Chandigarh [India]: A brainchild of S. Deepinder Singh Brar, 31, and S. Harjinder Singh Khosa, 32, ‘The Ranch’, situated in New Chandigarh, is changing the lives of hundreds of people, by training and helping aspiring horse riding enthusiasts to pursue a career in equestrian sports. The duo, who are both passionate horse riders and pass outs of Punjab Public School (PPS), Nabha, that has a rich legacy of producing some of the best equestrian sportsmen, opened ‘The Ranch’ in May 2021. In just over a year they have created a special bond not only with the horses but have successfully trained several horse riders to tack their horses and groom them.
It is noteworthy that with horseracing & horse riding running in their blood, both Brar and Khosa saw a dream to make horse riding grow in the region, this resulted in the foundation of ‘The Ranch’.
“We organise the Chandigarh Horse Show (CHS) every year and the 2nd edition of CHS titled Homeland Chandigarh Horse Show was held at ‘The Ranch’ recently. The show presented India’s first Derby Event,” added Brar proudly.
The Derby race competition for riders and their horses at CHS featured the best horse and rider combination over natural obstacles on 1100-metre-long tracks. In addition to Derby; there were competitions like Dressage, Puissance, Fancy Dress Competition, Grand Six Bar, normal show Jumping among others. There was a lot on the list for sports lovers and for the animal enthusiasts during the Chandigarh Horse Show, a Dog Show was also held.
Khosa said, “We want to fill up the gaps in equestrian sports through CHS. The idea behind CHS is to make people aware about equine sports and also make this widely accessible.”
In addition to the equestrian sports activities, horse lovers were able to witness exotic breeds including Arabian Horses, Gypsy breed, and miniature ponies which were part of a first time in the region exhibition at the show. CHS was scheduled under the guidelines of the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), and the event offered an inclusive experience to the audience.
A Derby theme based Fashion show was also organized on the concluding day of the Homeland Chandigarh Horse Show. The event proved the centre of attraction for visitors that included the who’s who of the Chandigarh capital region. Hundreds of horse riding enthusiasts witnessed the fashion walk themed on ‘Derby dressing’ by 10 national and international models. The make-up partner of the fashion show was the famous salon label Hair Masters, which is heralded by socialite Ms. Rashmeet Kapoor. The models showcased jewellery designed by Jia Diamonds that offers exclusive Gold Jewellery with lowest making charges.
Three rounds were held. The first round was related to the ‘cowgirl hat theme’; while the second round was curated by fashion label ‘CockPit Crush’. An eclectic collection was created by Ankita Goel who is the founder of the label. The Third round of, Derby Runway Collection which was also the finale was showcased by Couture Brand ARZOE. Ms. Jashan Boparai from ARZOE said, “My craftsmen and I created 21 looks. These high fashion couture Derby style silhouettes were especially curated for luxurious lifestyle statements for women of Chandigarh.”
Even corporates came forward to support the unique equestrian event. “We felt there is a need for business houses to promote equestrian sports in the country as it is a costly sport. At times, talented players are not able to pursue their training and career in the dearth of funds. One of the primary reasons why we decided to support the event was to help those who want to pursue a career in the sport,” said Mr. Umang Jindal, MD of region’s premier realty brand Homeland Group, the main sponsors of the mega horse-riding show.
In addition to the Homeland group there were other corporate houses that supported the CHS. Pioneer Toyota sponsored the Derby event while HDFC Bank was the Banking Partner, and Decathlon the Recreational Partner. Several other renowned local brands from the F & B, retail, and fashion sector are also associated with the much-sought after event.
Mr. Deepinder Singh Brar, concluded, “We plan to redefine outdoor events with this calendar event. The aim is to create a platform which includes fun along with sports. In keeping with this motive we organised many equestrian sports events during the Homeland Chandigarh Horse Show and even held a concurrent exhibition of lifestyle products. There was a food court also to give a carnival feel to the event. The fashion show was the icing on the cake and rejuvenated the participants.”
