Most civilians could not afford to own horses in the period following India's independence, and equestrian sports were primarily practiced by Indian Army officers. The Army re-established several major horse shows across the country that had been halted during World War II. In 1950s, the Army began seeking opportunities to send riders to compete at international events. However, all international competitions were conducted by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) which required participating riders to be sent by national federations. As India did not have such a federation, the Army established the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) in 1967. General P.P. Kumaramangalam, Major General R.K.R. Balasubramanian, and several senior army officers are credited with setting up the EFI. The Federation held its first meeting on 14 March 1967 and officially proclaimed "the birth of the national Equestrian Federation of India" and defined its objectives. One of the EFI's urgent tasks was to "promote equine breeding and care and management of equines" as the Partition of India had resulted in the loss of West Punjab, the best horse breeding territory in British India, to Pakistan. The EFI became affiliated with FEI in 1971.
