Trot, canter, gallop: Day in the life of a Kolkata racehorse

If you are driving down the racecourse at the break of dawn, be ready to be mesmerised by horses being walked down from their stables to the club against the backdrop of the rising sun. With the racing season underway, CT visited the Royal Calcutta Turf Club on a Saturday afternoon to spend time with Voice of a Dream, Salvador, Italian Gold and other majestic creatures. We got a feel of the love and hard work that goes into getting a horse to the finishing line. Not just to win races but, also our hearts.

I spend all my time thinking about horses. The relationship between a horse, its owner, trainer and jockey is something that no one can explain in words
– Rutherford Alford

Dawn to dusk
5.45am to 7am: The horses start to train at the race course
7.30am to 9am: They visit the sand pit for a sand bath to relax
9am to 10am: The equines are rubbed down and hosed
10am: Feeding at the stable, a saline drip, medicines and nutrients to replenish their energy
3.30pm: Time for a swim in the 10-12 metre-deep pool

Smita Bajoria owns many club horses. She’s grown up around them & believes that everything good in her life is connected to horses. Horses understand impulse. They are like my babies and to ask me to choose the one I love the most is like asking a mother to choose her favourite child– Smita Bajoria

Gate jumping for the naughty ones
According to trainers, some horses give trouble when starting a race. In such a case, conditioning is the way to get them on ‘track’, literally. “When horses officially enter the racing age, some of them give a lot of trouble when the race is about to start. To avoid such a scene on race day, the horses are made to pass through the gate as part of their training so that their mind is conditioned to identify the signals. The trainer decides which horse needs it and how much of it,” said Christopher.
Sand pits get a yay and a ‘neigh’
After an exhausting workout, all a horse needs is a good roll in the sand pit. However, the interesting part is, they want to be left alone while doing this but not all alone. “Before returning to the stable, they are taken to this sand pit (a room with sand on the floor) where they can run around and roll,” said the stable hand, adding, “The saddle is then removed and the horse is let loose.” He also explained that rolling in the sand with their sweaty bodies relaxes the muscles and also helps with minor injuries.

‘Horses are great swimmers’
Christopher Alford, who trains kids and riders at the club, has special tips on how to handle a horse. He says that when the horses act lazy, the best way to make them work is to take them to the pool. “Horses are natural swimmers and can swim in 15 metres deep water. In case of an injury also, swimming helps with healing,” Alford explains.

A story of grit and pure love
The story of Rutherford Alford is that of grit and pure love that cannot be put to words. Having met with an accident in the year 2006, the trainer, who also owns and co-owns a couple of them decided to settle as a trainer, an invested one. He trains 53 out of the 330 horses in the club. “I come from a family of riders. My father, grandfather and his brothers used to ride & train, and I’m the fourth generation doing this. As a kid, I always knew I wanted to ride,” shared Rutherford. “I dream of horses, they are my lifeline,” he added.
Discussions post training are a must for trainers & jockeys. They told us that all horses have their birthday on January 1, irrespective of when they are born



Pics: Snehadeep Das
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