Chennai’s young horse riding girls – Samanna, Isabelle, Tasha ride to new heights and win 3 Gold medals at the FEI World Dressage Challenge 2022, held at ASC centre in Bangalore on Nov.6. They train at Chennai Equitation Centre, Sholinganallur.
The FEI World Dressage Challenge 2022 is a prestigious international Equestrian event for horse riders in India. International judges travel across different nations to determine the best riders in each category in the Zone.
14 year old Samanna Everaa has been riding since the age of 3, and after training with her German bred horse Sechs Richtige for more than a year she won the Gold in the Youth category in India, with a large margin of being 3% ahead of the 2nd rider.
“In order to succeed in a Dressage Event the Rider has to make the ride look effortless and graceful; the rider has to be in complete harmony with the horse. This takes years and years of practice. Selecting the right horse and developing a strong partnership with the animal is very important,” says Isabelle Futnani, her coach at Chennai Equitation Centre.
Isabelle Futnani comes from Austria and coaches young talented riders in India She also competes in the higher level categories such as the Prix Saint Georges where she claimed the Gold in India with her horse Lamborghini. On her second horse Jack Daniels she also made it to the 1st place in the South Zone.
“I am very proud of the performance of my students. Tasha (13 years old) was selected as the only rider from South Zone in the Indian Team along with 3 other riders from New Delhi. She is very dedicated and rides three horses everyday” says Isabelle.
Kishore Futnani the founder of CEC (Chennai Equitation Centre) and a well known rider and Polo player, has been encouraging young riders every step of the way. He has developed excellent world class facilities for horses and riders and himself oversees the progress of each rider on a daily basis.
“Our dream is to make our riders ready for participation at the Asian Games one day, but till then it’s a long journey. The challenge ahead is the Junior National Equestrian Championship to be held in Bhopal in December where Samanna, Tasha and five more students will compete in Dressage and Show Jumping.”
Kishore Futnani
Chennai Equitation Center is at 130 OMR, Sholinganallur. Ph : 89393 85902.
South Zone Results:
- Youth Winner: Samanna with Sechs Richtige
- Senior I Winner: Isabelle with Jack Daniels
- Prix Saint Georges Winner: Isabelle with Lamborghini
- Youth Third: Samanna with Jack Daniels
- Youth Fourth: Tasha with Sechs Richtige
- Youth Fifth: Tasha with Lamborghini
Nationals results :
- Youth Winner: Samanna on Soulmate
- Prix Saint Georges Winner: Isabelle on Lamborghini
