The champion horse rider

Earlier this week, when 13-year-old Chandigarh rider Jaiveer Makkar had a chance to put in an objection against his competitor Geetika Tikkeitty, whose horse went out of control, the youngster was placed second at that time. If he had submitted an objection, he would have won gold in the showjumping (accumulator) event in the Junior National Equestrian Championship held in Mumbai.

While the young Chandigarh rider had to contend with a silver medal apart from a fourth-place finish in the event, Makkar believes that putting an objection would have undermined Geetika’s effort with no fault of hers.

“I believe that it was her bad luck that her horse went out of control and broke the reigns. I have always believed in the idea of fair competition and hence did not object. I am glad that I won the silver medal and I and my horse gave our best. The silver medal and the fourth-place finish is the biggest reward for me this year’s championship,” Makkar said while talking with The Indian Express.

The youngster, who started riding at the age of five on the insistence of his maternal grandfather, Retired Colonel Op Dahiya, would practice at the Chandigarh Horse Riding School. He has won medals in the Chandigarh Horse Show and Delhi Horse Show apart from winning medals in various categories of the Junior National Equestrian Championships. Last year, he won three medals at the junior event. This year, the youngster won the team gold in the showjumping event apart from a silver medal in the fault and out event in the U-14 category in the Delhi Horse Show in April. He then won gold and bronze medals and a team silver medal in the showjumping event in Jaipur Equestrian Championship in September.

In Mumbai, Makkar was riding his horse, Democratic, and clocked a perfect round of 33.58 seconds with 65 points to claim the silver medal. Later, he rode his horse, Victoria, clocking a timing of 35.18 seconds to claim fourth place. “Last year, during the lockdown and later months, I kept myself busy at home playing football and basketball and spending time with my family as well horses. Later, when I started to practice, the fitness drills helped my riding. The medals won in Delhi Horse Show and Jaipur boosted my confidence a lot before the Junior Championship. The main challenge here was completing a ten-jump course without dropping a pole in the least time. Both my horses jumped well and I am lucky that I could handle them well,” said Makkar, who is a student of class 8 in The Doon School, Dehradun.

The youngster plans to continue in the group 1 category next year before competing in senior events. He also plans to compete in FEI events and the private cups once the Covid-19 situation improves and he can travel abroad.

Makkar is also motivated by the feat of Asian Games silver medallist Fouaad Mirza, who represented India in the Tokyo Olympics and became only the third Indian equestrian to do so.

“Competing in senior events in the coming years will boost my confidence. I am also aiming to compete in FEI events once the situation improves. What Fouaad sir has achieved has motivated every youngster like me in the country. Now with the right coaching and guidance, we too can dream about competing in Olympics one day,” said Makkar.