Horse riding training at St. Philomena’s

Kochi: “Oh! What fun is to ride a one horse open sleigh” They dreamt of the jingling of the bells attached to the harness of a horse and they had an obsession to sit on a saddle and hold the bridle. Some were driven by the daredevilry of Jhancy Rani who galloped on horseback and fought the enemy.

Yes these students who don’t want to while away the long summer vacation, have ventured out to learn the nuances of horse riding this time at St Philomena’s Public School and Junior College, Elanji, in Ernakulam district.

Some have been skeptical about their ability to control the horse which is synonymous with power. But the master trainer Albin Mathews, an outstanding horseman, is imparting them the skills with ease. He has four horses, three stallions and a mare with a calf. A total of 15 students, both girls and boys, are being trained in the first batch which is set to complete training by April 30. The training is for 15 days and one student gets training for one and half hours a day.

“Had it not been for the encouragement and guidance of such a nice trainer, I would never have fulfilled my dream,” said Valentina Susan Zac, a student of Class X of the school. Another trainee Alan George said “I thought horse riding was only a fun but in practice I was so astounded. I needed concentration to manipulate the bridle, clinging solidly to saddle to control the horse. Thanks to the master, I am inspired and have got hold it,” he added.

“Some of the trainees could gallop in top speed and others are following suit with continued training. Practising horse riding gives a lot of confidence to students which will help them in other aspects of life,” said Dr John Erniakulathil, principal of the school who took the initiaitive to start the training. He said that students of all schools can enroll for the training and the next batch starts on May 1. “We are also starting swimming training from May 1,” said the principal. He can be contacted on ph: 9446122869