There's a new swag in town - mixed with sweat, grit, determination, peak fitness, courage and some powerful horse-riding skills. It's the world of equestrian sport where a group of women from the city's Amateur Riders Club are combining their passion for dressage and show jumping to bag laurels. They've overcome the odds what was a male-dominated turf, to taste their success. On International Women's Day, here's a chat with these female riders on how the sport means more than the glamour it exudes and why more women should take it up...
‘It’s really great to see the rise in the number of women coming into equestrian sport’
- Ariana Dhond (23), Pursuing a degree in Clinical Psychology
Equestrian is one of the only sports where men and women compete against each other. For me, it’s truly an inexplicable feeling to carve a niche for myself in a bastion that didn’t see many women participate in. It’s also great to see the rise in the number of women coming into equestrian sport, which was once predominantly an army-driven sport in our country. Balancing my passion for riding horses with my academics has been the most challenging part of following the sport. I was recently placed third in CDI (Concours de Dressage International), but having attained laurels in my field of expertise (dressage), isn’t enough to fulfil my dreams; I feel that my journey has just begun.
‘I’ve faced a few challenging moments, but riding a horse empowers me’
- Namrata Purohit (31), Pilates instructor
Namrata is extremely passionate about the sport and horses. She says, “I have already fulfilled a dream of having my own horses and now hope to reach my goal of competing at a high level. Riding empowers me. Of course, I’ve also had challenging moments, like when I had my first fall, which scared me and it took a while to work up the courage to start again. But I have a beautiful bond with horses and feel low when any of my horses feel unwell. I don’t know how to explain but you can just sense what they feel, too. What I love most is that in this sport there is no differentiation; men and women are equal.”
Namrata is extremely passionate about the sport and horses. She says, “I have already fulfilled a dream of having my own horses and now hope to reach my goal of competing at a high level. Riding empowers me. Of course, I’ve also had challenging moments, like when I had my first fall, which scared me and it took a while to work up the courage to start again. But I have a beautiful bond with horses and feel low when any of my horses feel unwell. I don’t know how to explain but you can just sense what they feel, too. What I love most is that in this sport there is no differentiation; men and women are equal.”
‘When you show jump as an adult, the competitions are fewer and tougher and the fear is more real’
- Ritika Jolly (42), Stylist and artist
For Ritika Jolly, both sides of the family for generations grew up around horses. She says, "I took to horse riding as a child. Both my grandmothers and great grandmothers rode horses and as a sport you didn’t see too many girls show jump then, so they were inspirational in their own right. I enjoy riding, but I feel it’s something that doesn’t come as easily as it does for the younger lot. Competitions are fewer and tougher for adults and the fear is also more real. So are the challenges. For instance, getting back on the horse after a fall comes more easily to a kid because they don’t have a setback as badly as an adult may have and their injuries heal faster. When you are jumping and negotiating fences on your horse there are moments when you may will fall, but you just have to deal with that and when you win it’s a good feeling. I feel more girls and women should come into the field of riding, be it jumping, dressage or polo.
MORE WOMEN TAKING TO THE SPORT
The scene is promising for newcomers along with the rise of women taking to the sport. States Shyam Mehta, President, Amateur Riders’ Club, “I’m very happy to see more girls and women learning the sport of horse riding and excelling in it. They are consistently winning medals at the national and international level in show jumping and dressage. In fact, worldwide, we are seeing more women than men taking to equestrian sport.”