Hardship for sportsperson is like wind for fire. It extinguishes sparks but stimulates those who have the potential to turn into inferno. Same was the case with Hera Mirza, a young tent pegger from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. Hera distinctly remembers the day when she encountered the horse for the first time.  It was supposed to be a joy ride,  but as soon as she mounted the horse it took off  at a flat-out gallop. Despite it being her first time on a saddle and her left foot being out of the stirrup, she didn’t give up. By the time horse finally came to a halt, Hera had decided to spend rest of her life exploring this magnificent animal. Those couple of minutes were enough for her to realize that once you have experienced the thrill of being on a horse back, it is difficult to get satisfied with an ordinary life. You need more of it, and you need it pronto.

However, it was not before three years that she could turn her dream into a reality. Hera moved to Aligarh in the year 2014 where she got the opportunity for which she had been waiting all this while.  Soon after joining a Horse-Riding Club, she started to hone her skills with events like carrot cutting, sword tent pegging, individual and team lance tent pegging. Eventually, in Mar 2015 the budding tent pegger got to take part in her first ever ‘National Tent Pegging Championship’ which happened concurrently with her board exams. But with parents as supportive as Hera’s, there was no problems in cracking both simultaneously at a trot. Since then Hera has participated in many national and international events. Needless to mention that she was mostly the only girl participant when she represented India in April 2017 or when she secured Fifth Position in Individual Sword tent pegging at National equestrian Championship among other 140 riders from Army and civilian background in Nov 2017.

As per this future broncobuster, horse riding has a lot to offer to children. Riding helps kids in boosting their self-confidence, encouraging them to be passionate, dedicated and hard working. It also develops a kind of affection and compassion towards nature and animals. It trains them to remain focused towards a single goal. In future Hera wants to bring some gold home from International Competitions and do her bid to popularize the sport of tent pegging. As per her this game is underrated and should be given deserving recognition. The girl in her wants to see many more women coming into this sport and for this she intends to make a track especially for them. This track will be a kind of a century for all the girls for whom smell of stable is a fragrance rather than  malodorous.