If wishes were horses – through a child’s mind

Riding has always looked modish and sophisticated to me. I tried my hands at riding (?) during our trip to Sikkim as a kid and later on once in Mahabaleshwar during college. When my husband told me that he was a rider, I quipped about my experiences too. He smirked calling those horse mere “tatttoos.” I had heard about his favourite horse in NDA who was called Koyal. But I was yet to know about his earnestness towards the sport. He tried encouraging me to take up the sport for quite some time. But the laziness in me took over and I could never take it up. I have been to the stables just once with my students of UKG from Army School. It was then that got me thinking about the horses and their breeds while the care taker started explaining them to the children. I started reading on horses, after all, I had to explain to my children and face any question they came up with the next day in school.

I googled and started reading about Marwari, Kathiawari, Manipuri, Spiti, Bhutia and Zanskari, the first thing that came to my mind was that these names sounded like varieties of Sarees from different regions. But to my interest now, they were actually breeds of horses found in India. Now I had to think of some ways to remember specific details about them! You can never trust children with their imagination. And I couldn’t put my reputation at stake in front of them!

Kathiawar (Gujarat) and Rajasthan are the homes of Kathiawari and Marwari breeds, respectively. These breeds are used both for their utility and beauty. That was easy! Just like the pretty women from these regions!

Next were the Bhutia, Spiti and Zanskari ponies, mainly found in the hilly areas of Himalayan ranges. They are slow moving horses. Not too tricky to remember, of course they are slow as it is difficult to move in the cold. We witnessed this during the BPT and the after effects that our husbands went through (officers with houses on the second floor cursed the most) clearly established why Bhutia, Spiti and Zanskari preferred to trot rather than gallop.

Then there are the Manipuri horses having qualities of both hill and plain breeds of horses that have been bred over centuries in Manipur. Manipuri horses reputed for their intelligence, are used for polo and racing. I, being from the North East was pleased to remember this “cool” quality.

 Three other breeds of India namely Deccani, Chummarti and Sikang are considered to be on the verge of extinction.  That meant no hoof, no horse! So I gave them a miss.

The exotic breeds of horses introduced in India include English thoroughbred, Water, Arab, Polish, Connemera (Irish) and Haflinger (Italy and Austria).

The Arab, the first to be introduced, is believed to have contributed substantially for the evolution of Kathiawari, Marwari, Sindhi, Malani and Manipuri horses, just like Khalil Gibran who’s work “The Prophet” has enlightened so many of us. He would certainly forgive me for bringing in his name in this context to educate a precious lot of twenty two, 5- year olds.

English Thoroughbreds are considered a hot-blooded horse, known for their agility, speed and spirit. This certainly reminds me of Wayne Rooney with his occasional bouts of rage as well as exhilaration. So far so good.

The Connemera, Haflinger, Polish are named by and large after the regions they originally come from. Connemera (Irish) are known for their athleticism, versatility. This had to be one of my favourite actors Colin Farrel, Irish again.

Haflinger horses are relatively small, are always chestnut in color, have distinctive gaits described as energetic but smooth, and are well-muscled yet elegant. By now I was exhausted and could only figure out that they were called Ha(l)flinger as they are half (roughly) the size of the other horses and being small they are more brisk.

Next day in school, I felt confident as I was well prepared. When I asked the children about their experience at the stables, I was barraged with questions on horses- easy ones though, about their feed, sleeping habits, their stars, shoes, etc. I was proud of myself as I furnished some extra knowledge to them, until I was amazed by one question. One of the children asked me “Horses school nahin jaate??” (Don’t horses go to school?). I told them that the stables were their school and hostel too. The boy said innocently “ohhh papa toh horse ke back par chadte hai, toh papa horse ke school bag jaise huwe!” (Oh so that means my father is like the horse’s school bag!) … Indeed a child’s brain is difficult to envisage. I said “Yes baby, your Daddy is like the horse’s school bag, and they share a great camaraderie.”