The rider-horse relationship in equestrian sport is an emotional one. It is not like slipping into the driver’s seat in the car, cranking up the engine, and then speeding away.
India’s Fouaad Mirza, who will be competing in the Tokyo Olympic Games, has been grappling with the decision to choose his horse. After he achieved the Minimum Eligibility Requirement Score (MERS) for the Olympics on Seigneur Medicott and Dajara 4 last month, he was contemplating which horse to take.
At first, he picked Dajara 4 for the gruelling competition in Tokyo. At the back of his mind, there were doubts if he was making the right decision. Barely a day before the final entries had to be submitted, Fouaad decided he will go with Seigneur Medicott though both his horses will be in quarantine from July 11.
“Yes, I have changed my horse because my gut feel is that Dajara has had a long campaign this year. I feel her form is coming to an end,” Fouaad told this writer. “My first concern is always for the horse. My main aim is to keep the horses healthy and happy. I could stretch Dajara more and make it to Tokyo but my gut feel is she is asking for a break.”
He plans to use her for future competitions after the Olympics. “I must say thank you to her (Dajara) as she put me on the podium twice in the last two months. She needs a break. My trainer is feeling strongly about Dajara. But I have been spending more time with the horses. They are animals I love and not machines. I want to win with the happy horse (Seigneur Medicott),” he explained.
Given the tough weather conditions in Tokyo where the heat and humidity will be high compared to his training base in Germany, Fouaad knows he has to get the best out of his mount.
His qualification for the Tokyo Olympics during the pandemic has not been easy and he completed the MERS at virtually the last event at the Baborowko Equestrian Festival in Poland. “It was high pressure to qualify the horses in the last event. I am very happy with Seigneur Medicott as he was coming back from a long injury break,” he had said then.
Fouaad has been working hard on his own fitness, spending long hours managing all his work. The 2018 Jakarta Asian Games medallist is chuffed he will be going to Tokyo where the Covid-19 restrictions and protocols are very tight.
At a time when Tokyo has enforced a state of emergency during the Olympics, it requires mental toughness for athletes to stay focussed and calm. Fouaad has been doing that by the dint of hard work.
