Jhelum Tent Pegging Championship 2025

May 25th, 2025

 

On 23–24 May 2025, the grounds of Govt. Post Graduate College Jhelum came alive with the thunder of hooves as 50 invited teams gathered for the Jhelum Tent Pegging Championship, a landmark event hosted by Arooj Azhar Kayani (CEO, Kingsgate Equine), alongside Hamza Azhar Kayani, Kasim Ahmad Khan, and Malik Suleman Aziz Kamrial.

 

This championship was the first in Jhelum’s history to be organised by a female tent-pegger, marking an important milestone for Pakistan’s equestrian community. Families, enthusiasts, and dignitaries turned out in large numbers to witness two evenings of thrilling horsemanship, cultural pride, and sporting excellence.

 

For Arooj, the event was about more than competition, it was about opening doors. As Pakistan’s first female captain of a tent-pegging team, she dedicated the championship to encouraging women and youth to step forward into equestrian sports. “Horse riding and tent-pegging are not limited to men,” she noted, “they are games of valour and passion that belong to everyone.”

 

The event drew widespread appreciation, not only for its scale but also for its inclusivity, with separate arrangements made for families and young girls inspired to ride. Government representatives, including Adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister, retired General Azhar Kiyani, praised the initiative as a vital step in promoting cultural sports across the province.

 

Though the prize distribution was postponed due to a thunderstorm, the championship stood as a milestone, one that celebrated tradition, empowered women, and set a new precedent for the future of equestrian sports in Pakistan.