Chheda shared his thoughts in a freewheeling exclusive interview with The Free Press Journal. Excerpts..
Q) Congratulations on receiving the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Award in Equestrian.
How do you feel being the first equestrian rider to get the award?
A: I think it’s great, it’s amazing that equestrian has been recognized by the state of Maharashtra and being the first rider to be awarded the Shiv Chhatrapati sports award this year is a great honor. I hope there would be many more athletes in the coming years who will achieve this and get the sport even some more glory.
Q) Tell us a bit about your journey from training at ARC in your early days to clinching the Asian Games gold in Hangzhou.. At what age did you start equestrian?
A: My training and my early days at the ARC, I became a member around 2008, so it’s almost 17 years now and of course I’ve grown a lot and ridden since it was at home and you know I always, it’s so well located in the heart of the city, it was always possible to go before school or after school and you know it was great that we could do it five days a week being in the heart of the city.
I have used the facilities and it’s been of great advantage to me over the years and helped me in my early years to keep consistent at the sport. I used to go every morning from Juhu at five to be there, ride at six and then finish riding and then be back in school in Juhu at nine. So yeah, those were some early experiences back in 2009 and 10 and 11.
Q) How was the experience of competing at the Hangzhou Asian Games?..
A: It’s always such a great moment of pride representing your country at such an international stage. We were a great team, I think all friends and we had great team spirit among the riders there and we were, of course, optimistic that we would do well but nobody really expected the goal at that point. So yeah, to everyone’s pleasant surprise, I think we made a mark in that sense in the dressage sport especially, also to the people in India as yeah, it was not, dressage has always been an underdog sport in the country and yeah, I think exceeding everyone’s expectations was great.
Hangzhou otherwise was one of the most phenomenal venues we’ve been to and you know everything was so well done with utmost detail for everything and care for the horses. The venue and the facilities were fantastic and yeah, it was a great experience overall. We had some of the best times with our teammates and we hope we can do this once again sometime.
Q) India won gold in equestrian dressage after 41 years. What are your thoughts on that?
A: It’s a great feeling that we could achieve this after 41 years or the first time in the dressage sport but we are very proud of that and I hope we can repeat that in the future and also individually so yeah we are looking forward I think the sport is growing in our country and the medal at the last Asian Games has given the sport a big push in our country.
Q) How is it being a mentor to the next generation of Indian equestrians?.. How is that journey going for you?
A: I think it’s great because I have always, even before my journey to the Asian Games, I’ve always been very locally involved in organizing events and helping young riders with their training. So back from quite a few years ago, I’ve been part of the organizing of quite a few events in the state of Maharashtra with the other few facilities and yeah, it’s always been something that I’ve been enthusiastic about and now I do it a little bit more as well. Training up for coming riders partly when I’m in India and helping, guiding them a little bit as to my journey and sharing my experiences with them. I think dressage has picked up a lot after our medal and that has been the biggest push. I think, you know, many riders are willing to take it up as a sport and yeah, it’s exciting and I hope that I can help some other young athletes like myself to reach the level of the highest level of the sport.
Q) What are the highlights of your career thus far apart from the Asian Games glory?
A: My highlights of my career apart from the Asian Games, of course, you know, the journey has been so long.
I started riding back in 2004 and at different stages of my life, there have been different highlights, you know. Every small step in the right direction played a great role of encouragement to me at that time winning my first junior national medal or my first FEI World Challenge dressage medal where we placed for India placed first among five countries in the zone. From being one of the youngest athletes to win the national championships at Preece and George level back in 2015. Yeah, I was 17 at the time and won the national championships that were held in Pondicherry. It was one of the youngest riders competing at Preece and George level at that time and yeah, I’ve had many small victories and enjoyed it, you know. My first international in Slovakia, we won the intermediate one freestyle and that was a great moment. We had the Indian national anthem play in Slovakia and it was also one of the highest scores at Inter 1. It is still currently one of the highest scores at Intermediate 1 freestyle level, yeah, by any Indian athlete. So, yeah, you always respect the small wins that we get. This year, of course, I have been able to ride my first Grand Prix, International Grand Prix and yeah, we are in the right direction to get some other achievements in the bag in the future.
Q) Tell us a bit about your training regimen and fitness routine..
A: My riding schedule depends on the number of horses we’re training each day, but it’s usually six days a week. I typically ride between six to eight horses a day. Training starts around 7:30 AM and goes until 2:00 or 3:00 PM. In the evenings, we focus on taking care of the horses and maintaining the facility. Each horse has an individual schedule, and the intensity of the work varies depending on the horse and changes from day to day.
Q) How has your family supported you on this journey and tell us a bit about them..
A: Talking about my family supporting, of course my father has been incredible and my whole family has been very supportive of my whole journey and I’ve never been held back with any of my bizarre requests to pursue this sport. You know, I’ve had many, I’ve led a very independent life and been given the freedom to do so from a very very young age. You know, staying and training in different cities from such a young age that most parents would not allow the children to do.
I had that trust that I was doing it for the love of the sport. And yeah, I travelled alone to Germany when I was 13 and did training when I was 13 out there and moving to Bangalore and relocating from Mumbai to Bangalore for four years to pursue riding to a higher level from 2012 to 2016. So many important life decisions that would not have been possible without the support of my family and of course them funding the whole thing up to, you know, until recent years.
But their support has been incredible and it’s possibly how I’ve made it so far. My father has a huge role to play to support my ambitions and, you know, never restrict me in any way. So yeah, I would like to say that it would not be possible without any of them.
