Raju Singh Bhadoria

Raju Singh Bhadoria (born c. 2005) is an Indian equestrian rider who competes in the discipline of eventing. He attracted national attention after qualifying for the 2022 Asian Games, becoming one of the few Indian riders to achieve the qualification standard for the event. Bhadoria earned qualification through his performance at the CCI Two-Star Eventing Competition organised at the ASC Centre in Bengaluru, where he completed the qualifying event with 40.8 penalties. He later represented India in international competitions and trained under French eventing coach Regis Prudhon

Early life and background Bhadoria was born into an underprivileged farming family in Pachera village near Harpalpur in the Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh. Unlike many professional equestrians, Bhadoria did not come from a family involved in horse riding or competitive sport.

His introduction to equestrianism came in 2015 when, at the age of eleven, he visited his maternal uncle, Arvind Singh Parihar, who worked as a horse groomer and caretaker at the Madhya Pradesh State Equestrian Academy in Bhopal.

Bhadoria continued competing in national eventing competitions after joining the senior ranks. In 2021, he won the bronze medal in the National Cross Country One-Star competition held in Meerut, finishing with 44 penalty points riding his horse 'Chandani'. In February 2023, he won the individual gold medal at the Senior National Equestrian Championship held in Mumbai.

Asian Games qualification and international career In February 2023, Bhadoria qualified for the 2022 Asian Games after meeting the Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER) during the CCI Two-Star Eventing competition at the ASC Centre in Bengaluru. He completed the event with 40.8 penalties, having previously cleared trial stages in Delhi and Jaipur to secure his spot as the youngest member of the Indian four-rider contingent.

Riding discipline Bhadoria competes primarily in eventing, an Olympic equestrian discipline combining dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. Success in eventing requires both horse and rider to perform consistently across all three phases while accumulating the fewest penalty points.

Achievements Recipient of the Eklavya Award from the Government of Madhya Pradesh (2020). Bronze medal – National Cross Country One-Star Championship (2021). Gold medal – Senior National Equestrian Championship (2023). Gold medal – Eventing Cross Country One-Star competition, Grosbois, France (2023). Team Gold & Individual Bronze – Senior National Equestrian Championship (2024). Gold medal – FEI CCI 3* Eventing, Jaipur (2024).