Horses were brought in for sale, reportedly for the first time, at the weekly Manapparai shandy this week. The shandy is usually held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
A separate enclosure was made for exhibiting the horses. According to sources, 19 horses belonging to indigenous breeds were brought to the shandy. While four horses each were brought from Karur and Tiruchi, a few horses belonging to Manapparai, Valanadu and Manjampatti were exhibited.
As news spread about the arrival of horses, many traders, who specialise in bull, cow and sheep and goat trades, made a beeline to see the horses. Four horses were sold during the shandy that began on Tuesday afternoon and concluded on Wednesday. “It is a good beginning. There is no established shandy for horses in the State except for the annual shandy at Anthiyur in Erode district. We hope that horse trading will become a regular feature at Manapparai shandy,” said N. Periathambi, a horse and bull rearer in Manapparai.
He said that the number of horses would double in the next week. Similarly, more traders were expected from different parts of the State.
