The Hindu Business Line : From amble to gallop

Going by the rising number of riding schools that have sprung up across the country, horse riding, once considered an indulgence of the rich and famous, is picking up brisk pace.

Walk, trot, canter and gallop. On weekends at the Embassy International Riding School in Bangalore, you can find several people strapping up their stirrups for an invigorating day to experience the thrill of an ancient sport: horse riding.

Going by the rising number of riding schools that have sprung up across the country, equestrian sport, once considered the indulgence of the rich and famous, and perhaps limited to the cavalrymen, is now becoming a big rage. Judy Bidappa, Administrator, Embassy International Riding School, Bangalore says that of late there is a tremendous increase in the number of leisure riders. Though still an expensive sport, horse riding is no longer the preserve of the elite.The proof of the increasing popularity of the sport is that even though Embassy International is located about 29 km from the city "a lot of people don't mind commuting this far to learn the skill," says Judy.

Currently, Bangalore has five riding schools and these are some of the best in the country, says Capitan Nakul Yadav, Secretary, Agram Riding and Polo Academy. Located at the ASC Centre and College, Agram is run by the Indian Army, but the school is open to civilians too. Amidst stiff competition, Agram has been chosen to host the National Equestrian Meet for the last three years. The club currently has 65 members who go there for the love of the sport. "Most people come here because riding is a hobby for them. Some do it as a part of their fitness regimen."

Most riding clubs have coaching camps for beginners. According to Ajai Appachu, Chief Instructor at Embassy International, it takes anywhere between three and 10 days for a fresher to learn the basics of riding. Yadav says they categorise their riders into four groups: Freshers who have the handlers always with them. "We advise riders to have the handlers for one or one-and-a-half months." In the next stage, the riders venture out under the instructors' command. In the third phase, they are taught jumping and hacking. The highest level of riders is the specialist category, with expertise in show jumping, cross-country riding and polo.

Agram, which has around 175 horses, also conducts coaching camps in the evenings, where competitive riding skills such as dressage, show jumping and cross-country riding are taught. Yadav, who has been riding for 18 years and is a well-known polo player, says, "I think dressage is the ideal test of a rider." Incidentally, dressage involves training a horse to respond to the rider's body signals, which will lead it through a series of intricate manoeuvres. "This is a combination of the skills of the horse and the rider," explains Yadav.

Talking about the expanding profile of the people who have taken to riding, he says, "Though Agram is essentially an army riding school, there are architects, doctors, software engineers, housewives and children enjoying the sport." Adds Appachu, "There is a growing interest among children for the sport." Embassy International offers coaching in competitive riding to children between eight and 16 years of age. In fact, in a tie-up with two international schools in Bangalore, the riding school offers its services to children who wish to learn riding from its instructors. Embassy, which houses around 33 school horses, offers facilities for show jumping and dressage that are "up to international standards," says Subbaiah, an instructor with Embassy International.

The school, spread over 240 acres of lush green landscape, is interspersed with undulating terrain and uneven surfaces to give cross-country riders the "real thrill of riding," says Judy.

Speaking of careers in riding, Appachu says that in India it's difficult to make a career of any sport other than cricket. He lists out the options available to a riding enthusiast: "A: You can become a riding instructor. B: You can become a trainer. C: You can make money buying and selling horses. D: You can become a breeder." Interestingly, horse dentistry is a much sought after and a highly paying profession abroad, he says.

What about jockeying? Both Appachu and Yadav concur that jockeying is a different ball game altogether. Says Yadav, "Jockeys have to keep the horse going for a specific purpose. Their training would be different and would involve a lot of weight management." Though Agram has not had any jockeys coming in for training, Appachu of Embassy International says he has trained three jockeys in skill development. "They were absolutely raw and in about six months we had them riding on the tracks."

Embassy International also offers a livery facility, where two-year-old horses are trained to break into the racing circuit. "We also retrain problem horses," says Appachu, talking of the school's diversified activities.

So how expensive is this sport? An annual registration at Embassy Intarnational costs Rs 4,900 for an adult and about Rs 2,000 for a student. Special rates are available for couples, families and corporates. Apart from the registration fee, individuals need to pay about Rs 300 per hour for coaching. The Agram Academy offers a membership for Rs 14,000 for non-defence persons and Rs 2,500 for a serving or a retired defence person. The monthly fee is Rs 2,000 per month for non-defence members and Rs 5,000 for defence members, according to Yadav.

Appachu agrees that horse riding surely burns a hole in one's pocket, but "tell me, which sport does not?" he asks. According to him, golf is as expensive as horse riding. "Securing a membership in a golf club is no mean task. If you take archery or shooting, the basic equipment costs nothing less than Rs 2-3 lakh." Then you have parents spending a fortune sending their children to high-end cricket coaching camps, but how many of them really make it to the top, he asks. Now, that surely makes some horse sense.

Picture by G.R.N. Somashekar

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