Equestrian

Dibrugarh, Sept. 16: The Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) has given its official seal of approval on the inclusion of endurance as a medal event in the 2005 National Games.

The decision was taken at an executive committee meeting of the EFI in New Delhi recently. “This will help us prepare the state team for the Games in a big way,” said Manoj Jalan, EFI vice-president (technical) and secretary of the Equestrian Federation of Assam (EFA). Equestrian events, earlier slotted for Dibrugarh in the bid for the 2005 Games, will now be held at Kahilipara in Guwahati.

Endurance is a test of fitness and stamina for both horse and rider. The entire ride is under controlled conditions, while members of the ground jury and veterinarians regularly monitor the metabolic parameters of the horses at predetermined distances.

According to norms in present international championships, the riders have to cover a distance of 60 km in a cross-country ride for a one-star meet. The distance gradually stretches upto 120 km for a four-star international meet.

After every 30 km, the rider has to report at the veterinary gate and within 20 minutes of the rest period, the horse has to be presented for inspection.

The veterinary commission checks the horse’s heartbeat, temperature and other parameters. If the heart rate is above 56 per minute or the temperature above 43 degrees Centigrade, the horse is eliminated from the meet.

The welfare of the animal is given top priority. If the horse is overworked or suffers any kind of injury, the veterinary commission holds the right to eliminate such a contestant. The rider has to be fully conversant with the condition of the horse under different circumstances.

The growing popularity of endurance has “prompted the Asian Equestrian Federation (AEF) to include it as a medal event in the forthcoming Asian Games in 2006 at Qatar”, Jalan said.

Assam has Sivasagar rider Deben Das as potential challenger in this category. “If groomed properly, we can bank upon him for a medal,” Jalan said.