Against the backdrop of India’s poor representation in international equestrian events (except for Inderjeet Singh Lamba’s participation in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics), if Noida-based Raunaq Anand (16) is given the encouragement and support he deserves, India can expect him to bring home an equestrian Olympic medal in the near future. This skilled horseman finished the last season (April 2016) with another gold medal at the 29th Delhi Horse Show of the Army Polo & Riding Club.

Still in his early teens, Raunaq has acquired a wealth of equestrian show-jumping experience having participated in 85 national and state equestrian events, including several organised by the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), affiliated with the Switzerland-based International Federation of Equestrian Sports — the governing body for all Olympic equestrian disciplines — with an impressive tally of 90 medals including 34 gold.

“My first horse-back experience was at age three. But it was only when I enrolled in the Lotus Valley International School, Noida, four year later that I was formally introduced to equestrian sports. The following year I competed and won my first gold,” recalls Raunaq, currently a class XII (commerce) student.

The only child of Sundar Anand, vice president of the Noida-based freight service provider C.P. World Lines Pvt. Ltd and homemaker Shefali, Raunaq has the advantage of owning three ponies with good bloodlines, specifically bred and trained for competitive equestrian sports. “Equestrian sports are expensive. Unless you are training on horses rented from the armed forces, maintaining a single horse costs Rs.50,000 per month,” says this promising equestrian star, tacitly acknowledging huge parental support

Though currently focused on academics with his board exams round the corner, Raunaq is quite clear about his career choice. “I wish to become a world class rider and have my eyes set on the 2018 Asian Games (Indonesia), and 2020 Olympics (Tokyo). I plan to win in the critical EFI-sponsored Junior National Championships in December to qualify to compete in international events,” says this confident teen.

Ride on, Raunaq!

Swati Roy (Delhi)