Wondering why an Aligarh stud farm would let expensive race horses starve? The answer may lie in the indiscriminate import of these animals from the West. They weigh around 700 kg, prefer a vegetarian meal, never demand an upgrade, and are the new frequent fliers. Genus of passenger: Equus caballus. Breed: Warmblood.
A growing number of European warmbloods or horses used for equestrian sport are hoofing it to India to stable at riding clubs. But while these warmbloods have only just begun to fly in, thoroughbreds (racehorses) have been boarding cargo carriers from the West — mainly the US, UK and Ireland — for about three decades after India relaxed import regulations. For the average 20 warmbloods that make the annual flight to India, around 150 thoroughbreds have made it here, causing a glut in the market.
“Breeders found it lucrative to import cheap in-utero mares from abroad to make a quick buck. The scramble to import reached its peak in 2011 when 256 mares were flown in, contributing to the semi-disaster in the industry today where supply has outstripped demand,” explains Zavaray Poonawalla, president, Poonawala Group which owns one of the best-known stud farms in the country. Every horse, intended for the racetrack, has to be stabled at a racecourse from age two years for training.
However, each of the eight courses in the country can accommodate approximately 1,350 two-year-olds each year, while the number of foals born annually in the country is estimated at 1,800 to 1,900. “This leaves about 500 foals without homes; they’re like orphaned children who have to be cast off to the police, riding schools, polo clubs or institutions,” Poonawalla points out. “This situation has arisen because of indiscriminate imports at the cost of valuable foreign exchange.”
The situation maybe worse than previously imagined, with news of an Aligarh stud farm letting scores of thoroughbreds die hitting the headlines. Animal activists managed to rescue 43 emaciated animals this week but were too late to save the rest. Though it’s still not clear why the horses hadn’t been fed for months, sources say the owner could have run out of money. Maintaining a thoroughbred is expensive business as it involves boarding, training and veterinarian bills. Even “humanely” putting down an animal has its costs.
The thoroughbred industry has been importing pedigrees straight from the womb. “Many of the imports are pregnant mares that have been mated with stallions abroad. The foals are conceived abroad and delivered in India,” explains Khushroo N Dhunjibhoy, chairman of the Royal Western India Turf Club Ltd, Mumbai.
This not only guarantees a more refined offspring, but is also cheaper than flying in pedigree stallions. One cannot import a foal into the country (perhaps to protect the local breeders’ market), but a foal born on Indian soil will be registered Indian. There are presently no such restrictions on warmblood imports, perhaps because its breeding industry is still nascent.
Ameeta Mehra, owner of Usha Stud Farm in Gurgaon says the situation is only made more dire by breeders, many Johnny-come-latelys, whose only aim is to sell the ‘got-abroad’ foal and cast off the mare after delivery. “They’re not interested in good breeding practices like nurturing a lineage,” she says. Mehra believes this is more problematic than the one of overproduction, which is self-correcting anyway. About 20% of small breeders have shut shop in the current climate. “In another two years, demand will once again surpass supply,” Mehra says.
Poonawalla believes breeders could buy fewer, better quality horses at the same price they’re forking out now for the numbers. “Instead of importing three horses for Rs 50 lakh, they can buy one or two for about 40,” he proposes, adding that a ceiling on permits issued will also effectively contain the tide.
Unlike racehorses that are bred and sold for commercial ends, the purchase of warmbloods is largely for the love of the animal and a passion for equestrian sport, says Dr R Mahendran, a cardiologist in Pollachi, Coimbatore, who is one of the emerging warmblood breeders. He started a breeding programme in 2009, on the back of three imported stallions and has recently sold four foals from that stable. “I would estimate the number of warmblood owners across the country at 15,” says Dr Mahendran. (Contrast that with 2,634 racehorse owners in 2011.)
“Till about 15 years ago equestrian sports were not popular among civilians, and the quality of horses at riding clubs was rather poor,” says Kishore Futnani, managing trustee at Chennai Equitation Centre. Clubs, which train riders in equestrian sports like dressage, show jumping and cross-country, have customarily received racecourse retirees, namely thoroughbreds that are not ideally suited to jumping and dressage, while warmbloods are cut out for these sports.
Futnani reckons the best indicator of the rising stock of equestrian sports in India is the growth of riding schools across the country, both independent ones like his and those established by schools and varsities. He estimates the number to be over 100, up from around 20 ten years ago.
Equestrian standard bearers believe that India will progress in the sport only with the right horses. “To participate in equestrian sports with thoroughbreds is like playing cricket with a baseball. The equipment is wrong,” ventures Silva Storai, ex-jockey and director of Embassy International Riding School, Bangalore. The school has imported around 15 warmbloods from Europe in the last seven years. “In the last few years there has been a surge of people taking to competitive riding. The purchase of these genetically superior warmbloods only improves the level of competition,” says Storai.
Embassy is one of the few schools to have invested in its own warmbloods (which are derived from crossing draft horses with thoroughbreds). Futnani says it’s usually an individual and not a club that makes the pricey purchase. “If the club imported a horse for Rs 25 lakh and offered it to riders who pay a monthly club fee of Rs 20,000, how would it make good its losses should an accident occur,” he reasons. “Additionally, a horse is not a car. If it’s ridden by different riders, who’ll handle it differently, it may get confused. This is why serious riders who have the money, look to buy their own horses.”
If both Indian racing and equestrian sport have to rise to global standards, much else needs to be done in the form of improved infrastructure, competitive training and sensible regulatory practices, than simply improving bloodlines through imports. Only then will the sprint progress to a gallop.
No comments:
Post a Comment