With the new dates for the Olympics now available, the only concern for Fouaad
Mirza, the rst Indian to qualify in equestrian in two decades, seems to be a possible impact of the summer sun on the horses.
In August 2019, right after the Arjuna Awards ceremony, Asian Games double silver medallist equestrian rider Fouaad Mirza packed his bags and made his way to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi to catch a ight back to Germany. He was yet to book a place for the Tokyo Olympics and so his routine was entirely pointed towards that one goal.
As he checked in his luggage, the ocial at the counter recognised him, something he says had never happened before, and congratulated him while handing over his boarding pass.
“That was as humbling an experience as I could have ever had,” Mirza said. A few months later in November, the International Federation of Equestrian Sports released their rankings for 2019, conrming that Mirza had secured a berth for India in the Olympics for the rst time in two decades.
Meanwhile, Mirza is stationed in Bergedorf, a sparsely populated village in Hamburg state, Germany, training under Sandra Auarth, a former world champion and world No. 1.
“It’s quite bad actually. Almost every state has recorded a considerable number of cases. But it’s not a red zone where I stay. We go to the supermarket once in three weeks and going out to fetch supplies for our animals is permitted here,” Mirza told Sportstar.
He may have secured a berth for the Tokyo Games by topping his group in the individual event category of the qualiers for South East Asia and Oceania, but Mirza wants to conrm his personal quota, for which the sport and competitions scheduled for the year have to nd a way to resume.
The 2■yearold had earmarked the Four Star Long competition in Montelibretti,
Double Asian Games silver medallist Fouaad Mirza is the rst Indian to qualify for the Olympics in equestrian in two decades and is currently training in Germany.
Italy. Originally scheduled for the second week of April, the event was cancelled due to the COVID19 outbreak.
“I was still ready to risk it all and go for this event, because I thought it’s better I got this done early rather than leave it for later. However, it obviously got cancelled and set o this domino eect where all my qualication events just kept dropping o the calendar. Naturally, I had to tweak my plans. The priority then became to tend to the horses and keep them t so that I am eventready as soon as it’s safe to resume,” said Mirza.
Despite more time to secure the qualication, the delay poses a whole new set of questions.
“Peaking concerns apply to the horses too. The two horses I am competing with — Fernhill Facetime and Touching Wood — are not at the favourable parts of their prime. With good management and care, we can get another good year out of them but I probably won’t campaign them as aggressively as I would have last year. They may not be able to hold up to that sort of strain,” Mirza explained.
There is a silver lining though. The Embassy Group, which has supported Mirza and his campaigns internationally, has purchased a mare named Dajara 4. But the biggest shot in the arm is that his old running mate, Seigneur Medicott, may recover in time for the Olympics.
“Medicott had a disruption of his bre ligament in the hind leg last year and had the year o. Having these two extra horses is a big plus,” he added.
Does the prospect of having his Asian Games medalwinning steed make things easier for Mirza?
“I may be biased, but I don’t think any of my horses have the natural ability Medicott has. Fernhill Facetime is a great horse and he tries so hard, but he just doesn’t have that uid natural ability like Medicott. Meanwhile, while having Medicott is a great and proven backup plan, he is not just in the right form. Everything in your gut is telling you to pick Fernhill Facetime, but I often nd myself anxious about how to improve his jumping and what I can do to get a better showing from him,” Mirza said.
Mirza identies Touching Wood as the horse to compete with at Tokyo. However, his inexperience has him struggling to decide.
“We’ve got a year of competition out of him and we need to keep building. He’s a horse that can do some very cool things for India, even past Tokyo but now, it feels like it’s not enough. However, my gut says he will come good.”
Mirza’s routine
A typical day in Mirza’s life begins at 6am, with exercising the horses the rst order of business. Mind you, he has four of them in training for the Olympics and consequently four dierent routines that eat into his day.
“I live on our training base, so I don’t have issues as far as preparation goes. It’s not like I have much of a choice. Even if I don’t want to train, I need to feed and groom them. They’re like my children. So life hasn’t changed drastically for me at all, and for that I am grateful,” he said.
Mirza has a disciplined routine that he follows with dedication. While maintaining his weight has never been an issue, for the 2■yearold — who initially started o as an aspiring racing jockey under champion jockey and veteran trainer Pesi Shro — maintaining exibility, balance and core strength are paramount.
Strict social distancing policies have kept him away from the gym but he enjoys doing yoga and does heavy exercises thrice a week.
“I try not to think of the possibility of an injury. It’s an unnecessary worry and all I need to do is stick to the right processes and maybe not do something stupid like fall o a horse,” he said with a chuckle.
Away from family
In between all the COVID19 anxiety and eventfocused training, Mirza has not forgotten that he has not visited his parents in Bengaluru for over a year now.
“I like staying in a routine and going home would disrupt it, so while it would be nice to meet everyone, it’s also a huge break in momentum. I don’t mean to sound rude, but I’d like to see this through staying in my own bubble. Plus I have the horses to stay back for,” he said.
With the new dates for the Olympics now available, the only concern for the rider seems to be a possible impact of the summer sun in Tokyo on the horses, an element equestrian circles were deliberating before the International Olympic Committee announcement.
While maintaining his weight has never been an issue, for the 28-year-old – who initially started o as an aspiring racing jockey under champion jockey and veteran trainer Pesi Shro – maintaining exibility, balance and core strength are paramount.
While he emphasises on the welfare of the animals, Mirza isn’t too worried.
“Humid conditions are not ideal for horses, but I see it as an advantage for Fernhill Facetime or Seigneur Medicott. I’ve competed with Medicott in Indonesia in similar conditions. Of course, the Asian Games diculty level is slightly lower and crosscountry distance is shorter too when compared to the Olympics but it gave us all a good indication that he can cope more than well.
“He ate well and travelled ne from Germany to Jakarta, too. So these are positives for us.”
“(Fernhill Facetime) is New Zealandbred. Summers there can get hot, maybe not as humid, but more testing than here in Europe, so we’re sure they’ll manage. Also we must remember that these are thoroughbreds — racequality horses. They can cope with adverse conditions a lot better than we credit them for, be it pressure or weather,” he added.