Fire and Ashwa; Horses – Love, Power, Respect and the Accident

Fire and Ashwa; Horses: Continue From Part-2 here – Juliet : Owning a St. Bernard and Unforgettable Memories : Those who have experienced an incident like that of Juliet in my case can understand my condition. with her gone, there was a void created in my life and in my heart which, I was unable to fill that crater. I sunk myself into work, but still, whenever I was alone and doing nothing, her thought crawled my mind. If Fire, had not been there, I  would have never been able to get my life back to normal.

As I have told you earlier, I have worked with horses, bulls, birds, and fishes. Amongst all the horses at the riding farm ‘The E-quest’, he was my favorite. When I started riding, my coach, Mr. Vishal Vishnoi have assigned me another horse named ‘Zubaida’. For a couple of weeks during my initial lessons I noticed that amongst all 18 horses, there was a big giant who stands isolated. Calm and composed, he looked very desirable.

When I asked the coach’s assistant, Mr. Vijay, about him, he said: “You won’t be able to control him”. And I said, “That’s a challenge or what?”. No sir, we will give him to you two or three months later when you will be able to canter and gallop, he is a very strong-willed animal, you need to get better trained before handling.  But I didn’t listen to him and asked the head coach to ride ‘Fire’. He instructed workers to start my training on Fire, but with a rope attached to move him in circles. I just felt some sort of attachment to him instantly. I don’t know what he thought about me, but he also responded in a very friendly manner toward me.

Learned the proper way to cut their hoof

Quite soon I started to spend more & more time with him. My riding time was allotted at 7 am but I have started to visit the ranch as early as 5:45 am to 6:00 am. From the fiercer their I learned to take care of horse foot. I learned the proper way to cut their hoof. I learned how to show them!!! And mind it, it’s difficult! I got a severe backache from it. Ajay (The caretaker), after a month or so, have started entrusting me and allowed me to cut the dead part of hooves on my own. That’s quite a reward for me. He had been a great teacher to me. I have learned the need and procedure to properly bandage the horse, How to put up the saddle. We spent our Sundays polishing our saddle and boots.

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In the next 2 months, I started galloping and cantering on fire. One day my coach Mr. Vishal Bishnoi visited. I was then giving the bath to fire. He just took a usual stroll near the stable then went on to sit in a chair enjoying his tea.

I was busy with fire. After giving him a bath, I messaged him. And those who know what it is like to massage a horse can understand. It looks me around an hour to complete the message. Then I polished his hooves with castor oil, applied rose water to his forehead, and gave him his meal after that. When I come out of the stable I was surprised to see Mr. Vishnoi still sitting in that same chair staring at me he said something to Vijay, who rushed towards me saying “Baba Aap Ko Bula Rahe Hai” that (Baba is calling you).

The first thought that came to my mind was that “What wrong have I done to offend him”. He was not an elderly person, but I think 6-8 years elder to me at that time. But, he was my coach, so obviously, out of respect, I was a little scared standing in front of him.

The Ultimate Question

He then stood up shook my hand and ordered Deepak (Worker they’re at the ranch) to bring a chair. Then very politely he said, “Rishabh Ji bait jaiye” (Please sit down). We had a good dialogue then and asked about me & my family my profession etc. He was amused to know about me and my pets. He asked me to train his dog. A Boxer named “Bakas”. Then, he fired the ultimate question.
“Why you are learning to ride a horse”?
And I was like: “Umm !! I don’t know !!”
It is an outrageous thing to do! Besides I really enjoy spending time with “Fire”!
“ Yes I can see that,” he said. “And he also seems to like you.

All that you have learned in the past 3 months, it usually takes one year for an average student to accustom. Why don’t you take admission in Delhi Race Course and become a horse trainer?”
He then stood up and left.

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I was still sitting there thinking of his proposal. Then I suddenly realized that really, out of approx 23 students there in the morning and evening batches. I am the only one who is trying to take complete care of the horse assigned to him. Even though I have been assigned the morning batch. I regularly come in the morning to feed and groom fire approximately every day and In the morning. I never failed to be there. I started realizing the possibilities of becoming a horse trainer.

At that time I was working with a network marketing company and in the Indian Scenario, I was earning quite a handsome amount, so paying the fee for trainers might not have been a problem. After days of consideration and reconsideration of my coach’s proposal, I finally discussed my intentions with my father. Though he listened to me keenly but refused very politely. He said, rather than opting for an uncertain career full of physical and monetary risks, I should concentrate on the consolidation of business and preparation for civil services exams. Though I tried to persuade him, there was no success. As a last measure I turned to my mother, but the result was the same.

She was from the start, in opposition to my passion for pets. So after a hopeless episode dream of becoming a ‘Horse Trainer’ is shelved, but mark it, ‘It’s shelved not forgotten. In the meantime, my training with fire was going on with satisfying success. I made some good progress. Mr. Vishal Vishnoi had eased some norms for me and I started spending more time on the farm. During this, I was allowed to handle horses other than fire.

Ashwa

There was a stallion on the ranch who was not assigned as the training companion to anyone, but I was ridden by my coach occasionally or by a few of his friends who themselves were national and international level players of polo and show jumping. Standing tall at 16 hands with the muscular build, shiny spine and his head held high with pride, he was a treat to the eyes. This beast was known as the ‘Ashwa’.  He was presumably a clam and composed beast, but he had a reputation of disliking new faces in his stable. I don’t remember the day & date exactly but it was the month of August in 2011, I stepped into Ashwa’s stable.

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His first reaction was to be alarmed. He was staring at me with his head held high. He was cautious and kept on staring at me. I could see the white lining of his eyeball. I stood still for a few minutes. After some time he eased his posture and come to stand in the center of the stable as if telling me that this is my place. Vijay and Ajay were continuously screaming and asking me to get out. I don’t know what came to my mind, I signaled them to keep quiet. I picked up the spade and started collecting Ashwa’s stool and fallen hay.

It took me about 20 min to clean his stable. Then I left all the time he was standing in the middle. I repeated this routine for four days. In between, he was pretty much relaxed in comparison to the first day. Then on the fifth day, I tried to put his neck. He was wary of me and repeatedly moved away from me. But after a few attempts, he allowed me to touch him.

After a couple of days, he started taking the feed from my hands. Fire’s stable was adjacent to Ashwa’s stable. And boy, he was jealous of Ashwa. I have to feed them both simultaneously with feed-in both of my hands, otherwise, Fire tried to eat from Ashwa’s side. Nipping and biting were becoming a regular feature for fire. But one day he crossed the limit.

Fire and Ashwa had a fight

On that day after completing my regular work, I went away for home. It was late September  I believe workers at the farm were also resting in their rooms. When I came back at 6 pm, Ajay told me that Fire and Ashwa had a fight. Though no one knew exactly what happened, the presumption was the Fire kicked out the rail partition and have bitten Ashwa on the back and chopped away his tail off. After hearing the noise workers came out and separated them.

That day both of them were not saddled. I was totally surprised at Fire’s behavior. So, much jealousy! And they say animals don’t have emotions perhaps such people just see their own reflection in animals and calls them emotionless & heartless commodities. From that day onwards both of them, Fire and Ashwa were kept apart. Slowly I started riding both of them.

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It has been more than a year now learning to ride. Mr. Vishal has now started giving me lessons personally instead of Ajay & Vijay. He started my showjumping training. Though I was doing pretty good almost all the time, I was struggling to keep my heels down for longer times. 30-35 minutes of training and my grip loosen. Mr. Vishnoi had repeatedly pointed out, scolded, and warned me of the possible outcome of falling on turns or when horse halts from the center of a gallop.

It’s not that I was not improving, but my progress in this particular matter was relatively slow. On short rein and heel with learning forward stance, I was doing good, but with long rein full heel, I was struggling to keep my heels down. On the ranch, we usually train horses for 45 min. In about a month I improved my timings. Now I was able to keep my heels down for appreciable times only disappointing a few times in the entire run. Along with canter and gallop training, I have made good progress in jumping also. I learned to measure the stride, my intuitions for speed changes improved, and with Fire I was clearing 3 feet bar and plank, and with Ashwa 3.5 feet. Though there was a huge scope for improvement, I was satisfied by my daily progress as I was more than happy in enjoying the process.

It was 26 Nov. 2012 I think it was the day before Diwali in India in 2012. After riding Fire and giving a brief exercise of 15 minutes to Ashwa, I was readying feed for Fire. Ajay came to me and asked me to ride another horse for 5-10 minutes just a lazy walk and a run in the center. He wanted to test a possible lameness otherwise not visible with the horse walking without a rider. Blair was a familiar animal. He was around the whole time I was at the ranch. I agreed reluctantly. By then I was aware of Blair’s habit of notoriously stopping to halt when rider slows him from canter too. I mounted him and gave him a walk.

Blair and The Accident

Then I heeled him to canter. I was doing fine but just before a turn, the heel problem raised its head. My feet came out of them. I was trying to hold him with my bare heels. There was some success, but at the turn, Blair suddenly increased his speed. And the horrible thing happened. I fell down and to my misfortune, there was a 6-inch granite block on whose edge I felt.

Also before falling down I was, for a movement crushed between Blair and the wall making up the boundary of the running field. I was conscious for just a minute or two and I was not able to feel my back. I feared my back had broken. Unfortunately, a 3 mm chip of my hip bone is separated, that too on the last edge. I still have that piece inside me and on fell it moving when touched.

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Though I sound a bit amusing here, that accident had forced me to bed for the next four months. Along with the above-mentioned injury, I have ruptured my back and thigh muscles. I had a bad bruise on the shoulder, back of my head, on the lower part of the neck, and on the upper part of my back. Still, shivers run through my spine imagining the excruciating pain I was suffered at that time. It looks me 4 months to be able to ride my bike. After 6 months time in May 2013, I went to see Fire at the Ranch. I was shocked and extremely depressed to know that due to a bad business they have shut down the riding school and have sold all the horses.

Mr. Vishal went left for Europe 3 months back in February. And there is no sign of Ajay, Vijay, and Deepak, or anyone else whom I could talk. 3 years have been elapsed I am still trying to contact Mr. Vishnoi to locate Fire & Ashwa. Read the next Part: Freshwater Fishes, Astonishing Aquatic World