Anish Gajjar

Anish Gajjar
Equestrian Professional

+91-9825307774
anishgajjar@hotmail.com

Proprietor (Silver Studs)
Founder (Equestrian Club of Gujarat)
Vice-President (Equestrian Association, Gujarat)

Member (Equestrian Federation of India)

Over 26 years of experience with horses

Horse Trainer
Trained over 175 horses of various breeds for general riding, equestrian sports, showing and re-training abused horses, specializing in behavioral correction.
Corrected and rehabilitated several horses to good homes.
Have also conducted horse training in U.K.

Riding Instructor
Managed 2 riding clubs independently as a Riding Instructor.
Conducted residential training camps.

Trained over 800 riders.

Working as a freelance riding instructor.

Equestrian Event Organizer
Organized breed shows, equine sport competitions and horse races since 2008.
Organized the first 120 km Endurance Ride competition of India with the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) in Gujarat.
Played a vital role in launching Gujarat’s premier Livestock Fair focusing on horse trading and equine sports competitions.
Hosted veterinary check-up camps.

Consulting
Consulted for setting up of riding clubs, breeding farms, rescue shelters and private stables across India.
Acted as Procurement Facilitator in finding the correct horse for my clients.
Launched India’s first Livery Yard.

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Background

Born into a family that has had horses for several generations, it did not take long for Anish to recognize his deep connection with horses. He was first put on a horse at the age of two at his family farm, back in the late 70’s, when horse riding was not very popular in the western parts of India. Having grown up at farms in the company of all sorts of animals, he discovered a fondness for all species, but horses somehow always seemed more exciting.

At the age of 16, he joined the ‘Young Riders Club’, based in Ahmedabad, and enrolled for their basic horse riding course to take up formal training in riding, handling and stable management. In a country where one can’t see many professional equine facilities teaching young equestrians the right discipline of equestrianism, he knew he was in good hands, with his coach being from the ‘61st Cavalry’ of the Indian Army, which has turned out some of the best horse riders in the country.

The first few months involved a rigorous schedule that sometimes involved being on horseback for up to 8 hours a day. Having gone through the basics, Anish moved on to cross-country, show-jumping, tent-pegging and trick riding. Within one year of formal training, he stood first at the district level equestrian games and after two years, won the Gold Medal at the state level championship in Gujarat. At this point, it was clear that there was no turning back.

In 2003, Anish started the ‘Madhuvan Farm Riding Club’ training students and horses. Here he polished his skills on breaking-in horses, teaching discipline from a young age, ground training, behavioral correction and re-training abused horses. Gradually, the general interest in equestrianism in western India began to grow, which was also reflected in the increase in number of privately owned horses in the region. By 2008, it was time to create a platform for interaction of equestrians around the state, so he set up the ‘Equestrian Club of Gujarat’ with a group of fellow equestrians, through which they organized breed shows, equine sport competitions and riding safaries. This helped the breeders, riders and horse lovers, who were spread out over a distance to come together and interact over a common platform. Further, these interactions also facilitated breeding, training, procurement and various other aspects of horsemanship.

Anish also provides quality Marwari stallions for stud services, which has resulted in the improvement of the equine stock in the area. Efforts on IVF and AI are also in progress, which in India is now a developing field for the indigenous breeds.

With a keen eye on identifying the beauty amongst the beasts, he sources horses for clients, training them and also providing the necessary guidance in setting up stabling facilities. Guidance on feed composition, syce training, veterinary and farriery are all arranged to make the experience hassle free for the client. Being one of the leading Equine Consultants in the county, he also provides the know-how for setting up breeding farms and riding clubs across India.

With the indigenous breeds of India, there are some areas where the use of cruel training practices and harsh equipment is commonly used. Here, he tries to create a bridge between the age-old practices and the english discipline of equitation to spread awareness on correct equestrian systems.

“To deal with a horse, you have to think like a horse” is something that Anish has always propagated. Their needs differ from ours in many ways and the better one understands their psychology, the easier it is to get them to willingly do what you want them to, and let go of all forceful tactics.

As they say, “there is never a bad horse, always a bad owner”, so it has also been important to lay emphasis on educating the owners while training their horses. This ensures that the training systems continue even after the training sessions conclude.