De Muze x Einhorn) began with Lekkas in the fall, and spent the first few weeks of WEF harmonizing at the 1.10M level before progressing to the 1.15M Modifieds with the goal of reaching 1.20M and beyond.
WEF 5 (February 6-11, 2024) was Lekka's and Picobella's first official outing in the Modifieds. The mare's natural scope and stride mean that Athena must adjust her riding style to the more technical courses of this division. With a focus on pacing and jumping accurately, they completed their first ever round in the $1,500 Children's Modified Jumpers with just a single rail to finish 9th. The next day, they finished 8th in the $2,500 Children's Modifieds, this time with a single rail in the jump-off and super smooth rounds.
After a break during WEF 6, they returned to tackle their bogey arena, WEF's Ring 9, where Lekkas previously had an injury at the beginning of the 2023 season. Rising above the nerves, Lekkas and Picobella put in a super smooth, flowing round to finish 6th, their highest placing yet this season. They stayed in the ribbons to close out WEF 7 with just one rail in the first round, finishing 12th.
Lekkas and her trainer, Graziani, plan for another brief hiatus WEF 8, with plans to return to the Modifieds WEF 9.
Elpida comes from the ancient Greek word ἐλπίς (elpis) – the personification and spirit of hope in Greek mythology
Inspired by her own Greek and Puerto Rican heritage, as well as her passion for show jumping, Athena Lekkas competes under her brand, Elpida Equestrian. As a 17-year-old junior at The Benjamin School, Lekkas is a determined rider whose goal is to ride at the Grand Prix level. Her newly acquired competition mount, Picobella De Pot, is a Dutch-bred Warmblood mare by I'm Special De Muze, out of Lotus by Elmshorn. Athena and Picobella are aiming to accomplish her FEI goal under the tutelage of Carlo Graziani of Graziani Performance Horses.
Follow Athena and Elpida Equestrian on Instagram (@elpida_equestrian)!
All photos courtesy of Equinium Sports Marketing LLC
Media Contact:
Holly Johnson
Equinium Sports Marketing, LLC
www.Equinium.com
holly@equinium.com
+1 954 205 7992
