China curbs on India’s horses a hurdle, riders struggle to qualify for Asian Games

When rider Vikas Kumar, astride his gelding Altaf, achieved the qualification standard for the Asian Games last month, he was convinced it was a stepping stone towards his ultimate goal — the Paris Olympics. “It reaffirmed my belief that I was on the right track,” the 29-year-old said. “The Asian Games, after all, is just a rung below the Olympics.”
But now, with the opening ceremony in Hangzhou, China, less than six months away, Kumar is left scrambling. He will have to lease a foreign horse, get a visa to train and compete in Europe, and go through the qualification process all over again to be eligible for the Asian Games.
And Kumar isn’t the only one facing this ordeal.
At least 10 riders who are in the fray for the Asian Games, which begin on September 23, will be forced to shift base to Europe, mostly France and Germany, find new horses and meet the Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) for the Asiad all over again before July 15, the last date for submitting entries.

The reason? Stringent restrictions imposed China on Indian horses, preventing them from directly entering their shores. To make matters worse, the national federation, according to a Delhi High Court judgment, “woke up from its slumber” just five months ago.
On March 28 last year, the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee informed participating nations that the competing horses could be transported to China only from five countries – Germany, Japan, South Korea, UAE and New Zealand – after being quarantined for at least seven days. The riders have alleged that they were kept in the dark about this restriction until it was disclosed during a Delhi High Court hearing last month.
“The riders were not informed about this earlier,” said Chirag Khandal, who achieved his qualification mark last year. Khandal was set to be one of India’s youngest equestrian competitors at the Asian Games, but after the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) did not consider him for team selection, the 20-year-old moved the Delhi High Court, which ruled in his favour earlier this month.
According to the international federation rules, if the rider and horse combination is changed, the competitors have to go through the entire routine all over again. “I won’t be directly impacted because I ride a French horse. But there are many who achieved the MER riding Indian horses. For them, it will be a challenge,” Khandal said.
EFI general secretary Col Jaiveer Singh said one of the reasons why China has imposed restrictions on transporting horses directly from India could be the prevalence of equine glanders, an infectious disease. “The vet protocols for equines are dictated host countries and we cannot challenge that. They have their reasons, so you cannot blame them,” he said. “We have been working on this for almost two years.”
Asked why the riders were not informed earlier, Singh refused to comment, only saying that the federation has appealed against the Delhi High Court judgment.
In his order, Justice Gaurang Kanth of the Delhi High Court was scathing about the federation. “Asian Games Organising Committee informed the EFI way back in 28.03.2022 that all competing horses could be transported to China only from the 5 specified countries after being quarantined for at least 7 days. Despite these clear communications, EFI woke up from their slumber only after 7 months,” he noted.
After being informed about the transport restrictions in March 2022, the EFI, on October 15 last year, wrote to the European Union, seeking permission to transport Indian horses to China through Europe. However, in an email dated October 17, 2022, the EU rejected the request, saying “at present point of time, entry of equine animals to European Union from India was not authorised”. Then, in January this year, the EFI reached out to the UAE, which also turned down the request.
With time running out and left with few options, the EFI wrote to the Asian Equestrian Federation on February 14, asking if there was any change of stance China. The continental federation, in its reply the next day, said there was no change in the decision.
Consequently, it has been decided to send the riders to Europe, lease horses there, take part in competitions and achieve the MER. Singh said horses for “one or two riders have been sorted”. “For the rest, we are awaiting funds from the government. People have selected their horses, so it’s just a question of them getting visas,” he said, adding that they will lease at least 10 horses.
While Singh refused to divulge the cost that will be incurred in leasing horses, those in the know said it costs approximately 30,000 euros (roughly Rs 26.5 lakh) to get a horse on rent for a quarter of a year.
Asian Games medall and Arjuna Awardee Col Rajesh Pattu, however, said most premium horses will already be taken, thus putting the Indian riders at a disadvantage. “Unless the riders have their own, personal arrangements, it is difficult to lease quality horses at this stage. If the federation thinks they can lease a top horse six months before the Asian Games, then why would someone spend thousands of dollars to buy it? It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money,” he said.

Leasing horses is just a part of the problem. In equestrian, the partnership between the rider and horse is considered to be the key to a good performance. The delay in leasing horses, securing visas to travel to either France or Germany, and finalising the combinations have given rise to concerns that the riders and horses may not have sufficient time to practice, meet qualification marks and compete at the Asian Games, where India won two silver medals – one each in the individual and team events – in the 2018 edition.
Kumar, who is waiting for his visa and doesn’t know which horse he will be paired with, is bracing for the challenge. “My hope is that European horses will be better trained and experienced, so it should make it easy for me,” he said. “It all depends on what kind of horses we will be able to lease. We will do as we are told.”