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While horses are a predominant feature on the Instagram profile of Ashish Limaye – the equestrian who will be representing India in the upcoming Asian Games – one picture, clicked around six years ago, is particularly intriguing.
It displays Ashish and his horse, Nimo, albeit in a manner wherein the rider’s head is all but eclipsed by the horse’s. The resultant image is not an attempted BoJack Horseman re-enactment, but instead, a symbolic depiction of how two souls have fused into one.
Having first hopped on a horse’s back when he was seven, the Pune-born athlete has since developed a unique bond with the animal – one, that he says is both innate, and also a product of utmost dedication.
Riding horses is an aberrant career choice in India. More so, if one comes from a family of doctors like Ashish. Whilst he was enrolled in Colonel GM Khan’s riding school, and became a state-level athlete at only 16, pursuing equestrian sports professionally was never on the Limayes’ agenda list.
Like millions across the nation, he gave up on his dreams to pursue engineering, and would not have ultimately made it to this article, had it not been for a realisation.
Convincing his family, for Ashish, might have been the most difficult chapter in the journey thus far. Since then, the penchant for forming ever-lasting bonds with horses has coincided with his growth in the sport, albeit he believes the former remains of paramount importance.
“The most important aspect of our sport is the bond that we build with horses. It is not just about grooming horses, but understanding them. They are voiceless and will emote only through eyes. You have to look at their eyes to figure out what they are trying to say,” he says
‘And, how does this bond develop?’ we asked. Ashish offered an insight.
Besides training horses, Ashish also trains kids at the Embassy International Riding School in Bengaluru. According to his analogy, the two jobs are of similar nature.
With most of his time spent with horses, it is imperative that parting ways with a horse is as agonising as the culmination of any human relationship, if not more.
Ashish informs Nimo – the horse in the aforementioned picture – had to be sold when he was returning to India from the United Kingdom.
“That felt like a heartbreak,” the tone made it evident that the reminiscence has not been pleasant. Then, he offers further insight into how, beyond his medals and trophies, horses affect his mental health.
“Dog owners will tell you that once you get a dog at home, you’ll always have a dog at home. Similarly, while not every horse rider has the skills to become a professional athlete, they will always have this bond with horses, because this is what makes them better humans,” he adds.
From the sporting perspective, Ashish elevated his game to higher echelons when Embassy International Riding School offered him a sponsorship.
“It was a very big opportunity for me. Embassy are top-notch in every aspect – be it stable management, the arenas or the horses. Certainly, one of the best in India. This helped me in my career, as I went from having two or three horses for training, to nine-ten horses. I wouldn’t have reached this stage without their support,” explains Ashish.
While he is cautiously optimistic about a medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games, Ashish has set realistic targets for the Olympics, saying “Paris Olympics are coming a bit too soon for me. But surely, I am training to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.”
We floated in a hypothetical situation – ‘How would you and your horse celebrate if you win a medal in LA?’
Till then, Ashish is determined on continuing what he has been doing for all this while – strengthening his association with the animal.
The athlete has seen ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ – a documentary on an indigenous couple’s bond with elephants. Albeit a modest attempt at any such analogical terminology quickly follows, it perhaps would not be an exaggeration to call him the ‘The Horse Whisperer.’
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