NATIONAL 6 -(Spotlight Weekly)]

Galloping In Kathmandu

The country’s first horse-riding center opens in the erstwhile Singha Mahal complex

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

Until a week ago, Kathmanduites interested in equestrian sports had no place to go. With the opening of the Chandra Riding Center, they can now happily gallop around atop thoroughbred Arabian horses in the heart of capital.

Horses at the center : Good news for kathmanduites

The center has started offering riding courses at the old Singha Mahal complex in Thapathali with full facilities for training novices as well. The Singha Mahal, previously the residence of late princess Rama Rajya Laxmi Devi Rana and the late commanding general Singha SJB Rana, owned the stables with the finest specimens of trained Arabian horses.

With the objective to revive the glory of the Singha Mahal, the great grandson of Singha SJB Rana, Rajeev Bikram Shah, joined hands with retired Lt.-Col. Shishir Chandra Shah and retired Capt. Chandra Prasad Kandel to make horse riding, which was limited to the army and police, available to civilians.

"Our primary objective is to introduce the sport of horse riding to the people of Kathmandu," said Rajeev Bikram Shah, one of the partners of the center. Shah’s wife, Rajkumari Shivani Shah, who hails from Jaipur, India, is herself a skilled horse-rider.

Shah believes that if the sport takes off, there is a great scope for developing it at a national level, as equestrian sports regularly feature in international tournaments, including the Olympics.

The center currently has six thoroughbred horses with an equal number of instructors drawn from the army, including retired cavaliers.

One of the brains behind the center, Shishir Chandra Shah, who just recently retired from the army, said, "My love with the sport and my deep attachment with horses were responsible for driving me into opening this kind of center." An experienced cavalier with international exposure, Shah had provided horse-riding lessons to Prince Nirajan and Princess Sruti.

The center has been opened with an initial investment of Rs 2.5 million.

There are provisions for individual, family, corporate, institutional and session membership at the center. The cost of membership ranges from an initial deposit of Rs 10,000 to Rs 24,000 and monthly fees of Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000. Walk-ins can ride the horses (for half an hour to forty five minutes) for Rs 750. "In case of bulk membership from schools or offices, we can provide discounts," said Rajeev Bikram Shah.

The center aims to have an initial membership of at least 30-35 people. "We have had some enquiries and seven persons have already confirmed their membership," Shah said.

Apart from giving an opportunity to civilians to fine-tune their equestrian skills, the center could also develop itself as a new attraction to tourists looking for adventure.