Young riders steal the show at horse riding contest

COIMBATORE: For R Thinakaran, a class 11 student, managing his horse at the horse riding competition held in the city on Sunday was a new experience. "Performing before an audience is an interesting experience from what we do in grounds. When people clap, the horse also gets excited and charged up," he said. Thinakaran, who came first in the jumping competition for under 16 participants, has been practicing horse riding for more than a year.But Sunday's competition was a first for him.
There were about 38 participants drawn from various riders' clubs in Coimbatore, Erode, Namakkal and Tirupur. Many of them were school children for whom riding the horses before a large crowd was an exciting experience. They understand that adjusting with the horse is the key. V Mayanka, a class 5 student, said that though she was anxious, the anxiety vanished after the first few seconds. "The horse adjusted well to the competition. This gave me more confidence," she said.
Her friend said they had come for the competition for the excitement and were thrilled by the experience. "Handling a horse gives the child more confidence and the game helps them to concentrate better," said P R Senthilkumar, whose daughter, Kunthavi, took part in the competition. Moreover, riding helps riders to maintain physical fitness. Kunthavi said they are made to become close to the horse by giving it food and taking it for walks for a few days. After a month's practice, one can learn the intricacies and tricks of riding, she said.
Vinod said horse riding is an effective exercise even for autistic children. Many of them, he claimed, showed a marked improvement in their reflexes after learned to ride. "It may be because of the concentration riding provides the child. There is a general improvement in their fitness levels and even in academics," he said.
Many of them started to learn after seeing a horse accidently. V L Tholkappian, a class 4 student from Sathyamangalam, said he joined riding classes after taking a ride during a temple festival. "It is a wonderful experience learning to manage a horse. I tell my friends that they should try it," he says.
A Vinod, director of United Royal Riders, who organised the event on Sunday, said the competition was an opportunity for the riders especially the beginners to get a feel of riding competitions. "There are only a few horse riding competitions in the country, because it is expensive to conduct them. This is an opportunity for them to know the field," he said.
Though there were experienced riders most of the participants were like Thinakaran and Tholkappian, who have been practicing riding but participating in a competition for the first time.