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Anush AGARWALLA

Anush AGARWALLA, Indian Dressage athlete.
Name Anush AGARWALLA
FEI ID 10172327
Gender Male
Date of Birth 23/11/1999
Competing for India - IND
Registration Dressage 2024
Last update 25/07/2024
FEI Database



Dressage 70x70
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport? He began riding at age three in Kolkata, India. He took up lessons at age eight. "During the weekends, I would fly to New Delhi for my training and return by Sunday evening, so that I could still attend school during the week." (fei.org, 16 Jul 2022)
Why this sport? “What excites me the most about Dressage is the feeling of connection and bonding with your horse. It’s a great feeling when the rider and horse move in sync performing as one. I always prepare him on my own before and after riding, take him to the fields and paddocks or go hacking with him in the forests.” (fei.org, 16 Jul 2022)
Club / Team RV Altenautal eV: Germany
Name of coach Hubertus Schmidt [personal]
Training Regime His typical day begins at the crack of dawn followed by an eight hours riding regimen on six different horses. At the end of each day, he spends time with the horses and takes them for a walk to strike up a friendship with them. (educationworld.in, Mar 2024)
General Interest
Memorable sporting achievement Winning gold at the Asian Games in 2023: “Winning a Team gold and an Individual bronze for the country, while my family and my coach watched me live still makes me emotional to this day. What made this experience even more memorable was the friendship and the camaraderie we shared within our team." (fei.org, 16 Jul 2022)
Most influential person in career His family. (Instagram profile, 30 Oct 2021)
Hero / Idol His German coach, Hubertus Schmidt, who is an Olympic gold medallist.
Sporting philosophy / motto “Without the horses, we are nothing. Of course, you need to be a good rider. You need to have a good coach. But without the right horse, you are nothing." (indianexpress.com, 25 Jul 2024)
Awards and honours He was among 26 sportspersons conferred India's prestigious Arjuna Award 2023 for outstanding performance in sports by the nation's President Murmu.
Ambitions To raise the profile of dressage in India. Following his Asian Games gold, he said: “I hope that this historic feat will be a turning point for equestrian sport in India. I hope that this will prove to the millions of young equestrians in India that nothing is impossible and that with hard work, dedication and consistency, everything can be achieved." (fei.org, 28 May 2024)
Other information MOVE TO GERMANY After having difficulties in finding a coach to train him, in 2017 he left Kolkata, India, and moved to Paderborn, Germany, to train with German equestrian Hubertus Schmidt. "We researched international riders and stables on the internet. The Schmidt family replied and so I travelled to Germany to get to know each other and prepare for the first time. After that it was clear that I could start my training here. When I shifted to Germany in 2017, I was at E-level with no knowledge about true riding and almost no show experience." (olympics.com, 18 Jul 2022; fei.org, 16 Jul 2022; Instagram profile, 30 Oct 2021; eurodressage.com, 04 Nov 2019)
General highlights He was part of the Indian team that won their first Asian Games equestrian gold medal in more than 40 years at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023.
Milestones He became the first Indian dressage athlete to compete in the Olympic Games at Paris 2024. He and Shruti Vora became the first Indian dressage riders to compete at the FEI World Championship in 2022.
Further Personal Information
Residence Paderborn (GER)
Occupation Athlete, Student
Languages English, German, Hindi
Higher education Business Management, University of Paderborn (GER)