Randeep Hooda has taken a sabbatical from acting to focus on his other passion, horses.

And the passion has paid off.

Last week at the prestigious Delhi Horse Show Randeep and his two horses Ranji and Johnny Walker won a silver medal in the national dressage category which is considered by equestrians to be the toughest category in the competition.

No individual from any section of the Indian film industry has won a medal at the Delhi Horse Show.

Trying hard to be modest about it , Randeep says, “The Delhi Horse Show is the toughest because I had to compete against horse riders who were Arjun and Padma Shri winers. It’s normally impossible for a non-specialized rider to win at this venue. That I managed to win a silver mdedal and that too in the toughest category proves that horse riding is fast catching up my acting as my predominant passion.”

The presage requires the connectivity between the rider and his horse to be displayed in the subtlest of ways.

Explains Randeep, “You can’t make ‘horse noises’ to the horse nor spur it on with hands legs or a stick. It’s entirely to do with your communication level almost elevated to a telepathic link , between the horse and the rider.”

Randeep won the prestigious silver medal from out of a 170 entries in Delhi. Full credit goes to my horses Ranji and Johnny Walker. I owned 8 horses. But I gave 2 away to to a couple of new horse learners. I love my horses.”

Now the horse-riding season is over. And Randeep wants to get back to serious acting. “But horse riding will always be special. I think I’m the only professional horse rider from the movie industry. Strangely I’ve seen no men from the industry at equestrian events. Though I’ve seen some ladies like Diya Mirza and Lara Dutta at the race course. Women by the way, make superior horse riders.” -Sampurn Media