Riders looking to ace Regional Equestrian League qualifiers

Young Indian equestrian riders Niharika Singhania and Arjun Kanoi are gearing up for the Regional Equestrian League qualifiers starting November 16 in Mumbai. The winners of the qualifiers will seal their places in the Junior National Equestrian Championship.

There are two events at the Regional Equestrian League - Show jumping and Dressage. The winning criteria is to score 57% or higher in the Dressage event and complete the jumps and hurdles with minimal penalties to qualify for the nationals. The Regional Equestrian League culminates on November 18.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, young rider Niharika Singhania said she is looking forward to competing in the Regional League and has set her sights on qualifying for the National Championship. She said:

"I participated in the previous qualifiers held in October. It’s a great platform and it provides an opportunity for kids to qualify for the national championship. One needs to qualify twice in the REL qualifiers to be eligible and compete in the nationals (JNEC)."

Read: Equestrian Premier League: Shlok, Sanyogeeta, Jaiveer crowned champions

Niharika said there is always healthy competition between two riders as the sport is not gender-based.

"In this sport, both the genders are equal and face the same level of challenges. Much depends on how much training a player does and how much work and time one spends with their horses. It brings a healthy competition between all participants and players."

The horse is the main athlete in equestrian

Niharika said the horse is the main athlete in the sport and a lot depends on the communication between the rider and the horse.

"In equestrian the main task is finding the right horse. Because, the horse plays an equivalent role as much as a player does. This sport is more of a partnership and team game where both the player and the horse need to perform in tandem. It is important to find the right horse which is capable and suits better. After finding the right horse one needs to build the bonding to make every little thing perfect while performing, especially in dressage, where everything needs to be precise, perfect and accurate to the moment. A lot of work and effort goes into the preparation."

Arjun Kanoi concurred with Niharika and said the Regional Equestrian League is an important tournament to ace as it acts as a stepping stone for further qualifications. He said:

"The Regional Equestrian League is extremely important because if you don’t qualify here, then you won’t get chance to participate in the junior nationals (JNEC). In my first REL, it was difficult as I traveled a lot and took part in three different cities to compete. Initially, it was difficult the first few times, but now things are in place. When I started it was difficult to handle the horses and I didn’t qualify in time. However, I am looking to do better this time around."

Shyam Mehta, President of Amateur Riders Club, the host for the Regional Equestrian Qualifiers said the club is elated to host a championship that acts as a stepping stone for young equestrian riders. He said:

"We are elated to host the REL qualifiers which provides a platform and brings exciting opportunities to the young and aspiring athletes who want to compete at the national level. The enthusiasm and positive response that we witnessed in the previous occasions have encouraged us to bring this event again and we look forward to a fruitful one."