Dec 11, 2024 07:42 IST First published on: Dec 11, 2024 at 07:42 IST Share The Delhi High Court recently saddled up for a one-of-a-kind case: Is the horse an athlete or merely a means to an end — a refined and expensive piece of sports equipment, different only in degrees from a tennis racquet or a state-of-the-art yacht? The petitioner, Rajasthan Equestrian Association, subscribes to the latter and demands that equestrian sports be governed by the same framework of administration common to others. But not the Equestrian Federation of India, whose contention is that given the mounts are alive (and kicking) and subject to mood swings and require nurturing and training, it qualifies them as athletes. Therefore, those involved in their maintenance deserve a greater say in the sport’s governance. The matter remains sub judice but the equestrian existential crisis does posit larger philosophical questions. In sports such as show jumping, dressage, eventing and polo, where agility is key and the horses navigate much of the hurdles, recognition, it would seem, ought to be par for course for both the rider and the ride. After all, it takes a great amount of skill and compatibility for a man and beast to perform as a team.Advertisement Without that mutual understanding, things could fall apart in an instant. At the Tokyo Olympics 2020, for instance, German modern pentathlon coach Kim Raisner was removed for punching a horse when she was attempting to help a female athlete, Annika Schleu, control it ahead of the show jumping round. Schleu had been in the lead, but the breakdown in communication with her horse Saint Boy cost her the medal and eventually led to the removal of equestrian jumping from modern pentathlon. Ascribing horses with athlete-hood of course has its own share of complications, not least of which is the vexing question of nationality or the dizzying escalation in the value of a prize horse. An easier way out might simply be to recognise them as equal partners, in for the glory and the guts, but perhaps, not the admin hassle.

Dec 11, 2024 07:42 IST First published on: Dec 11, 2024 at 07:42 IST Share The Delhi High Court recently saddled up for a one-of-a-kind case: Is the horse an athlete or merely a means to an end — a refined and expensive piece of sports equipment, different only in degrees from a tennis racquet […]

Dec 11, 2024 07:42 IST

First published on: Dec 11, 2024 at 07:42 IST

The Delhi High Court recently saddled up for a one-of-a-kind case: Is the horse an athlete or merely a means to an end — a refined and expensive piece of sports equipment, different only in degrees from a tennis racquet or a state-of-the-art yacht? The petitioner, Rajasthan Equestrian Association, subscribes to the latter and demands that equestrian sports be governed by the same framework of administration common to others. But not the Equestrian Federation of India, whose contention is that given the mounts are alive (and kicking) and subject to mood swings and require nurturing and training, it qualifies them as athletes. Therefore, those involved in their maintenance deserve a greater say in the sport’s governance.

The matter remains sub judice but the equestrian existential crisis does posit larger philosophical questions. In sports such as show jumping, dressage, eventing and polo, where agility is key and the horses navigate much of the hurdles, recognition, it would seem, ought to be par for course for both the rider and the ride. After all, it takes a great amount of skill and compatibility for a man and beast to perform as a team.

Without that mutual understanding, things could fall apart in an instant. At the Tokyo Olympics 2020, for instance, German modern pentathlon coach Kim Raisner was removed for punching a horse when she was attempting to help a female athlete, Annika Schleu, control it ahead of the show jumping round. Schleu had been in the lead, but the breakdown in communication with her horse Saint Boy cost her the medal and eventually led to the removal of equestrian jumping from modern pentathlon.

Ascribing horses with athlete-hood of course has its own share of complications, not least of which is the vexing question of nationality or the dizzying escalation in the value of a prize horse. An easier way out might simply be to recognise them as equal partners, in for the glory and the guts, but perhaps, not the admin hassle.