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| Sunday, 12 October 2003 |
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by Farah Macan Markar "To that Majestic Animal whose hooves pound the earth, to that joy and delight of the onlooker, to that Species of God's Creation "The Horse" this event is Dedicated" reads out the souvenir of "Horse Show 2003".
It is Sunday, 28th September. The venue - Parliament Grounds. The Rs.1000 Grand Stand, as well as the entrance free area is packed with couples, singles, happy family's of four, extended family's of six, family friends and their families, everyone, come to witness the first ever "Horse Show" to be held in Sri Lanka. The stands are packed galore, not only with people, but with chairs. Chairs, jammed against each other, one has to play musical chairs when stepping up or down, moving the trapping front or behind chair to go through. This plus the tight squeeze when moving sideways, between the front and back rows of chairs. Babies are screaming, children having small talk, teenagers-teen talk, twenty-talk, thirty-talk, forty-talk, fify-talk and sixsy-talk.
The TV crew meanwhile are getting themselves geared up in the middle of the field, with their lighting, cameras, wires and other equipment. A horse drawn carriage jingles by in the distance as it cruises its passengers up and down, while Chariot, Pepsi and KFC van outlets are invitingly stationed in prominent corners. Keeping to Sri Lankan tradition of hardly ever starting in time, a patronising voice announcers that the 5.30 P.M. Show will commence at 6.00 P.M. (no doubt to keep the suspense). Well as the hour strikes six at last, the Marwari horses are introduced to us, through a Horse March Past in traditional ceremonial regalia, in which both Indian and Sri Lankan riders go by. Commanded by Kr.Raghuvendra Singh Dundlod of Dundlod Fort, India, the horses gallop past, their hooves thundering the ground, as if in a desperate attempt to fly. Thud...Thud... Thud. Moinuddin Khan from the former 61st Cavalry Regiment performs a quick, agile standing salute.
Singh who has been the Founder Secretary of Dundlod Fort which works to preserve the Marwari, and get them recognised through making them participate in equestrian events, says Sri Lanka, is the third country, the Marwari has been taken to participate in a horse show (the first being in India, and second America). While working towards the well being of the horses, Singh also uses it to promote tourism. "In 1982" says Singh "I took a foreigner with me, horse riding in the country.
Getting back to the Horse Show, the March Past is followed up by a carefully balanced "Figure of Eight" and a light footed "Classical Rewal" a style originated in Rajasthan to withstand the demands of walking on the deserts for long periods. In the next event riders gallop in full pace, picking tent pegs from the ground with spears, proudly displaying their catch, as they ride on. Well not everyone caught a catch, but Sri Lankan rider Suranjith Premadasa who attempted it for the first time, managed to pick one up, if not hold on to it afterwards. The story goes that once, when battles were fought on horses and tented camps were erected in battlefields, a king would order his infantry to attack the enemy camp and kill the trapped enemy soldiers, an attack which involved uprooting wooden tent pegs, whilst evading the enemy. Tent Pegging was taken to England from India way back in 1857 by the members of the 5th Royal Irish Lancers who were then Stationed there. Today it has been recreated as a great spectator sport. Next on the agenda, comes a guy who thinks his horse is a stool, turning around clockwise, turning around anti clockwise, sitting sideways, sitting on its back, swinging around its neck, as light as a monkey onto the ground. It is Jeevraj Singh displaying the finer points of a rider. This is followed up with basic show jumping, hanky picking, team tent pegging, lance and peg, cross tent pegging, 3 in one tent pegging (with lance, sword and spike) and fire arch crossing. As the night closes in, the finer gallant side of the horse is shown through horse dancing. This too originates from an era where horses had to be fearsome of the beat of battle drums and were trained in various steps to avoid enemy weapons. These steps have since then become dancing steps. After many repeated announcements of "We go down memory lane to the ages of chivalry a time when women dressed as queens and queens rode as warriors. A time men fought to live and lived to fight on the battlefields never going gently in to the night" the many dance items begin, the women, horses and riders, tap tapping to the music. Watching the horses dance is actually quite funny as well as fascinating, as it seems to stay pretty much in the same spot, moving its four feet, one after the other, in a tip tap rhythm. The music varies in each dance from Egyptian drum music, Rajasthani folk music, a lyrical from the Penguin Casse to a Sinhala song by Nanda Malani. After the dances, the horses and riders (Sri Lankan and Indian) all line up for a last bow, and the horse evening (or rather night) comes to an end. *The Horse Show was organised by the Sri Lanka Equestrian Association together with the Premadasa Riding School. Pix by Sulochana Gamage |
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Majestic, indeed they are, gleaming bare-bodied, decked up in smooth
silk drapes, glittering with jewellery and head gear, as they gallop,
prance and dance about for various events in the field. It is their show,
with their riders, their audience, their TV crew and even their security
guards.
Flags of all colours, each blaring the names of various sponsors
decorate the grounds, ever symbolic of our commercial world. At the other
end (the Entrance Free Area) more people are gathering while in the
distance bunches and bunches of boys are playing cricket.
So what is Marwari? Having spoken to R.Singh at the Premadasa Riding
School, a day earlier, and gotten my first ever horse lecture, let me pass
on the knowledge like a good student. Marwari, is an indigenous horse of
India. It comes from the desertlands of Rajasthan, and is a unique,
versatile breed specially trained for equestrian events. Being used for
warfare, way back in the 12th century the horse's war temperament, which
has changed through the years, has today been trained into a sporting one.
Thus nearly all items in the show have been derived from the long ago war
concept. Concepts of war down pages of history, when men fought with
lance, spear and sword (not guns), protected by armour and shields (not
gas masks) and horse (not tanks) were their spur and speed.
The news spread and more foreigners came to India for horse rides. Thus
the tourism gives the horses the needed recognition, and the horses
promoted tourism. It is to nurture such a kind of tourism in Sri Lanka we
are here". This is not only through the horse show, but a riding
holiday organised from the 30th Sep to the 4th Oct, in which Sri Lankan,
Indian, American, British and South African riders horsy-ride in Bentota,
Tissamaharama, Polonnaruwa, Ella and Nuwara Eliya.
