Visakhapatnam: After cockfights and sheep fights, now, the people of North Andhra are showing interest in horse riding competitions in villages. Competitions are being frequently conducted during village festivals.
After Sankranti, every village organises its own Gramadevata festival and during that event they conduct a horse riding contest. People of Chodavaram in Vizag district and Vepada, L. Kota in Vizianagaram district are active participants in these competitions.
Kabbadi, volleyball, cricket and bull races during their festivals are conducted to attract the public, particularly youngsters, to the festival. But since the last few years, the utsav organisers are highlighting horse races.
Sompuram, of Vepada mandal in Vizianagaram district, Lakkavaram of Chodavaram mandal KothaKota village of Narsipatnam mandal, and Rambilli, Achyuthapuram, Ravikamatam, Rambilli mandals in Vizag district are conducting these contests with active participation by the youth of the villages.
The horses which participate in the race have to run around the grounds for three to four rounds. The horse which completes the task earlier than the others is announced as the winner. Generally, the organisers announce prize money around '20000-'30,000 as first prize, followed by lesser amounts for the second and third place.
The owners purchase the horses at prices of nearly '1lakh from Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra They spend around '500-'800 per day on the animal’s food and other requirements.
A rider from Vepada said, “I am interested in horse riding and I have been participating in competitions and at times I have also won. I spend more on them than what I get back as prize money. But, it is my hobby and I always feed them properly. They are not burden. On the contrary, I have gained recognition in my locality thanks to them.”
