Coimbatore: The national-level Equestrian Champions League show jumping competition, organised by the Equine Sports India Federation; affiliated to the Equestrian Federation of India, began in Coimbatore on Friday. The event is being held at the Equine Dreams ground in Molapalayam near Vellanai Patti.Six teams representing six states are taking part in the league: Chennai Bulls (Tamil Nadu), Pegasus Sports (Kerala), Golconda Chargers (Telangana), Bengaluru Knights (Karnataka), Elite Equestrians (West Bengal) and Quantum Reigns (Goa). Each team has six riders and three substitutes, taking the total participation to 54 riders.Riders presented skill demonstrations and stunts during the opening ceremony, along with an introduction to the competition format, as horses cleared obstacles in the arena. Winners across categories will share a total prize purse of ₹30 lakh.Competitions will be held on three days till August 30, across three categories: 100 cm, 110 cm and 120 cm. The riders will be judged by Equestrian Federation of India-accredited judges based in New Delhi, while the course has been designed by a designer from Sharjah.The league was inaugurated by Sundar Ramakrishnan, managing trustee, SNR Trust; A S Sakti Balaji, president, Equine Sports India Federation; Dr R Mahendran, founder, Expovan; Dr R C M Vishnu Prabhu, ambassador for Trade, INDIA ASEAN Trade Council; and the owners of the participating teams.The final competition on Sunday is scheduled to be attended by K A Sengottaiyan, Tamil Nadu minister for revenue and disaster management; S Kamali, minister for animal husbandry; and MLAs N M Sukumar, Sathyabama and Tamilselvi. The prize distribution will be graced by actors Arya and Shaam.
