In medieval times, horses were the primary mode of transport for soldiers, traders and merchants who had to travel long distances. During that era, horse riding was seen as more of a necessity or a survival skill rather than just a sport as seen today. Horse riding is not certainly the first that would come to the minds of today’s youth if you ask them what sport or extracurricular activity they would like to master. But there are always certain exceptions and one of them is Nandakumarthaniyar from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu who dreamt of learning to ride a horse since childhood.
Nandakumarthaniyar runs a pet shop in Thanjavur and sells various breeds of dogs including Alangu Mastiff and Doberman. He breeds these dogs but his childhood dream was to breed and own horses. Two years back, he purchased and reared a Kathiawar breed of horse worth Rs 1 lakh. He has also been learning to ride horses in his spare time. He talked to News18 Local about his horse.
According to Nandakumarthaniyar, his love for horses arose when he used to ride horses at the beach as a child. He said that he now rears his horse as a fashion statement. He mentioned a friend who also owns a horse and they ride their respective horses together in the morning and evening as part of exercise. “We only ride horses on roads that are not heavily trafficked,” he said.
He further said that he feeds his horse peanut candies and dates and that it costs him Rs 600 per day. “The horse we have is capable of going up to 70 kilometres per hour. We have ridden a maximum of 30 km per day. Also, a horse will make a sound when angry so we are cautioned”, he said, adding that the horse may try to kick if someone inexperienced tries to mount it the wrong way. He acknowledged that he was a novice himself when he bought the horse and learned through trial and error. His friend even fell and fractured his skull in the process, Nandakumarthaniyar said.
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