NEW DELHI: The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for 19-year-old equestrian Niharika Singhania. By securing Meritu 4 alongside his horse, First to Cash Out, he booked his ticket to Japan for 2026. Asian games. And, as confirmed by the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) recently, Niharika will enter this year’s Asiad as the only woman in India’s show jumping team.The Asian Games selection was not a surprise for the teenager. Businesswoman’s daughter Gautam Singhania and Nawaz Modi Singhania, Niharika has put together a string of strong international performances, including a gold medal at the Azelhof CSI Lier in Belgium in April 2025.However, despite his international pedigree, his road to Aichi-Nagoya was anything but a smooth ride.
The road to the Asian Games
Earning a place at the Asian Games was as much a logistical challenge as a sporting one. For Indian riders, in particular, the road to qualification is complicated by international regulations.Because horses based in India cannot be transported directly to Japan under existing export protocols, athletes were required to base their horses in Europe, compete in qualifying events between November 2025 and June 2026, and prepare for the Games from there.“It was definitely a lot of ups and downs,” Niharika told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction. “There were a lot of balls that were thrown at us. I think that our criteria were also updated very, very close to the deadline. So we all tried to run, trying to find out how to accommodate this new framework.”
Niharika Singhania is only 19 (Special Arrangements)
The final test of resilience came when his primary horse, Iron Lady, who had taught him the European ropes, fell ill just weeks before the crucial deadline.“A few weeks before the deadline, she started not feeling so well,” shared Niharika. “Coincidentally, a week or two before, the horse that I qualified with, Cash (First to Cash Out), came to the stables. Actually it was a horse for next year, to build for bigger levels… And then we started going, and I said: “Wow, this horse is unreal”. In the first weekend itself, we decided: “Okay, I think this can be a horse for the trials of the Asian game”.“So we gave it a shot, and it really worked.”
It all started from a school trip
Niharika’s love affair with sports began entirely by chance at the age of 12 during a school trip. “Honestly, for me, it wasn’t something that was planned at all,” he revealed with a smile.“With school, we went to this camp in Pune, and just randomly there, I completely fell in love with it. I was like: ‘I love horses’. Everything about it. I came back, and I was just yelling at my parents… ‘Please let me ride!’Her parents drove her to a local racetrack. He spent four years training under Asian Games veteran Yashaan Khambatta, who is now his teammate for the 2026 Games.
For me personally, I really like to spend a lot of time with them in the stables
Niharika Singhania
Looking to push her boundaries, Niharika moved to Europe two years ago to train under veteran Belgian rider Vincent Lambrecht.
A stable of eight
Today, Niharika has eight horses, six of which are stationed in Europe and two in Mumbai. But in show jumping, a rider is only as strong as the partnership they build with their horse.“There are 100 different ways to approach a horse,” he explained.“For me personally, I really enjoy spending a lot of time with them in the stables. I think that’s how you know them. If I’m going to read my book, I’m going to sit in the stables and read. It’s just them getting used to you and getting used to your energy, and you have to get used to theirs.“What I find really hard to overcome is when the horses are sick… It hurts you more than anything that hurts you to see that the horse is in pain.”
Find balance out of the saddle
Balancing elite European training with rigorous academics was a tightrope walk every day.While completing her International Baccalaureate (IB) degree, Niharika seamlessly blended heavy study sessions with steady all-day duties, from cleaning buckets of water to tending to her tack.“I wasn’t the perfect student at all, but I tried my best,” he laughed. Fortunately, he received support from his parents, who understood the mental sanctuary that riding provides.
Niharika Singhania rides one of her six horses (Special Arrangements)
“I’m lucky the conversation never got to, ‘Please stop riding until your boards are finished.’ Not at all. For my mother especially, her thing was that if you studied for your board exams eight or nine hours a day, you deserve an hour a day to go,” added the teenager. “She said: “Don’t be here for five, six hours, but go for two hours, go for an hour, enjoy and come back, and I think it will help you.”With her qualification officially secured, Niharika is now in the final phase of preparations for the September 2026 Games.“The main thing is just to keep the horses in good shape, and also enjoy what they do,” he says. “Enough time that they get to relax, and then enough time where they work to keep in better shape. We have to work a little bit back from the Asian Games to make sure that they make a peak at that time.”Looking beyond Aichi-Nagoya, Niharika refuses to put a ceiling on her ambitions. “My idea with sports and horses is always from the beginning: let me take it as far as I can take it and see what is possible,” he smiled. “Let’s take it step by step and see how far I can go.”