New Delhi: The past few weeks have not met the whirlwind of 19-year-old Niharika Singhania. Earning Merit 4 alongside his horse, First to Cash Out, booked a ticket to Japan in 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 the Indian Show Jumping team.The selection for the Asian Games was not a surprise for the youngster. The daughter of a businessman Gautam Singhania and Nawaz Modi Singhania, Niharika has combined strong international performances, including winning a gold medal at the Azelhof CSI Lier in Belgium in April 2025.However, even though he was from other countries, his journey to Aichi-Nagoya was difficult.
Road to the Asian Games
Getting a place at the Asian Games was as difficult as the sport itself. For Indian riders, in particular, the road to qualification is complicated by international regulations.Because horses living in India cannot be taken to Japan according to the existing procedures, athletes had to enter their horses in Europe, compete in qualifying events between November 2025 and June 2026, and prepare for the Games from there.“It was up and down,” Niharika told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction. “There were a lot of balls being thrown at us. I think our plan was changed a lot, very close to the end. So we were all trying to run, trying to find out how to use the new plan.”
Niharika Singhania is just 19 years old (Special Edition)
A major test of courage came when his main horse, Iron Lady, whom he trained in the European ropes, fell ill a few weeks before the deadline.“A few weeks before the deadline, she started feeling unwell,” Niharika said. “Incidentally, a week or two before that, the horse that I’ve qualified for, Cash (First at Cash Out), came to the barn. He was really supposed to be a horse for next year, to build the big levels… And then we started going, and I was like, ‘Wow, this horse is blind.’ At the end of that first week, we thought, ‘Okay, I think this can be a horse at the Asian Games trials.‘ So we shot with him, and it really worked. “
It all started on a school trip
Niharika’s love affair with the game started by chance when she was 12 years old on a school trip. “Honestly, for me, it wasn’t something that was planned,” he revealed with a smile.“With school, we had gone to this camp in Pune, and randomly there, I really liked it. I was like, ‘I like horses.’ All about it. I came back, and I was bothering my parents… ‘Please let me go!’His parents directed him to an athletic center. He spent four years being trained by former Asian Games champion Yashaan Khambatta, who is now his partner at the 2026 Games.
Personally, I like to spend a lot of time with them in the stables
Niharika Singhania
In order to push her limits, Niharika moved to Europe two years ago to train under Belgian veteran rider Vincent Lambrecht.
A cage for eight people
Today, Niharika has 8 horses, six of them are in Europe and two in Mumbai. But in show jumping, a rider is only as strong as the bond they build with their horse.“There are 100 ways to communicate with a horse,” he said.“For me personally, I like to spend more time with them in the cages. I think that’s how you know them. If I have to read my book, I’ll go and sit in the cages and read it. Just as they are getting used to you and your strengths, you must also get used to theirs.“What I find most difficult to overcome is when the horses are sick… It hurts you more than something that hurts you would hurt you to see a horse in pain.”
Finding balance in the saddle
Balancing European excellence with hardworking students was a tough ride every day.While completing her International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma, Niharika juggled many studies with her daily activities, from cleaning water buckets to cooking.“I wasn’t a perfect student at all, but I tried my best,” he laughed. Fortunately, he received support from his parents, who understand the sanctuary that climbing provides.
Niharika Singhania riding one of her six horses (Special Arrangements)
“I was lucky that the conversation never happened, ‘Please stop riding until your boards are gone.’ Not at all. For my mother especially, her thing was that if you are studying for your board exam for eight or nine hours a day, you should go for one hour that day,” added the young man.With her qualifications secured, Niharika is now in the final stages of preparations for the September 2026 Games.“The main thing is just keeping them healthy, and loving what they do,” he says. “Enough time for him to rest, and then enough time that he is working to keep fit. We have to work slowly from the Asian Games to make sure he is at his peak then.”Looking beyond Aichi-Nagoya, Niharika refuses to put a ceiling on her goals. “My idea is sports and horses always from the beginning: let me take it as far as I can and see what is possible,” he smiled. “We’ll take it one step at a time and see how far I can go.”
