An autographed postcard from the Soviet Olympic Equestrian champion Elena Petushkova

The postcard was signed in 1995 at the Olympic ball held in the Kremlin. The event was timed to coincide with the end of the XVII Winter Olympic Games held in Lillehammer (Norway).

Elena Petushkova is a Soviet equestrian athlete, champion and two—time Olympic silver medalist. She performed with her horse, Ashes, and even in the most difficult conditions of dressage, Petushkova and Ashes were impeccable. Because of the surname difficult to pronounce for foreigners, Petushkova began to be called "Fraulein Pepel" (later — "Frau Pepel").

From school, Elena fell in love with biology and became interested in animals. Aquarium fish, a turtle, a fox terrier and even a fox cub lived in the Petushkov family's house. Petushkova first found herself in the saddle at the age of 16, when she and her mother came to rent horses in Sokolniki. Elena held herself in the saddle so confidently that the coach could not believe for a long time that the girl had no riding experience. The girl's interest in nature, flora and fauna determined her choice of education profile. After graduating from high school, Elena enrolled in the biology faculty of Moscow State University and combined her two addictions. "Science and sport are my whole life, two worlds, in one of which the pleasure of the mind prevails, in the other the intensity of passions, and they complement each other," Elena Vladimirovna wrote in her autobiography.