Equestrian Center for Excellence

ORIGINS - ECE was started by a group of parents of keen young riders, as a non-profit trust in 2001. Back then, while there was a lot of amateur interest in equestrian sport, there was no consistent effort to give it a professional grounding. Motivated by the interest and potential shown by budding young riders, parents, friends and well-wishers came together to establish ECE. It was created with an aim to provide accessible and affordable riding facilities for budding horse riders, dispelling the myth that the sport was only for the well-heeled.

The principal OBJECTIVE of ECE is to further the standards of equestrian excellence in India, particularly in South India and provide professional care, maintenance and training for equestrian athletes. It also provided a good home for retired race horses, while allowing them the chance of a new career in equestrian disciplines.
ECE was a deliberate measure to encourage greater civilian participation in equestrian sports, which till then, was a preserve largely of the Armed Forces, paramilitary and related institutions. Significantly, over the years, ECE has succeeded in broadening interest in horse riding and equestrian sports. This is evidenced by an increasing number of Bangaloreans taking to horse sport, in ECE and other organizations, leading to the creation of a strong stakeholder group.

Since its inception, ECE has made rapid strides in the quality of horses, the facilities offered and the standard of its training, all the while ensuring an upward graph in the achievement of its riders. Today, the ECE stables house over 25 horses at any given time. It has riders ranging from eight year olds to over sixty years olds. Riding facilities are available from beginners to casual riders and for amateur / professional equestrian athletes taking part in the competition circuit.

The broader VISION of ECE is to help enable its riders to reach International standards, with the ultimate aim of representing India in International events, particularly the Asian and the Olympic Games.

At ECE, special emphasis is placed on the equestrian disciplines of Show Jumping and Cross Country / Eventing. Personalized training, based on each rider’s level of experience and needs, is the norm. ECE's riding instructors, led by Chief Coach Nitin Gupta, have between them have over twenty five years of experience in competitive equestrian sports, all over India and the world.

Chief Coach Nitin Gupta is one of India’s most accomplished International-level horse riders, with over twenty years of continuous competition experience and was the National Grade 2 Show Jumping Champion for 2010. Nitin has trained in Russia and Australia and competed in various countries across the world. His personal tally of over 18 International medals, half of which were won at venues abroad, apart from several National medals, is one of the highest for any rider in India. In March 2008, he won the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) CSI B International Show Jumping event with an Individual Gold and Silver as part of the Indian Team. He has been a member of the Indian Show Jumping Team for eight years between 1995 to 2010. He was also the Chef D’equipe or Coach of the Indian National Young Riders Team for three years. He was also awarded the Special Sportsperson of the Year award from the Prime Minister of India in 1996.

ACCOLADES: Today ECE has one of the finest equestrian teams in India with continuous participation from 2001 onwards at all levels from Children through Juniors and Seniors. ECE riders have competed in international-level events organized under the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the National Equestrian Championships organized under the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) and the regional equestrian championships under the South India Equestrian Association (SIEA).
With limited resources and infrastructure, ECE has so far produced 6 International-level riders, 3 of who also participated in the 2010 Asian Games team trails.

Roster of Recent Achievements
Under the International Equestrian Federation (FEI)
• In FEI 2010 World Challenge Showjumping event, Maryk Sahney won the bronze.
• In 2009, Aliya Das Gupta, presenting India from ECE, won the FEI Cat A qualifiers in India and competed in the FEI Cat A World Finals in Chile. She also represented the country in Algeria in the same year.
• From 2005 to 2009, ECE riders have continuously represented India both in the Senior and Junior categories in events held in India and abroad.

Under the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI)
• In the 2010 Junior National Equestrian Championships, Rushil Patel won both the gold and silver to become the National Champion in the Children Showjumping category. Ali Asker Mirza won gold to become the National Champion in the Cross Country / One Day Eventing. Maryk Sahney and Fouad Mirza won a joint bronze in National Young Riders Showjumping. Anantya Sahney won the gold to become the National Champion in the Junior Showjumping.
• In 2009, Maryk Sahney representing ECE, won the Best Young Rider in the Junior National Equestrian Championships in New Delhi. He also won the National Preliminary individual Silver during the same period.
• In 2008, Fouad Mirza representing ECE, won the Best Junior Rider in the Junior National Equestrian Championships in Pondicherry. He also won the National Preliminary individual Gold during the same period.
• In 2008, Anantya Sahney at age 13, was the youngest ever winner in India in the National Novice category, which saw competition from senior riders as well
• For two years in a row, ECE riders have won the National Preliminary show jumping gold medals, with the ECE riders team having the youngest average age