The nationwide lockdown has brought the horse polo season organised by the Amateur Riders Club (ARC) at Mahalaxmi Racecourse to a sudden halt.
Though polo players and umpires from Argentina and the U.K. returned home in time, 200 horses and 125 grooms (handlers) from Jaipur are stranded at the racecourse.
ARC has made arrangements to look after the horses and grooms for 22 days, but is bracing itself for tougher times with the lockdown likely to be extended. The club has built temporary stables for the horses and is providing all essential supplies to the grooms. ARC has also ensured the continuity of the health and hygiene regime of the horses by making available veterinary services on call and a compounder on the premises. Its members have been denied permission to ride the horses or visit the club and stables.
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Shyam Mehta, ARC president, said, “Every resource we have is devoted to the care of the horses and the grooms. Given the current scenario, we have been maintaining necessary safety standards and ensuring proper health and hygiene in and around the temporary and permanent stables.”
Mr. Mehta said ARC hopes to come out of the crisis stronger. “Initially, it was challenging to secure feed and hay for the horses, but the managing committee arranged for it,” he said.
Established in 1942, ARC is India’s oldest civilian horse riding club. It owns a polo field and a floodlit horse riding arena and conducts tournaments such as Maharaj Prem Singh Trophy, Southern Command Cup, Aditya Birla Memorial Cup. It also hosts the annual Mumbai Horse Show, which features events like horse polo, show-jumping and dressage.
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When the lockdown was imposed, Aditya Birla Memorial Cup was on with Bake House Cafe beating Cavalry Krishna Polo team 6-5 in the last match on March 15.