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In India, Equestrian sport had been a stronghold of the Defence Services for a long time. This was primarily due to the high cost of maintaining horses and lack of accessible riding grounds. Amongst civilians, the rich and famous have indulged in it as a pleasure activity or racing. General awareness of the sport and seriousness towards participating in international competitions had been neglected. Thankfully, it was felt by a few equestrian enthusiasts that something needs to be done. There is now a serious effort being made to bring this sport forward at the national as well as international level. Leading this effort is the Embassy Riding International School (EIRS). Started by Mr Jitu Virwani, Chairman Embassy Group of Companies, and run by Ms Silva Storai, Director EIRS, this school has firmly established itself as India’s premiere training school for young equestrian talent. It is modelled on and run strictly as per the high standards set by the
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British Horse Society (BHS). EIRS provides exposure and facilities, which are not available anywhere else in India. It provides training for different events at different levels under instructors of international qualification and experience. EIRS brings to the table the right environment, direction, focus and facilities, which aspiring equestrians need in order to train for competitions. This dedication has shown results in the form of a milestone
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being achieved for the first time in India by a horse riding school. After going through selection trials over one year, two EIRS riders have qualified and been selected to the Indian equestrian team scheduled to compete in the Asian Games going to be held in Guanghzhou, China in November 2010. The notable riders are Ajai Appachu for Eventing and Nadia Haridass for Dressage. EIRS doesn’t intend to rest here. It has set its sights upon the ultimate sporting event, namely the Olympics. The riders are being trained under the very able guidance of coach/rider Major J S Ahluwalia who has himself been selected for the Asian Games Dressage team with the highest points. EIRS also has recognised the absence of a platform, which helps to build the confidence of riders and allows them to train for national and international competitions. Till date the riders had only the annual national competition and a few SIEA competitions to participate and test themselves in. Initiating a positive step towards this, EIRS launched the being held from June 2010 till December
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