Deep within Eroor, off Puthiya Road, there’s a three-acre plot bordered by a high wall. Eavesdrop from the outside and all you hear are clip-clop, clip-clop. The sounds grow louder to a brisk walk, build to a trot, speed into a canter and break into the thundering beats of hooves hitting ground in a mad gallop. Peep inside and you’ll see an English thoroughbred fly past, nostrils flared and chest taut, mounted by a wisp of a lad — horse trainer Michael.
Centres such as Eroor’s Affirmed Horse Riders City with its six horses, the older Gallop Cochin Academy at Thuthiyoor, Kakkanad with 15 horses, Cochin Horse Rider’s Club in Perumbavoor, and an increasing number of families purchasing individual horses, have all arisen in the last few years. Horses and horse riding are now the rage in Kochi.
For passion’s sake“It’s a craze! Once you’ve ridden a horse, you’ll always want to again,” says Sunil George of Gallop, a venture run with his brother and art director Salu K. George. Salu loved horses from childhood and bought his first horse, Karna, an Indian bred Kathiawari from Ooty, five years ago. Karna today stands at Gallop’s stables with five other Kathiwaris, who take Kerala’s climate well, and seven thoroughbreds, who need regular washing down to handle the heat. “We began Gallop a year ago purely from our passion for horses,” says Salu. Gallop now enjoys 30 members, with rising enquiries as the summer holidays near.
There are four stages to learning to ride a horse, says Sajith T.M. who runs Affirmed with Jarald V.S. The two have been horse-obsessed since watching races in Bangalore and Chennai, and began Affirmed to encourage professional racing in Kochi. “You begin by walking the horse,” explains Sunil. “Then you mount a horse, trot with it, which involves your upper body muscles, canter by just sitting and finally gallop like jockeys would.”
The training packages these schools offer range from 10 days to two months, with daily or weekly lessons early morning and after sundown. “Bonding with the horse in your time off it is important,” says Sajith. Thus, they teach students to groom horses — brushing down to raise blood circulation and for a shiny coat, feeding (barley, soya, chickpeas, straw) and bathing — as well as riding preparation (saddling and reining).
Horse riding can change your personality, observes Sunil. “You’re alone on the horse; the process is entirely manual. Managing and directing it gives you immense confidence.” Raju K.A., professor of physical education at Sacred Heart College, says they ran a training centre for four years with four horses, just to build students’ self-esteem.
“Parents encourage it because it straightens children’s posture and stance and develops concentration.” It’s also a vigorous full-body workout. “Our oldest member is a 58-year-old man who rides to reduce his cholesterol,” says Jarald. Women too join for fitness and are specially trained with companion horses at Affirmed. A chunk of Gallop’s clientele comes from the film industry. “Young actors must learn riding if they’re ever required for period films,” says Sunil. Gallop’s horses have also featured in films like Lal-Jose’s Ezhu Sundara Rathrikal , and the Fahadh Faasil-starrer Red.
Horse ownershipMany students also buy horses after learning, observes Sunil. “Since we began, we’ve sold almost 15 horses procured from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, for families in Kollam, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. Just as it once was prestigious to own an elephant, the preference is now for horses.” Cochin Horse Rider’s Club in Perumbavoor is a group of a dozen such families, that meets every Sunday to ride the city’s streets and in open grounds. “Our group began in 2009 when one of us bought a thoroughbred that passed away within a year. We all own Kathiawaris now and even teach college students and cine artistes at a common ground,” says Vishnu Shaji, one of the earliest members. Owning a horse takes daily work with regular grooming and exercise for the horse, he says.
On an average, horses cost between one and four lakh and consume Rs. 7,000-10,000 worth of food monthly, says Raju. Couple this with trainers’ salaries, stable construction and riding accessories, the sport is certainly an expensive one. For these reasons, and the lack of an exclusive ground for horses especially during the rains, Sacred Heart recently closed its training centre. Sam Joseph, who runs Team Sam Academy that ties up with organisations to support sports for children, says clients are often discouraged from horse riding courses because of their steep fee. “People discount the immense time and money that goes into maintaining these academies,” he says. For Vishnu though, the costs are immaterial before his addiction to horses. “It’s like a drug, almost. Nothing can compare to the adventure and beauty of riding a horse.”
