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Education
Horsing around
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A few of us nurture a private desire to spend a lifetime around horses, but even fewer actually consider making it a career choice. But for those who are passionately fond of these majestic animals, and whose interest goes beyond taking pony rides, and watching horses at jumping shows or on the racetrack, there is a career to be made around horses.
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THE HORSE occupies a special place in many a child's imagination. From stories like Black Beauty and the Black Stallion, and even National Velvet, we get the sense that people who can communicate with horses are special indeed. A few of us nurture a private desire to spend a lifetime around horses, but even fewer actually consider making it a career choice. But for those who are passionately fond of these majestic animals, and whose interest goes beyond taking pony rides, and watching horses at jumping shows or on the racetrack, there is a career to be made around horses.
L. D'Silva made such a choice when he was barely 13 years old. ``I loved horses, and I wanted to always be around them,'' says the trainer. ``I really can't do without them!'' What started off as a casual enquiry at an apprentice school in Mumbai led him to become first a jockey, and then a horse trainer.
``I had to first start off by learning to ride,'' says D'Silva. ``I had to learn all about horses, both on them and off them, and learn how to relate to them.'' D'Silva, who now is in charge of training and maintaining nearly 60 racehorses, spends more of his day with his wards than with humans.
His day begins at 5:30 a.m. when the horses are put through their morning exercise routine, which has to be completed before the day gets too warm.
A break at 10:30 for other administrative work and record keeping, followed by a brief lunch and short rest, then he is back in the stables to give his horses their evening workout, from 4:30 to 7:30. "I have to check that they get the right feed, that their workout proceeds well, and that they are groomed perfectly'' Explains D'Silva. ``I am responsible for making sure that every horse under my care looks well and performs well.'' This means that he also has to watch out for signs of illness or discomfort, that he needs to check that they get their vitamin supplements, and that they are not overworked.
His office, adjoining the stables, allows him to remain in close contact-literally-with his animals. ``While we care for the animals so that they can perform well on the track, we also make sure that they are not abused, that they are not forced to run when they are not in form''. In a sense, the trainer mediates between the horse and the trainer. This kind of learning does not, obviously, come from a book.
It comes from long days of practice, riding and observing, and caring for the animals. ``It's something that has to come from experience-you can't train a horse by the book,'' says D'Silva. It is also a choice that must be made fairly early in life.
The best way to begin is by joining a riding club and getting on a horse. ``The first time I got on a horse, I fell right off!'' reminisces D'Silva. But that did not stop him from getting right back on and staying on.
Even if one wants to ride horses for a living-either in competitive sports such as racing, or in show jumping and dressage, or even training for show business-one cannot escape the hard work involved.
Although seasoned trainers have assistants to help them groom the horses and take care of stable work, all begin with a thorough workout in the stables. You begin as an apprentice, working with a licensed trainer for a minimum of three years before you can apply for a license on your own with an equestrian sporting authority such as a race club. Many of those who wish to work with horses may have objections to working in a race club, where betting on horses is part of the game. This is however, not the only avenue open to horse lovers.
Even if you do not want to enter an arena of fortune like the racecourse, you could look for opportunities on horse breeding farms, riding clubs (teaching children and adults) and even in show business.
The kind of routine followed by a racehorse trainer (or a ``flat race'' trainer) is different in many ways from that followed by other horse trainers-those who work in show jumping or dressage, for instance. However, in both areas, the trainer must be able to develop a certain affinity for the horse under his care.
``Most of us in this field are here because we love horses, nothing else,'' says D'Silva. Most people who go into this business of training, riding or grooming horses generally must make a choice between academics and vocational training. D'Silva, for instance, had to give up his formal schooling to join the apprentice school to train as a jockey.
Of course, these days there is always the option of pursuing a degree or diploma through distance education. Some kinds of training combine horse care with academic training, such as veterinary nursing, animal behaviour or equestrian management.
While the training may allow few compromises and the life is tough, if horses are more than a passing youthful fancy, there are certainly options for you to look into.
USHA RAMAN
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