Pune – India has an old history of equestrian tradition which in indicative of stellar riding talent & horse-mounted cavalry. The sport patronized by Maharajas of Rajasthan has actually transformed house riding into an adventure & competitive sport at National & International level. The various equestrian disciplines competed in Olympics are Showjumping, Eventing & Dressage. To accomplish the aim for garnering an Olympic medal in equestrian sports and as a treat to the Puneties and lovers of the game, Southern Command Army is organising Regional Equestrian League & Southern Star Horse Show with effect from 16 – 19 November 2017 at RWITC (Race Course, Grounds) Pune Camp.
Though the National Equestrian championship is existing for years Regional Equestrian League (REL) made its foray off lately. Apart from providing an opportunity/platform to the budding riders of both civil & services background & enhancing the competitive levels, REL also helps to identify the talent at Regional level & simultaneously filter the meritorious & deserving riders for National Championship in various Equestrian sports for realising bigger equestrian dreams. It is pertinent to mention that in spite of the prevalence of Equestrian footmarks in the country for decades, an Olympic podium finish has been elusive for the Nation. Set to realise its dreams, the journey started with the country joining the league of Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) thus acquiring the eligibility for competing in International levels. Riders like JS Ahluwalia, Mohammed Khan, Hussain Khan & Daya Singh, the first ones to represent India at an Olympic, were devoid of medals because of their lack of experience/exposure in a cross-country phase of eventing. Determined to make a mark at the International level, the sports infrastructure has developed in India & also its awareness has gone up multifold.
Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), the regulating body of Equestrian sports in India started organising Equestrian sports competitions in India for Showjumping, Eventing & Dressage. With the strong tent pegging contingent garnering country’s first gold medals in 1982 Asiad, equestrianism was brought to the attention of millions. Though the interest in the sport has grown the medals continue to elude the country in Showjumping & Eventing. Contributions from promising riders like Maj GM Khan, Indrajit Lamba, Rajesh Pattu, AJ Singh, Palwinder Singh and Civilian rider Imtiaz Anees has already started pouring in. Ironically, Imtiaz became the first civilian rider to represent India abroad. With the development of the equestrian node, sports infrastructure and provision of quality horses, riders like Rajesh Pattu and Bhagirath Singh missed individual medals in Asian games in 2002 & 2006 by a whisker. Over the last ten to fifteen years of growth, the civilian involvement has grown enormously as a result of increased equestrian activity in different regions.
It is against this backdrop that Southern Star Horse Show is being organised for Puneities with effect from 16 to 19 November 2017 in which participation by promising riders from all over India is confirmed. To make it a holistic adventure/sports activity, Army band, Dog show, Airshow, free pleasure horse riding, ride on a gun mounted Army jeep, radio talk from the bunker, etc. is also being offered as a one-time opportunity for the audience. The entire show would be held with a lot of fanfare (every day with effect from 0700 to 1130 AM & 0330 to 0530 PM) at the racecourse grounds, for the entire duration of the event. It’s time for Puneites to encash on this mega opportunity by bringing their families and children to break the monotony and witness this entire adventure package.
