Asian Games 2023: Reliving India's gold in Equestrian Dressage? Ever wondered how the horses travel?

This victory marked India's first gold in the equestrian category at the Asian Games in 41 years and their inaugural gold in dressage.

Equestrian dressage

Indian equestrian riders, namely Anush Agarwalla, Hriday Chheda, Divyakriti Singh, and Sudipti Hajela made history on Tuesday by winning a rare gold medal in the team dressage event.

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This victory marked India's first gold in the equestrian category at the Asian Games in 41 years and their inaugural gold in dressage. Furthermore, it was only the second medal India had ever received in dressage since 1886.

So what is dressage?

Equestrian riding comprises three distinct disciplines: dressage, show jumping, and eventing.

Dressage can be likened to a graceful dance between a rider and their horse, demonstrating the horse's attentiveness and agility.

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Often referred to as "horse ballet," it involves precise movements, including various gaits, transitions, circles, figures, and lateral actions like leg-yield, shoulder-in, and half-pass. The primary objective is to execute these movements with utmost precision, harmony, and fluidity.

During the performance, the horse engages in walking, trotting, and cantering, accompanied by music. This discipline unfolds on a flat 20x60 meter arena, requiring seamless coordination between the horse and rider.

So how are the horses transported from one country to another?

India's contingent for the Asian Games in Hangzhou includes 10 riders. So how did the horses make their way to China?

When horses need to travel by air, they stay in special stalls made for flying which go into big cargo planes. During the flight, the stalls have things like hay and water to keep the horses comfortable and fed.

The riders don't fly with the horses, but the grooms travel with the horses to take care of them. There are also veterinarians onboard in case the horses get sick during the flight.

Interestingly, horses have their own passports as well. However, they are not like the ones for humans. These horse passports have details about how the horse looks and where it was born. They also list the shots the horse has gotten, like ones for the flu and tetanus.

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