The Neighsayers who live to ride

The trio of Virendran Kankariya, Lochen Kharawala and Anish Gajjar from Ahmedabad is credited with bringing interest among its residents in the sport of equestrian. “In cities with a race course, turf club, polo ground or similar facilities, riding classes are viable because the infrastructure is already available. In Ahmedabad where these sports do not exist, a standalone riding school becomes an expensive proposition. The only place to learn riding in Ahmedabad was Police Stadium. A riding school started by our fellow-enthusiasts, did not prove feasible. However, we found that there were people who wanted to own and ride horses but could not because there were no facilities,” says Kankariya.

Kankariya decided to create a facility to encourage the horse riding culture. “In order to encourage people to own horses, I converted a field next to my wax factory into a stable. Here, anyone who invested in a horse could keep them in the stable which was equipped with the required personnel. By sharing cost of the horse-keeping personnel, stabling facilities and fodder, it became an economically attractive proposition for families to buy horses and keep them in my stables for weekend riding,” says Kankariya. He adds, “This began to get many first-time horse owners and riders together. We also opened the land for those who could ride the horses for a fee.”  Seeing the interest in riding, the group of equestrian enthusiasts came together and organised a demonstration horse show in Ahmedabad in 2007. This event marked the launch of Equestrian Club of Gujarat (ECG).This was followed by a horse show at the Police Stadium, Ahmedabad, in January 2008, in which about 72 horse owners participated. “Many youngsters approached us for details about owning and riding horses. Those who lacked space, time or expertise to maintain them, we directed them to Kankariya’s Elane Stables” says Gajjar.

The growing membership of ECG gave the group confidence to organise more events. “Some real estate developers also showed interest in keeping horses in their gated community housing areas. We organised races at Nalsafari, a farmhouse complex near Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary. It received good response,” says Gajjar. He adds, “We are concentrating to promote indigenous breeds like the Marwari, Kathiawadi, Sindhi because they are most suitable for the climate and terrain around Ahmedabad.”  Bred for travel in the desert and rocky conditions, these horses are known for their endurance and not their speed and power.  The club promotes these breeds by organising Endurance Riding competitions in Ahmedabad. Endurance riding is the equestrian sport of controlled long-distance riding.

Mahipendra Singh Danta, who is actively involved with the Indigenous Horse Society of India, says, “An interesting aspect of endurance riding is that riders of all ages, expertise levels and both sexes can compete effectively. At Jodhpur, girls from Mayo College came up tops in a field that included cavalry officers and strong-built men. A 61-year-old shone at the 20 km equestrian endurance competition at Santej near Ahmedabad in 2011, which saw participation of men, women, girls and boys.”

“Another great event was the horse show at Dholera, in Ahmedabad district, organised by Charotar Horse Society, Anand, Equestrian Club of Gujarat, Ahmedabad, Animal Husbandry Department, Gandhinagar,Veterinary College,Anand and Agricultural University,Anand’’, says Gajjar. “Though, Dholera is a small village, the attendance from Dholera and the number of people who drove down from different places was impressive — it was heartening to watch the huge audience enjoying the 1 km race. We are confident that horse riding will become a popular sport and activity in Ahmedabad, ’’ adds Gajjar.