Equestrian Shlok Jhunjhunwala is presently competing at the ongoing Equestrian Premier League (EPL) in the city, hosted by the Embassy International Riding School, a league he believes is one of the most well-managed events compared to the rest in the country. “The event runs like clockwork, everyone is well aware of their responsibilities. A lot of importance is given to the players. Competing so far has been a lot of fun,” shares Jhunjhunwala, who, along with two others, won the 2021 rendition of the tournament. In EPL 2023, he has so far secured the fourth position in 110cm Show Jumping (Open) and second position in pre-novice Junior Dressage (Junior and Open). EPL 2023 started on June 23 and will continue till November.
An experienced equestrian, Jhunjhunwala got into horse riding when he was only nine years old. “I first went to a camp in Pune and rode there for about five years without competing. The first competition I ever entered was in 2018. I had a lot of fun but overall, I really loved the feeling of competition and got a few more competitions under my belt. I was doing that until halfway through 2019 when I decided to step out of the Maharashtra circuit. That was also the year when I entered my first EPL,” says Jhunjhunwala, who won both the individual dressage freestyle individual and the individual eventing individual at the Junior National Equestrian Championship, which concluded in Bhopal, in 2022.
Despite growth being noticed in the Indian circuit, Jhunjhunwala feels India and Europe are still miles apart. “No matter how blunt it sounds, the level in Europe is exponentially higher than India. That’s not to say the Indian circuit hasn’t been growing. Ever since I started, I have noticed constant improvement. Newer people are joining the sport, which is great to see. But Europe still has way more riders. A local show in Europe would almost have the same number of people as our nationals. The availability and training of horses is also a lot more. Horses are also cheaper in Europe. We have good horses here too but the availability is a lot less when compared,” says the 17-yearold Mumbaikar.
Jhunjhunwala strives to represent India in his riding career. “The main goal is to represent India on the championship stage like the Asian Games, Olympics etc. Success on those levels will also help develop and improve the stature of the sport in the country. I have started my work towards it. I want to represent the country in eventing at the Olympics like Fouaad Mirza. Or like what my trainer Ashish Limaye will be doing for the upcoming Asian Games and hopefully for Olympics after that. I just recently finished my first international event (Jardy CCI1* in France), and I think I’m on the track,” he says.