the men and women behind the horse

The gloss of the racing season is the betting, the gambling and the flamboyant fashion, but behind it is a well-oiled machinery that looks after the horses that are the focus of the whole activity. Barnalee Handique meets some of the individuals who have been working round-the-clock to prep the horses for this season Faisal Abbas, Stable owner Faisal Abbas has been in the business of training horses for 14 years. Presently in his stable he has 67 horses belonging to various stud farms such as Poonwalla’s, Ruia, Shapoor and others. Reveals Faisal,“ Taking responsibility of so many horses at the same time is not a joke. As a stable owner, it is important to understand the equine psychology. Horses are proud, noble and emotional creatures. In order to get the best out of your horse, you need to communicate with it apart from giving it the best home and food you can. We observe the horses keenly during their resting, training and eating periods and often identify a problem, if any, as soon as it develops. It’s like looking after a child.” There have been many occasions when Abbas has been able to spot a winner from the group of horses. He reveals, “When you watch the horses working out, you have a gut instinct that one horse will be special or that he is in a really good form. A trained eye can spot by the way he moves, his attitude… some horses have the will to win and you can sense that he will have a good chance.” Every trainer has got a different set-up but the fundamentals are the same. “The horses come to our stables when they are two years old. They are trained to be able to race by October. Horses are moody and they need a lot of time to settle down and acclimatize to a new environment. Govind Rai, Massaeur & Vilas Sathe, Farrier We met Govind Rai, the groom, masseur and Man Friday where horses are concerned. He feeds, grooms, exercises and massages the horses. “Massages help maintain muscle tone. Kneading relieves them of tensions and knots, increases strength, endurance and agility,” he reveals. Rai has been in this profession for 17 years. He is in charge of two horses. Usually, when the horses come in, they take time to adjust to a new groom and stables. Rai says,“They are like humans with their own likes and dislikes, and acceptance is very important. With the each passing day, the horse understands my voice and touch, and the bond strengthens between us.” Vilas Sathe, the farrier, was trimming the hooves of a horse. Using rasps and nippers he cuts away the hoof material. This procedure is an important part of hoof care because it helps maintain balance by helping even weight distribution. It also helps maintain hygiene as the animals are confined and walk over their faeces and urine. Shoeing a horse improves its gait and to helps it gain traction. DR Leila Fernandez, Physiotherapist & Acupuncturist Like athletes, horses need constant attention and have to be monitored. Like humans, horses too have regular issues such as neck and back pain, modular issues, limpness and so on. If the pain persists and the muscle gets stressed, it may spasm. Leila checks the various pressure points in the horses to see if they are fine. If a horse is suffering from back pain or limps, tests are conducted to diagnose the problem. If it is a crude line problem, she tries to resolve it. If it is not a bone but a muscular issue than physiotherapy with ultrasound is suggested. “Otherwise, adjunct to physiotherapy, acupuncture is also needed. It helps relax the muscles and reduce pain. It is a supplementary method of treatment which can be used along with medicine, diet and rest,” says Leila, who has trained in the US and has been working since 1995. Acupuncture helps relax muscles. The needles used are longer and though meridians are the same, pressure points are different. “Since I have been working with the horses for some time, they are very familiar with my touch and voice. For horses which are high strung, I calm them and spend some time with them till they are ready to accept my presence. During the procedure the horses are usually calm as the process is painless and last only for 45 mins,” she says. DR Akruti Choksi, Equine Dentist Animal dentistry is a specialisation. An equine dentist has an equally important role to play in this industry. Akruti Choksi is a specialist in this particular field and is also the first Indian member of the International Association of Equine Dentistry. Horses usually have delicate teeth and the most recurrent problem they have is dental fractures. It is because the bit, the part that goes into the horse’s mouth cause problems if the teeth are overgrown. This irritates the horse and makes it uneasy. Another issue is that horse’s teeth keeps growing and need to be filed to be kept in check. While filing the dental balance and the natural shape of the horse’s teeth should be kept in mind, so that they wouldn’t have problem chewing. The instruments used in equine dentistry is similar to humans, but larger in size. In nature, grazing for 16-20 hours keeps the horse’s teeth levelled. DR Anil Kumar, Veterinarian Anil Kumar, the veterinarian, has been busy since the horses from nearby states started coming in. That was two month’s ago! The most common problems that horses face are difficulties in adapting to the environment, underfoot conditions, fever and sores. Presently, he has 1400 horses under his care. The race course has one of the best hospitals in the country. It is equipped with the latest instruments, has an operation room and recovery room, ultra sound and scanning unit. Number of surgeries like knee, throat, arthroscopic, trachea are performed here. There is also provision of collecting stem cells for future regeneration of that particular breed. barnalee.handique@goldensparrow.com