Amritsar’s high rider wins laurels at national meet

The Spring Dale premises resonated with the pulsating beats of dhol today when the school welcomed its national winner and a young horse rider, Sarang Deep Singh. The school student achieved two podium finishes at the All India Club 15th Multi Horse Riding Championship held in Mysore, Karnataka.

Pursuing horse riding-based games for the past nine years, Sarang Deep, who won a gold and a silver at the national championship, said it was his passion and his love for this particular sport that made him an achiever. “It took me a long, very long time to reach this place. I had my core training at the NCC grounds on the PAU campus in Ludhiana. Later, I trained at Ajnala and Amritsar Cantonment,” he said.

The horse rider, who hails from a business family, wants to promote the sport as well. He feels that the game required infrastructural support and government aid to build a strong base.

“When I used to train, my coach, who was an Army man, used to say that an amateur rider learns from his horse and an amateur horse learn from its rider. I, too, have believed in this thought. Now, I have reached a point where I want to support many more young riders to take up this sport,” he said.

A student of Class XII at Spring Dale School, Sarang Deep plans to appear for the JEE next year to pursue a career in engineering.

Sahiljit Singh Sandhu, chairman, Spring Dale Educational Society, shared that today’s occasion was an official welcome of budding horse rider Sarang Deep Singh, who returned to the school after winning the first position in the show-jumping event at the national meet. He stood second in the polo event.”

Sarang Deep added that the national level championship was organised by the Mysore Turf Club, Karnataka.

Rajiv Kumar Sharma, the school principal, said polo and other horse riding-based games were gaining popularity. “Horse riding as a sport requires an extraordinary practice for not only taming the animal but also a disciplined and focused approach of the rider. Spring Dale has always promoted sports as a means to channelise the young energy, while encouraging its budding sportspersons to explore their potential in novel sporting opportunities like this,” said Sharma.

Punjab