Explainer: The mess Equestrian Federation of India finds itself in

Infighting within the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) has led to the cancellation of at least 24 domestic and international equestrian tournaments, significantly impacting riders and the development of the sport in the country.

The cancellations stem from the EFI's failure to pay approximately Rs 27 lakh (approximately $32,000 USD) in dues to the world governing body, the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI), for events held between January and March 2025.

The federation's bank accounts have reportedly been frozen due to the internal dispute, preventing the payment of critical dues. Additionally, the EFI is facing an outstanding bill of almost Rs 2 crore (approximately $240,000 USD) for unpaid salaries, past tournament costs, and other expenses.

"EFI was supposed to pay remuneration to FEI officials for various Eventing, Show Jumping and Dressage events held in Delhi, Meerut, and Jaipur. However, the bank has frozen the account due to different factions within the Federation claiming operational access," an EFI source told news agency PTI.

The source added, "It is embarrassing and the athletes are the biggest losers here, but that is the situation. The sports ministry has been apprised of the latest infighting.

The roots of the crisis

The current turmoil within the EFI dates back to September 2023, when scheduled elections were delayed due to litigations. This ultimately led to the Delhi High Court appointing a Committee of Administrators (CoA) on May 21, 2024

However, this decision was challenged, and on May 29, the court temporarily reinstated the EFI's Executive Committee (EC), prioritizing the participation of Indian riders in the Paris Olympics.

Further complicating matters, the EC, in a meeting on April 11, 2025, decided to suspend Colonel Jaiveer Singh as secretary general without the presence of court-appointed observer SY Quraishi. Quraishi subsequently directed the EC to seek court approval for this order before implementation.

Colonel SS Ahlawat then moved the court on May 5 to seek approval, but the application was rejected on May 7, as the decision was deemed "not conforming to the law."

"The faction that removed the secretary general notified the development to FEI and also claimed the ownership of the bank account before getting the approval of the court. The bank then froze the account due to multiple stakes," the source explained.

Colonel Jaiveer Singh confirmed these developments, stating, "If you read the EFI statutes, the constitution says that the General Assembly, by a two-thirds majority of votes, can terminate from the Federation any member of the Executive Committee...for gross misconduct or for activities contrary to the interests and objectives of the EFI." He added, "They decided on my removal without calling the General Assembly. It had to be rejected by the court. Moreover, they attached the plea with an old case that does not stand now."

Events lost, future uncertain

The ramifications of this administrative disarray are already severe. On February 11, 2025, the FEI Secretary General had informed the EFI of the cancellation of an Eventing competition scheduled for February 24-28 in Meerut, citing the outstanding dues.

The FEI has since made it clear that the EFI must make advance payments for all future events, with non-compliance leading to further cancellations.

As of June 16, 2025, the EFI has already lost 12 events, including a workshop on Para dressage. An additional 12 events are projected to be cancelled by mid-October, including significant competitions like the Para Dressage World Challenge (Bengaluru, Oct 10-12), World Dressage (Bengaluru, Oct 8-9), and FEI Jumping (Bengaluru, Jul 24-27).

Addressing questions about how past salaries and expenses remained unpaid even before the recent account freeze, the source clarified, "The AGM held on August 18, 2024, had approved the budget and calendar, but the EC chose not to pay it."

The situation has prompted calls for government intervention. "We really need an intervention of the Sports Ministry here. Unless they do something about it and fresh elections are held, the mess is not going to clear," the source emphasized