With only a fortnight left for the Equestrian Federation of India to submit a final list of rider-horse combinations to compete the Asian Games in Hangzhou, the performance of the five Eventing probables in the Maarsbergen Horse Trials 2023 in the Netherlands suggests that it will be a wonder if India can rustle up a squad that can compete for medals and not seek only participation.
None of the five combinations, featuring Indian riders, was able to secure the Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) laid down by either version of the EFI Selection Criteria. The best show was by Apurva Dabhade (on Valtho des Peupliers) who may have ducked in under the team MER but for dropping a couple of fences in the Jumping test and earning 8 penalties on Saturday.
Apurva Dabhade and Valtho des Peupliers finished with total penalties of 49.4. Vikas Kumar (Noreway Harry), who had the best score by an Indian in the Jumping test with 4 penalties, ended up with 59.2 penalties. Ashish Malik (Veni Vedi Vici) withdrew from the competition ahead of the Jumping test and joined Rakesh Kumar (Absolute Sally) on the sidelines.
The only other rider entered in the Asian Games long list, Thailand’s Korntawat Samran (Billy Elmy) finished third in the competition with 32.2 penalties, with clear rounds in the Cross Country run on Friday and the Jumping test on Saturday. It offered a glimpse of the stiff competition that Indians will face from defending champion Japan, host China and others.
The beleaguered Equestrian Federation of India decided to attempt fielding a side in Hangzhou without the country’s best Eventing rider, Fouaad Mirza, individual silver medalist in the 2018 Asian Games. For some unknown reason, even the Indian Olympic Association and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports have chosen not to set the EFI’s muddled selection process right.
At a time when it decided to change the selection criteria – which insisted that the scores in the trials would be for the rider-horse combinations and not for individual riders alone – it had the chance to rope in Fouaad Mirza, who was only too eager to compete for India in the Asian Games again.
When it facilitated the travel for these five riders and allowed them to lease horses on their own, thereby changing its rider-horse combination rule, it could have easily requesed Fouaad Mirza (Seigneur Medicott) to join the probables and shore up India’s challenge in the Asian Games. But, it pleaded that he had not taken part in the trials and hence was ineligible to be in the squad.
It was always clear that Fouaad Mirza had decided against taking part in four CCI2*-L events that EFI wanted him to get three MERs (43 for team, 34 for individual) in before February 15, 2023. As things stand, even on July 1, 2023, four of the six riders have not yet secured an MER on the new horses they intend to take to the Asian Games.
EFI’s steadfast refusal to understand that even the most gifted riders would take time to establish an understanding with new horses has led to the campaign being in such a shambles. Despite being aware that the trails in India had been reduced to nothing because the horses could not travel from India, EFI did not get its act together and find a way to pick the best possible combinations.
Fouaad Mirza (Seigneur Medicott), Ashish Limaye (Willy Be Dun) and Chirag Khandal (Veni Vedi Vici) could have mounted a good challenge since they are familiar with their mounts. But the EFI officials appeared keen on finding ways to keep two of these three riders out of the fray so that some of their favoured riders would make the team.
EFI also kept Shashank Kataria out of the equation. Having successfully convinced the Delhi High Court to give him a chance to try and secure two MERs in April and May on a Germany-based horse, Icaro LB. The combination got an MER in Caravino but EFI would not name it as among the probables, preferring individual riders to try and strike understanding with unfamiliar horses.
EFI has a history with such muddled selection around the Asian Games. Back in 2014, the Sports Authority of India Director-General Jiji Thomson had directed that the Equestrian teams should not be sent for competitions abroad because EFI had flown a medically unfit horse to the Asian Games and the team’s performance was below average.
The story ahead of the 2018 Asian Games was worse and only the two silver medals, earned primarily by Fouaad Mirza’s skills, shifted the focus somewhat. It cannot be forgotten that within 24 hours of the team being announced, the then EFI President withdrew it only to make changes in the composition. The drama has run long this time, with only the Courts keeping a check.
The results (Indian riders only, with horse in bracket, Dressage penalties, Cross Country penalties, Jumping penalties and Total penalties):
15. Apurva Dabhade (Valtho des Peupliers) 39.0, 2.4, 8.0, 49.4.
18. Vikas Kumar (Noreway Harry) 39.2, 16.0, 4.0, 59.2.
23. Raju Singh (Louk) 41.3, 20.0, 12.0, 73.3.
28. Ashish Malik (Veni Vedi Veci) 37.8, 34.8, WD.
29. Rakesh Kumar (Absolute Sally) 35.7, RET.
Photo (for representational): Courtesy Peelbergen Riding Club
No hope for the sport to progress in India. Equestrians should move to politics!