City of Lakes promotes horse-riding for elite and commoners

Bhopal, the City of Lakes and capital of Madhya Pradesh has taken the elitist tag attached with the sport of horse-riding off.

By Ram Chad Sahu

Bhopal, Aug 18 : Bhopal, the City of Lakes and capital of Madhya Pradesh has taken the elitist tag attached with the sport of horse-riding off.

Now, the middle and salaried equestrian aspirants can also have fun astride a horse, thanks to the efforts of the Madhya Pradesh Horse Riding Academy (MPHRA).

Enthusiasts have welcomed the initiative. This is not just a regal pastime, but another career option, claims Piyush Das, a trainee horse rider.

"We have got a very good opportunity, which we would like to utilise," Piyush adds.

"It (the Academy) has helped us further to participate in various games, as one cannot participate on his own," said Kritika Dwivedi, another trainee.

On seeing the enthusiasm for horse riding, three more horses have been added to the MPHRA stables.

The academy boasts of nine horses for training programmes.

The riders are being trained by the internationally famous Bhoom Singh, former national horse riding champion.

He is equally excited by the MPHRA project.

"They actually need to get the basic training to handle the horses. Earlier, they used to ride horses without proper knowledge. I believe that if they are taught well, they can compete at the national and international level," said Singh.

ANI