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India's Ashish Limaye, astride Willy Be Dun, at the FEI Asian Equestrian Championships. (PHOTO: SAI Media)
Indian equestrian riders ended their campaign at the FEI Asian Equestrian Championships 2025 with five medals. Of those five, Shruti Vora claimed three medals while Ashish Limaye played a role in two, including a gold medal.
Vora’s medals came in dressage, where she finished with three silver medals – one in the individual event, another in intermediate freestyle-I and the third in the team category. She was part of the dressage team along with Divyakriti Singh and Gaurav Pundir. Meanwhile, Ashish Limaye claimed an individual gold in eventing besides combining with Shashank Kanumuri, and Shashank Kataria, to clinch the silver medal as well in the team event at the continental event held at Thai Polo and Equestrian Club in Pattaya.
Over 80 athletes from 13 countries were in competition at an event that was originally scheduled for 2023, was moved to 2025 following the rescheduling of the Asian Games to 2023. This was the second edition of the Asian Equestrian Championships; the inaugural FEI Asian Championship was held in 2019. The event will now be held every two years. It is designed to offer competition during the years between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, FEI World Championship and Asian Games.
“This was a very emotional win for us because the last Asian Games didn’t turn great for us. So, I think it was a huge redemption kind of feeling and a big relief,” Ashish Limaye told SAI Media (Sports Authority of India). “My horse ‘Willy Be Dun’ is a 13-year-old Anglo-European. I think it would have been impossible to bag this gold without him because he really fought for us and he was always giving 100 percent to come here. I think he knew that we were at a championship and he was really different and special!”
Limaye added: “It has been a long journey, but today it all seems worth it. Especially after the last Asian Games when I was leading and had a blank moment – it felt like I let everyone down. Today, this feels like a redemption. I am glad that Jitu Virwani, the Embassy Group, and Silva Storai of Embassy International Riding School still believed in me and my efforts.”
A 16-member delegation (including six athletes, six grooms, 2 coaches and one vet and a ferrier), travelled for the championship in Pattaya.
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