Uganda: Horse Racing Up |
| Posted: 16 Jan 2011 05:01 PM PST Michael Nsubuga 15 January 2011 UGANDA has produced another sporting star in a rather unfamiliar sport -- horse racing. Katie Bowser, a Ugandan youngster rode to victory winning 15 trophies in the five-day Kenya 'Horse of the year show' held in Nairobi recently. The 13-year-old's haul of trophies came from the Dressage, Combined training, Showing and Show Jumping racing categories at the annual event. Crowning moment Her crowning moment came when she was awarded the Grand Championship trophy and Sash of Honor. She became the first youngster to win this accolade. Bowser, who trains at Flametree Stables club in Kampala, started riding horses at the age of two and has never looked back. At the Nairobi event, she won two successive children finals after piloting Pendragon her horse in the Childrens Victor Ludorum race. Liam Walker, 17, came home with the reserve Victor Ludorum on his Ugandan horse Cochise while his sister Kayleigh won some categories on her pony Flying fox. Nina Morley on her pony Pipit was also well placed in all her races. Other riders at the event were Geoff Morley, Siyan Hudda, Tariq Hudda and Alexia Demetriov. Bowser mooted idea Horses were introduced in Uganda by businessman Sudhir Ruparelia and a horse riding enthusiast Miranda Bowser in 1996. They picked Speke Resort-Munyonyo to launch the sport. Visitors at the resort who had interest in the horses did rounds of riding along with their children in an enclosure the size of half a football field. But what started as Miranda's hobby has now transformed into an horse riding school, the first in Uganda. "We started in January last year. I had always kept horses as a hobby but when people came to me with their children for a ride, the hobby grew to what we have today," Miranda said. "It's a massive investment, a dream come true for me. We have so far invested $150,000 minus the money that was used to buy the land," Miranda who owns 15 of the 21 horses at the site adds. Flametree stableLocated on a 20-acres piece of land, a 30 minute drive from Kampala at Kijabijo village along Gayaza road, Flametree as the first riding stable in Kampala provides an opportunity for kids from four years and adults to learn how to ride Ponies. It offers private and group lessons, show jumping and an exciting cross country course to learners with no riding experience. Miranda travels with ten horses, up to 5 times a year to compete alongside Kenyan riders. Ugandan junior riders have always come top against their kenyan rivals. Miranda also competes with the senior riders. Miranda and Ugandan horse manager/instructor Robin Kasumba train their customers in Dressage, Combined training, Showy and Show Jumping and some cross country races over a stretch of 3-5kms at Flametree. Costs of the races vary with a 20- minute leading rein going for sh25, 000 while one would need sh60, 000 for a 45-minute private outing. Other group lessons fall within the cost bracket above. The Lake Victoria Swimming-Hack which requires a minimum of four riders can also be provided depending on number of riders available. The Kenya factor Majority of the horses come from Kenya while a couple are frown from South Africa with the help of Ruparelia. A horse costs beteeen $500-5000. Each one of the horses live in its own stable inscribed with fancy names, nick names or names of owners. Names in clude Pipit aka pips, Jana (Jana Banana), Dr. Doolittle (Dr.D), Boadicea (Boda boda), Mr. Brumby (Bamps), Purdey (Purds), Winnie the Pooh (Winnie), Pendragon (Fupi), Geronimo (Jelly), Cochise (Cheesy), Flying fox (Foxy) among others. Various breeds "The majority of horse breeds come from Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan. We have the warm blood, Bush Ponys that we cross with Thourough bred, Pony Blood lines, American saddle bred and Irish draught. We keep on cross mating them. We have lots of different mixes," Miranda said " Unlike in Europe where horse racing is associated with betting, Miranda said theirs hasn't reached that stage. But a few individuals can bet on their horses winning particular races on race tracks. "We do more technical things and teach skills like jumping over huddles," Miranda added. Training regime "We train our horses to a high level to eliminate accidents and we have a safe track record. "We have not encountered any major accidents though some kids do fall off." She said that their equipment has safety approval and the horses are child friendly. Kasumba, who has 10 years experience as an instructor, does not only help in training people but also runs programmes to keep the horses fit so that they follow orders properly when engaged by different riders. Instructor's job "My job involves schooling and exercising the horses. Like a footballer they have to keep fit in order to jump over the hurdles". Just like riding a bike, Kasumba says it's the riders balance and technique that keeps the animal moving without the rider falling off. "We always do group lessons with a maximum of three people and are always very busy at the weekend. During the weekend, we sometime handle a maximum of 60 riders," Kasumba adds. The official said that transport to the site can be arranged on request for those wishing to have the experience of riding Ponies. Kasumba and his group are keen on their work and are determineds to take their programmme to another level. AllAfrica - All the Time This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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