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"I am glad to have a perfect mix of my love for horses and my love for competitions, which has been instrumental in shaping my career,” is how India’s Fouaad Mirza describes his love for equestrian.
Mirza qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 2021 when he completed the Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) to compete in the quadrennial games’ eventing discipline.
In Poland, Fouaad Mirza won the first two placings in his event, with Seigneur Medicott finishing first and Dajara 4 finishing second to record the MER.
The 27-year-old, who is a double 2018 Asian Games medalist, became the first Indian to qualify as an equestrian in the Olympics after a gap of 20 years.
Read: "I'll be really happy to see him in Tokyo and doing his best", says Fouaad Mirza's father
Fouaad Mirza, who has moved his training base to Germany, said he was happy to get the qualification away from his targets so that he could completely focus on training for the Olympics. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, he said,
“I would say, the qualification was bound to happen. This was the last event before the Olympics and it was a nail-biting one. I am glad I emerged successfully out of it. Given the circumstances we are in, fighting a pandemic and everything, there was a little pressure. I am happy that it could work out in the end.”
Fouaad Mirza admits that he has had a passion for horses ever since he was a child and terms it "inevitable."
“I always had a passion for horse riding and have been attracted towards animals in general. I am fond of horses and just love being around them. It was inevitable that I would make a career out of horse riding as my father was a vet and we were always surrounded by animals,” he added.
All that matters is communication: Fouaad Mirza
Equestrian is not just riding a horse; it's all about communication and stable management. Fouaad Mirza says that once the art of communication is mastered, half the work is done. There has to be expert communication between the rider and his horse and that’s what matters.
But how has Fouaad Mirza developed his communication? He explained.
“The communication takes years to develop. It is not something that one can learn by riding a horse for a few days or weeks or months. The communication came to me naturally. It is difficult for me to put a finger on something and say that was it. I have spent enough time around horses to understand their moves and their needs."
"One has to develop an aptitude towards having that effective communication. I am fortunate enough to have aced it. We speak an unspoken language. A lot goes into understanding them, their moves, their body language and all of that. There is a natural feel to it.”
According to Fouaad Mirza, the horse is the champion at any given point in time.
“You must keep the horses’ caliber in mind. According to me, the horse is the champion. He must feel well, he must feel healthy, he must feel happy and then the performance will be there to see,” he said.
The Bengaluru-born rider is currently training under Sandra Auffarth ahead of the Games. “Sandra is extremely influential. She is a former Olympic medalist and a World medalist too. She is extremely down to earth, helpful and has exceptional talent. It is a great opportunity to train under her,” he said. He concluded by hoping to have a memorable Tokyo Olympics 2021.
