THE incredible spectacle of horsemanship and skill was on show at the weekend as the much anticipated 'Neza bazi', or tent pegging, took place again in Bradford.

Chairman Rajgaan Neza Baaz Club was praised for a superb event held at the Haworth Road Playing Fields, in BD9, in remembrance of late co-founder Haji Raja Iqbal Khan.

A crowd of more than 2,000 spectators gathered for the show which was attended by city dignitaries including guests of honour Bradford Council leader Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe and Cllrs Mohammed Amran and Arshad Hussain, there to present awards.

Event Organiser Raja Kamran Zulfkar also known as ‘Raja Jaani’ said: “The Neza Bazi was really popular. I am extremely proud to have received an award for mine and my teams hard work. The horses and riders were from all over the country. We even had horses come all the way from Ireland. It was really good to see walkers and passers-by enthralled by the action on the day.

“It is an annual event we hold in Bradford and we are all really proud it went well. Thank you to Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Councillor Amran and Councilor Arshad from the Heaton ward."

Raja Raza Shan, a member of the British Tent Pegging Association and also a member of the Chairman Rajgaan Club of Bradford added:  “It is amazing how cultural events like these bring together communities, cultures, people of different backgrounds and most of all today’s youth. In my opinion this is a huge part of the Bradford 2025 Culture."

Chairman CEO Raja Altaf Hussain of Pakhral Rajgan spoke about his passion for horses. He said: “I have been riding and looking after horses for over 50 years. I owned my very first horse when I was just 10 years of age. Here in Bradford I own the Raja Farm which is based on Bingley Road, where we have over a dozen horses, we travel up and down the country to Tent Pegging events.”

Cllr Hinchcliffe presented club member Kamran Zulffkar with an award for his continuous hard work and efforts. Both congratulated the event management and also distributed trophies and medals to the winning teams.

Kumran Hussain, also known as ‘Munzy’ from the Prince’s Trust Foundation, and Raja Wajid Ali from Waterstone Solicitors said: “This is an indescribable fantastic event, vibrant and full of life. This event plays a massive role in Bradford city of Culture 2025. More than anything else it is a fun, family-friendly and most importantly it brings different cultures together. I hope that the team Chairman Rajgaan Bradford will hold more events like this.”

Tent pegging is a sport of the equestrian discipline, where the objective is for a rider to pierce, pick-up and carry a target, with a lance, as they gallop towards the target. The sport is played in a lot of countries around the world, but is most popular in commonwealth countries.

Horse Riding and Tent Pegging is a well known sport in Pakistan which is now being introduced into the UK. Organisers say it keeps the youth active and connected to their pakistani culture. And it's also an excellent way of diversifying sports in the UK.

Tent pegging competitions vary based on a few factors like, the size and shape of targets, number of consecutive targets, types of weapons allowed, the duration and speed in which the course has to be completed, and the manner in which the target has to be attacked.

In competitions, riders are awarded points for each target based on the execution, with penalties enforced for violations. The rider with the most points at the end of the competition is declared as the winner.

There are several tent pegging competitions conducted at a national level. The most popular and highest level of international competitions for the sport are the Tent Pegging World Cup and the World Championships.