It won’t be wrong to say that women in India have been championing all that was first reserved for men. Leading the path less trodden is Jaipur’s Divyakriti Singh Rathore, who is the first woman equestrian to receive the coveted Arjuna Award this year from the President of India. After winning a gold medal at Asian Games last year, the 24-year-old was nominated by the sports authority of India for the award.
Soon after the championship in Hangzhou, China Divyakriti visited her parents in India after two years of training in Germany. It was during her stay in Jaipur that she received an email stating she had been selected for the prestigious Arjuna Award – the second highest sporting honour of India. “It’s not a personal triumph. I think it was long awaited. I believe my victory will motivate other girls to walk the path less travelled,” she emphasises.
Born into a family that cherishes horses, Divyakriti connected with these majestic creatures before she could remember. Both her maternal and paternal grandfathers served in the Indian Army. Her father, Vikram Singh Rathore, she shares, has a passion for horses, particularly in polo. “We have around 80 horses in our family stable. We also maintain polo grounds, where my father’s team competes in various championships,” says Divyakriti, who spoke to us from Germany over a phone interview.
Becoming first
Recalling her first ride on the horse at her 450-year-old Mundota Palace, her ancestral home near Jaipur, she says it shaped her life and made her realise her love for horses. A student of Mayo College in Ajmer, riding was part of her extracurricular activity, “I was a homesick child so riding a horse would allow me to participate in championships where I can meet my parents,” says the winner.
Over the years, riding became more than just a pastime and escape for Divyakriti. She started her journey in equestrian sport by winning her first medal in dressage at the Delhi Horse Show, riding a horse named Chetak. Dressage, often compared to ‘ballet with a horse’, requires executing a series of complex movements set to music, however, the difference is that the player is with a horse and on the field. "That victory was the beginning of my career,” she says.
During her college days, she competed in several national and international championships across Europe and France, Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Florida in the U.S. Despite these experiences, she failed to qualify for the Asian Games in 2018. “It was disheartening but it taught me to focus and have patience. I have learned more from the championships at which I have failed than from those I won,” states the equestrian.
Pushing boundaries
After the setback in the championship, Divyakriti decided to move to Denmark in 2020 for further training. There, she got her first Danish Warmblood horse, Storm. “I have become friends with my horse. Our bond is so strong. We know each other so well and this bonding wouldn’t have been possible without our time together during the COVID-19 pandemic when I was alone in the new country and couldn’t return home. It was a blessing in disguise,” recalls the player. Continuing further she says that experience taught her the importance of resilience and companionship. “I learned that horses are not just animals, they understand emotions. We now understand each other’s temperaments. I can sense when he doesn’t want to practice or needs to be pushed further,” she says.
Recalling the moment she stood atop the podium at the Asian Games 2023 in China, she says the moment was full of pride not just for her but for every Indian standing there when the national anthem filled the air. “The Indian national flag waved proudly above all of us. It was a historic moment for India when a woman claimed a gold medal in equestrian competition for the first time and first medal in four decades,” says the Asian Games champion.
A grand homecoming
For the last two years, Divyakriti has been training at the world’s leading dressage school, Hof Kasselmann in Hagen, Germany, located in the serene Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia. “I strategically chose to move here ahead of the Asian Games 2023. The school trains many European equestrians for several championships including Prix St-Georges, Asian Games, and Grand Prix for the Olympics,” she informs.
Her victory in equestrian that’s now been recognised by the government of India and extensive media coverage has surely ignited an interest among people, who weren’t familiar with the sport earlier. “I am full of gratitude for the overwhelming support coming from my country. 2023 has been the best year of my life when I won three medals at the Saudi Equestrian Federation Cup in Riyadh and the Asian Games 2023 and received the prestigious Arjuna Award. These victories remind me of the responsibility to excel further in my sport,” she gushes.
A home away home
As of now, Divyakriti has centred her life around horses. “I ride, clean, muck out stalls, prepare the boxes, and manage the fields seven days a week. I take care of everything alone,” informs the champion. “My coach insists me to take a break but I am figuring out what else I want to do except train with my horse. I live simply in a small apartment at the school that is within walking distance of the stables. I have riding britches, a blazer, a hat, and gloves, that’s all I wear most of the time and days. But after receiving the Arjuna Award, I developed a love for wearing saris when I was in India,” says the champion who is now eying for the 2026 Olympics and upcoming competition in Saudi Arabia.
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