RANGOON — Equine lovers rejoice: the country’s first public horse riding course will soon be opened in Rangoon’s Hlegu Township, and aspiring equestrianists with cash to splash will soon be offered riding courses catering both novices and seasoned gallopers.
The steep cost of suitable riding mares—around 4 million kyat or US$3870 each—has kept the sport out of reach to all but Burma’s ultra-wealthy. Win Aung, an executive member of the Myanmar Equestrian Federation (MEF), said he hoped to entice more people into horse riding by providing a relatively affordable option at the newly founded Kyi Thar Aye Mya Riding Club.
“There are some private riding clubs at the moment, and some people raise horses with affection in some regions,” he said. “But riding courses haven’t been opened for the wider public before, because of the high cost and time needed to train and keep horses before people are able to ride them.”
Win Aung will be opening the course on April 4 with three friends and have employed three teachers, each of whom won medals for equestrian events in the 2013 Southeast Asian Games. Training will cost 150,000 kyats (US$145) for a two-month course.
“We are also planning to offer club memberships to those wanting to ride and trainees who complete the course,” Win Aung said, adding that the club will begin accepting membership applicants once construction of a café and bar is finished.
Various forms of horse riding sunk into obscurity in Burma after the former dictator Gen. Ne Win banned horse racing, despite himself being an enthusiast of the sport. During the late years of the Burmese monarchy and the colonial era, gambling on horse races was a popular pastime.
The new riding club is banking on a resurgence in equestrianism, offering a range of courses including dressage and show jumping in the hopes of sending recruits off to compete on the world stage.
“I would like to coach my trainees to be skilled enough to send to international competitions,” said Win Aung.
Nay Chi, a 22-year-old Rangoon resident now beginning her training at the club, said she hopes to enter competition once she has mastered the art of horse riding.
“After I’ve finished the basic training, I will continue until I am skilled in show jumping,” she said.
An Equestrian Academy is also slated to open in Naypyidaw and Rangoon at the end of this year, with the support of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.
