Kunigal
Stud Farm 
The farm,
located 72 kilometres from Bangalore, is the home to Vijay Mallya's
140 lovely horses. It is one of the foremost breeding farms in Southern
India and is perhaps the oldest and biggest stud farm in India. Over
the past seven years, it has bred or raised more than 200 winners.
Read more about it...
Bangalore
Amateur Riders' institute
The institute provides a platform for basic horse training
and encourages potential riders to enhance their skills in equine
sports.
Since 1934 Bangalore Amateur Riders' Institute (BARI) is under
the patronage of Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) and has coached
riders like Robin Corner, who has ridden 1000+ winners.
 "Any
person is welcome to learn the art of horse riding. There is no age
limit, but a minimum of 10 years is good. We are open throughout the
week with four batches of half-an-hour duration everyday. One of the
present leading jockeys, K.P.G. Appu is from BARI," says
K.S. Shanmukha Swamy, in-charge of BARI.
Does everyone who undergoes coaching become jockeys? "No. Once they
become technically sound and professional, a trainer will pick them
and train them under his guidance," he says.
Though there are other riding clubs in the city, BARI is the least
expensive one. "We charge very nominal fees. Other clubs like Bangalore
Equestrian Academy are expensive. We even have coupon books to help
the riders. A coupon book is worth Rs 200. It contains 10 coupons,
they can be exchanged for rides," he added.
How safe are the horses? "They are 100% safe. They never hurt or kick
a person. Very rarely, a few horses have a kicking habit. But on the
whole, horses are very friendly creatures," he replies with a
twinkle in his eye.
Annual Registration fee: Rs 250/- (non-refundable)
Riding charges: Rs 20/- for adults and
Rs.15/- for children for half an hour
Timings: 6:30 am to 8:30 am
Address: Bangalore Turf Club premises,
Race Course Road, Bangalore
Phone: 2226 2393, 2226 2391
| J.Vinay |
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