NEW DELHI: A horse declared “unfit” by the Equestrian Federation of India’s (EFI) ad-hoc committee in Germany has now been declared fit by Asian Games organisers in Japan, putting the spotlight on the veterinary assessment process used to determine Hriday Chheda’s participation in the continental event.Chheda’s 19-year-old horse, Dono Di Maggio, cleared the mandatory veterinary inspection ahead of Friday’s dressage competition, directly clearing the way for the rider to compete. The contrasting findings have left Chheda questioning why Dono was declared unfit in Aachen and whether the assessment ordered by the ad-hoc committee was fair.“My horse is perfectly fit and healthy as checked in the mandatory vet inspection by the organisers. This has been a relief. I’d like to thank Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha for supporting me and ensuring that I get my fair chance to compete here. I’m looking forward to winning a medal for India,” Chheda told TOI from Tokyo.
Riders draw up own start order
Meanwhile, another selection dispute has surfaced in the dressage squad. TOI has learnt that three riders — Gaurav Pundir, Chheda and Shruti Vora — have rejected the start order proposed by the ad-hoc committee for Friday’s competition and formally submitted their own sequence to the panel and India’s chef-de-mission Sahdev Yadav.In their mail, the riders said the order should be based on “objective merit, experience, recent results and scores”. They proposed that the youngest and least experienced rider, Jai Sud, go first. Their suggested order is: Jai Sud, Hriday Chheda/Gaurav Pundir, Gaurav Pundir/Hriday Chheda and Shruti Vora.The riders pointed out that Sud began competing internationally only in March 2026 and has no previous championship experience at this level. Chheda was part of India’s 2023 Hangzhou Games gold-medal winning team, Pundir was part of India’s 2025 Asian Continental Championships silver-medal winning team, while senior rider Vora is a triple silver medallist from the same event.
