Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated the Indian eventing and dressage teams which won five medals, including an individual gold, at the FEI Asian Equestrian Championship in Thailand recently and promised a quarantine centre in the country within a year to ensure smooth horse movement for international competitions.

In the contingent of six that competed in Pattaya, Ashish Limaye bagged two medals, a landmark individual gold in Eventing and a silver in team event. Shruti Vora got three silvers, two in individual and one in team Dressage.

The other team members were Shashank Singh Kataria and Shashank Kanmuri in Eventing and Divyakriti Singh and Gaurav Pundir in Dressage.

“India is doing well even in sporting disciplines in which we hardly have had a global presence earlier. I laud all of you for the passion with which you have pursued a discipline, which has had a limited ecosystem in India. However, this is not the India of 10 years back,” Mandaviya said.

The long-pending demand for a quarantine centre, which is needed to isolate horses before international competitions, was also discussed. The centre is a specialised facility that offers health checks, veterinary care and training spaces for the horses while they are monitored for any disease before competitions.

India has an Equine Disease-Free Compartment (EDFC) at Remount Veterinary Centre (RVC) in Meerut, which was recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) earlier this year. At present, EDFC covers all critical operations, including quarantine, waste management, personnel conduct, emergency response and movement control.

Shruti Vora, the winner of three silvers from the competition, praised the minister’s swift response to athletes’ concerns. “When we addressed our concerns, he immediately asked everyone to get working on the equine disease-free zone. He said we need a complete ecosystem, not just a few athletes going abroad,” she said.

“We need the whole equestrian fraternity to be given that opportunity, that they can compete in India, they can qualify in India, and once they meet the selection criteria, they are allowed to take their horses from India to any other country. Once these systems are in place, everything becomes easier,” said the 54-year-old.

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