Last Sunday Pakistan’s Olympics mission received a huge blow when our Melbourne-based equestrian Usman Khan was critically injured and his horse Kasheer died in an accident at the FEI Naracoorte Horse Trials CIC-4* Olympic Games Qualifiers in South Australia.The accident occurred just before the finish line of the cross country. Had Usman completed it he would certainly have retained his Olympics seat and could also have created a record.

After a superb dressage test which put Usman and Kasheer in the third place the duo did equally well in showjumping with only one rail fallen. This placed the Pakistan combination in the second spot before going into the cross country. It was Pakistan’s highest-ever position after two phases at an Olympic Qualifier in the 73 years long history. Recently Usman had set a national record at the CIC 4* dressage in Sydney in the Olympic Qualifying round. Pakistan’s win was within reach as the combination commenced the cross country.

A national record was in sight and possibly a new chapter in the international equestrian history was about to be written. A clear round would mean they became the first Pakistani to win an Olympic qualifier, the first ever in the Southern hemisphere.

They would also become the first to win in Australia from Asia and the Middle East region. They soared together and cleared all hurdles. The rhythm of the duo was so good that they averaged a pace of 35 kilometre per hour and 570 mps.

A new chapter of Pakistan was about to unfold. They were 50 metres away from the finish line with only one fence to clear, a record in sight, Olympic Qualification at stake and a dream of a nation about to be realised. Usman and Kasheer jumped the last fence and cleared it. Kasheer hit his right knee on take-off.

There was no FEI safety pin system at the Naracoorte at CIC4* level. Had the system been there the top rail would have given way. The duo tragically fell metres from the finish line after clearing the last fence. Usman fell so close to the finish line that he wanted to crawl towards it. Kasheer had a rotational fall and landed on his neck. Within 30 seconds the local vet reached. Kasheer sadly died on impact. The local crowds said Usman fell head down and Kasheer landed on him. “He was unconscious for two to four minutes. When he regained consciousness the first thing he asked about was the welfare of Kasheer,” an eye witness said.

It is indeed a painful story.

Kasheer was a nice partner and Usman badly misses him. Usman, who has received multiple injuries, now feels well but remains in shock.

“We had almost regained the Olympic spot with a win a few metres away. Kasheer was taken to Roseworthy Vet hospital in Adelaide after the incident for a postmortem. On my request he will be laid with the Olympic and Pakistan flags. I want to see him one last time before the burial. A war horse died in pursuit of Pakistan’s Olympic dream. Should we ever give him a shaheed status!” Usman told ‘The News on Sunday’ (TNS).

Usman had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics through his horse Azad Kashmir in 2019. However, AK died last year and he had to retain his seat after getting through some more qualifying rounds with a new horse. It’s a huge blow to Usman who had worked extremely hard to earn an Olympic seat. He still has a chance but he is yet in shock and after recovering he will be in a position to decide what he should do now.

He lost his horse and then another within a few months. He has invested a huge amount. The issue is: who will compensate him? It is the responsibility of the state to offer its help to the valiant rider who has given a lot of sacrifices for reaching this level. His journey, which is yet to complete, spans over a period of 16 years. He sacrificed his luxury job, time, money and is even willing to lay down his life for Pakistan.

It would be a pity if he was not backed after two back-to-back incidents.

Had he possessed two or three horses qualifying for the Olympics wouldn’t have been an issue. He struggled all alone, with a lone horse and after facing a shock incident he is still determined. We should not think only about the Olympics. Usman is a great asset for Pakistan and can even win medals in the Asian Games and other events if he is supported by the government. How long can he keep spending from his own resources? “There are two events left before June 21, the deadline. We don’t have a horse. If we do have a horse we can possibly aim for an MER. I need to check with Equestrian Australia at what level they want me to start. Because with Kasheer I got three MER and almost won the fourth MER. This improves by riding category which means when I get a new horse I don’t need five MER. I will need less. But there are not enough rounds. Previously we had sponsored qualifying rounds,” Usman said.

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