The Karnataka Riding Association will host a KRA Inter-State Equestrian Competition on October 23 at the Embassy International Riding School in Tarahunise village on the outskirts of Bengaluru. There would be Dressage (pre-novice and novice) and Show Jumping (80-90 cm, 95-104 cm and 110-120 cm) events.
Though there is no restriction on the number of entries from a State, the Karnataka Riding Association has taken a leaf out of international books to decide the placings in the team competition. It will take the best three scores by horse-rider combinations representing each State to tally the scores for the team competition.
The Inter-State Competition 2025 may end up revitalising State Equestrian Associations across the country. Over the years, instead of an increase in the number of State Associations as members of the Equestrian Federation of India, there has been an inexplicable decline. Some would say this has been a cleverly orchestrated attempt to weaken the State Associations.
The Roadmap for Transitioning of EFI, presented to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in 2017, documents the presence of 16 State Associations. A coffee table book titled The Golden Years of Equestrian Sports in India, published by EFI in 2018, identified 18 such members. However, the Electoral College presented to the High Court of Delhi halved that to just nine.
In the recent years, as EFI Secretary-General, Col. Jaiveer Singh mandated that entries of horses and riders to all EFI events should be routed through Member Clubs rather than State Associations. The KRA Inter-State Equestrian Competition 2025 can make State Associations feel more relevant again in the Equestrian sport set up.
It will be interesting to see how many State Equestrian Associations have not allowed rust to creep into their systems despite being sidelined. It is hard to recollect the last major inter-State competition, though there have been quite a few National Games in which entries were sent by State Equestrian Associations through their respective State Olympic Associations.
Though Rajasthan Equestrian Association is engaged in a legal battle with EFI in the High Court of Delhi since 2019, asking for EFI elections to be held in accordance with the National Sports Development Code of India 2011, the other State Associations have now been provided with a platform to send entries and encourages their riders to represent them.
The Karnataka Riding Association attempt must be replicated across different regions, leading to National Inter-State Championships with attractive prize money. That event should become the basis for Equestrian competition in the National Games and perhaps encourage the hosts of future Khelo India Youth Games to include Equestrian sport in their programme.
