H is for 'Horseriding'

 Yes, this( horseriding) is a hobby, too, albeit for the rich and famous.  Tourists visiting hill stations can go horseback riding with guides leading the way. Children can ride small ponies in beaches, as I have done as a child. The last time I sat on a pony was when I was about ten years old. At least that’s the last time that comes to mind. Here’s a picture of me with a pony in Kashmir. My parents and I were tourists visiting J&K in the 80s.

A simple Google search throws up a list of results for horse riding schools in Chennai alone.

Talking of horses, the scene from the movie Godfather comes to mind, when a beloved racehorse Khartoum is found dead and its head severed on the bed as a threat from Marlon Brando’s character.

A lot of ‘Westerns’ in Hollywood couldn’t have been made without horses. More recently, the film ‘The War Horse’ was made.  In Indian movies, the heroine on horseback or riding a horsedrawn carriage ( like Basanti in ‘Sholay’) makes for an interesting watch. Sherlock Holmes also moved from place to place in a hansom cab.

A few books like Seabiscuit and The Horse Whisperer and the perennial favourite 'Black Beauty' are all about horses. 

Previously, the word Gymkhana used to denote a place where horseriding and racing took place as a form of public entertainment, particularly in England, my dad tells me.

Although some people consider horse racing a gambling proposition, it is, in reality, a screening test for horse breeding.

 The horse throughout history has been a major mode of transportation until the invention of the motorcar.

 Even today, according to North Indian custom, bridegrooms ride to their wedding hall on horseback.

Horseriding as a hobby builds a person’s relationship with an animal other than a pet and brings the person close to nature.