Yangon saddles up

Horse riding becomes more affordable at a newly opened club

By SAN YAMIN AUNG / YANGON

Lovers of horse-riding rejoice: the country’s first public course has opened in Yangon’s Hlegu Township.

Aspiring riders with cash to splash can choose from courses catering to both novices and seasoned gallopers.

The steep cost of horses suitable for riding—around 4 million kyat (US$3,890) each—has previously kept the sport out of reach to all but the ultra-wealthy.

U 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 out of affection for them, in some regions,” he said. “But riding courses haven’t been opened for the wider public before, because of the cost and time needed to train and keep horses.”

U Win Aung opened the course on April 4. It employs three instructors, each of whom won medals for equestrian events in the 2013 Southeast Asian Games. Training costs 150,000 kyat (US$145) for a two-month course.

“We are also planning to offer club memberships,” U Win Aung said, adding that these will be offered once construction of a café and bar is finished.

Various forms of horse riding sank into obscurity in Myanmar after former dictator Gen. Ne Win banned horse racing, despite being an enthusiast of the sport.

During the late years of the Myanmar monarchy and during 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 hope 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 U Win Aung.

Ma Nay Chi, a 22-year-old Yangon resident beginning her training at the club, said she hoped 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 Naypyitaw and Yangon at the end of the year, with the support of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.