Yet every athlete dreams of the ultimate and LA is also on Chheda’s radar, distant but omnipresent, like the faint thundering of horse hooves in the distance
Hriday Chheda (also inset), a 2023 Asian Games winner in dressage
Hriday Chheda — a member of the 2023 Asian Games gold medal-winning Indian team in dressage, the first equestrian gold for India in 41 years — has been training hard after bagging the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Award for 2023–24.
The award has motivated the Mumbai rider to look ahead, preparing for the highest level in dressage for the forthcoming Grand Prix-level Aachen 2026, FEI World Championships. He also has The Dressage Asian Continental Championship 2025 in Thailand in his sights and the next Asian Games in 2026 in Japan. Always on the horizon are the Los Angeles Olympics, still a while away in 2028. Yet every athlete dreams of the ultimate and LA is also on Chheda’s radar, distant but omnipresent, like the faint thundering of horse hooves in the distance.
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The early days
He has come such a long way post the beginning of his equestrian journey. He began formal training at the Japalouppe Equestrian Centre near Pune and later joined the Amateur Riders’ Club (ARC) at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai, where he competed at state and national levels. Currently training in France at the Pamfou Dressage, Chheda is sharpening his skills under French Olympian Corentin Pottier, Camille Judet and Isabell Judet. The young equestrian has most importantly, forged a new synergy with a horse called, ‘Dono DiMaggio.’ “It is a six-month partnership with this horse,” he explained.
Hectic training schedule
Chheda’s riding schedule, he said from Europe, “depends on the number of horses we are training each day. It’s usually six days a week. I typically ride between six to eight horses in one day.” He added, “Training starts around 7.30 am and goes on until noon. In the evenings, we focus on taking care of the horses and maintaining the facility. Each horse has an individual schedule, and the intensity of the work varies depending on the horse and changes from day to day.”
Awards, for the 27 year-old, whose passion for horses ignited post a pony ride at Juhu, are “a motivator, a reminder that as an equestrian there are bigger challenges. Awards, recognition, acknowledgement is not a full stop, just a comma towards bigger goals and accomplishments.” One cannot say neigh to that!
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