Chennai
The Madras School of Equitation, one of the oldest in the country having been established in the 1960s, has acquired a reputation for being one of the best when it comes to imparting training to people from the age group of 3 to 70.
“We have around 100 to 120 students in our school. From children as young as three to senior citizens over 65 train here. We have four instructors with each of them having 20-25 years experience after having earned their qualification from the prestigious British Horse Society,” says G Dhananjai, secretary of the Madras School of Equitation.
An avid rider himself, Dhananjai, who is close to 50, speaks of his profound love for horses and how the sport of equestrian is in dire need of monetary assistance. “Since time immemorial, horses have been an integral part of human life. In our school, we treat our horses with utmost respect. We look after them like our children. Most importantly, we don’t employ fear as a weapon to get them to do what we want them to. The horses are bathed twice a day and we ensure that like any athlete the horse’s food requirements are properly met.
“It’s unfortunate that we hardly have any representation in sports. However, things have started improving slowly. There was once a time when this sport was in danger of getting extinct, but it had been revived in the 70s. The parents have to come forward and encourage their children to take up this sport. What we are lacking is committed riders. And on the financial front, we need corporates to pump in money,” adds Dhananjai.
Asked about the inherent ‘risk’ factor that is associated with the sport, Dhananjai is quick to point out that there is no sport without an element of risk involved.
“Any sport comes with a little risk. In our school, we tried to minimise the risk by making it mandatory to wear a helmet if you go anywhere near the horse. You have to be attired properly and for a young rider, we provide something called Body Armour. It’s like a helmet for chest and abdomen. Besides, we have a first-aid kit always handy,” explains Dhananjai.
The Madras School of Equitation is home to 40 horses with a disparate variety of ponies, Marwari horses, warmblood, and 26 thoroughbreds.
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android