Hyderabad floods: Horse riders turn saviours in flood-hit areas

Hyderabad: A loud, booming voice filled the inundated and stony silent roads of Nadeem Colony. A man in a red and blue uniform with riding boots, on horseback, asked the residents if they wanted essentials.

That was Mohd. Abdul Wahad, a horse rider and trainer, with his team who have jumped in to help those affected by the floods in various parts of the city.

The members of the Hyderabad Horse Riding School (HHRS) are visiting flood-hit areas under the Tolichowki division and providing essential commodities as well as carrying out rescue operations in areas like Nadeem Colony, Nirja Colony, Balreddy Nagar Colony and Virasatnagar areas.

Wahab, HHRS president and chief trainer, told Deccan Chronicle that the scenes on social media of areas inundated and people stuck in in their houses saddened him and his team and that is why they had decided to volunteer for the rescue operation.

The team is operating on horseback, providing medicines, water bottles and food. Six out of the society’s 40 horses are being used for evacuating people. The oldest horse of the lot is 10-year-old Rani, and the youngest, a mare called Kajol, is four years old.

“Horses are of great help to rescuers as they naturally know how to swim, and they move in the water like they are trotting. They are also well-trained and tamed, and taken care of properly after the rescue operation by the team,” Wahab said, adding that no horse had fallen sick despite being in the water for long hours.

The stables of the HHRS are located in Gulshan Colony and Kismatpur, that are close to the affected regions. That is why they had opted to reach the flood-hit areas on horseback, added Wahad. HHRS is a horse riding school and equestrian club that was established in 2010. It offers various horseback training like horse riding, tent pegging, show jumping, and preparing aspirants for various equestrian competitions.