When the equestrian Ashish Limaye competes on the forthcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, it is going to be the end result of a outstanding journey that began with him choosing up the game whereas driving horses owned by a tongawala (a driver of a horsedrawn cart). It can also be a journey that was halted for just a few years as he pursued engineering and resumed when he started coaching kids to journey horses.
Limaye — who hails from Pune however has been primarily based in Europe for the previous two years — has certified to compete for India within the equestrian self-discipline often called eventing which assessments horses and riders over a mixture of three occasions: dressage, cross nation and present leaping.
The Pune resident’s earliest recollections of himself driving a horse was from when he was simply 10 and his dad and mom had taken him to a small place run by a tongawala the place kids could be allowed to journey horses in the course of the summers.
“They used to have a summer camp of sorts near my house. And they would basically let kids ride horses in a circle at a small ground,” he recollects.
Limaye has been rubbing his eyes in disbelief after qualifying for the Asian Games, contemplating he switched to eventing from present leaping barely one-and-a-half years in the past.
Eventing is the place Fouaad Mirza had gained a silver on the final version of the Asian Games in Jakarta, changing into the primary Indian equestrian to win a person Asian Games medal since 1982.
Unlike Mirza, who hails from an extended line of horsemen, Limaye’s dad and mom have been medical doctors. That camp was sufficient for them to grasp how a lot he liked driving horses. Soon, on the advice of a relative, they took him to Arjuna Awardee Col. JM Khan, who was a distinguished equestrian coach in Pune.
But quickly, he realised that taking over the game professionally was a prohibitively costly pursuit and determined to concentrate on research as an alternative. For practically 4 years, as he pursued his engineering diploma, Limaye put his ardour on maintain.
“When I was in Class XII and in four years of engineering college I was barely riding. I was related to the sport all throughout the break, but not competing,” he says.
By the third 12 months of engineering faculty, that itch to journey caught up as soon as extra.
“In the third year, I competed at the nationals. It was the only event I competed in that whole year. But once I got my degree, I returned to the sport fully.”
Limaye’s huge ‘break’ got here when Embassy International Riding School (EIRS), a Bengaluru-based driving establishment, determined to take an opportunity on him.
“I was competing in India for a long time before they offered me a sponsorship. But as part of it, they wanted to see my work ethics. So they asked me to train kids at their Bengaluru facility. I worked there for two years before I was sent abroad to train,” he says.
Limaye calls that two-year stint coaching kids certainly one of his finest alternatives. He was coaching about 20 of them on the EIRS facility, they usually went on to compete on the age group degree on the junior nationals.
“Not only was I at the best equestrian facility in India for civilians, but when I came to riding school, I had around 10 horses there. I could ride on five to 10 horses everyday. Before that, I didn’t really have access to riding on so many horses. To be honest, that stint put me on the map in India,” says Limaye.
He elaborates: “If you have one horse, you can ride on them for about an hour or so. But if you have 10, your own improvement happens much faster.”
Seeing his progress, EIRS determined to ship him to Europe to coach as he chased Asian Games qualification. Limaye has spent the final two months in France. Before that, he was primarily based in Germany for 2 years.
Over the following few months, because the Asian Games come nearer, the largest problem for Limaye will likely be deciding which horse he takes to Hangzhou, since he has made the reduce astride two horses: Dinard Penguinan and Willy Be Dun.
“I really don’t know at the moment which horse I will take to China. I’m not inclined towards one at the moment. I’ll decide by mid-September. It’s a good position to be in, to have a choice. Every time I have this conversation with my coaches on which horse to take, we inevitably come to the same conclusion that we should wait as long as possible,” he says.
Both his horses have completely different personalities, says Limaye.
“Dinard Penguinan is very, very sensitive. He can become really nervous and go into his shell. But, at the same time, he’ll follow everything you ask of him. He doesn’t normally make his own decisions. He’ll follow your decisions with closed eyes. On the other hand, Willy Be Dun has his own personality. He shows off a little more than Dinard. He has his own brain, so you have to be smarter in dealing with him. He’s bolder. But both are very competitive. It will be a difficult situation to choose one for sure,” he chuckles.
