Let them trot, not dance

Rana Preet Gill

Horse is worth more than riches

— A Spanish proverb

As the horses sway and swerve to the beats of a dhol, the audience feels that adrenaline rushing in the veins. Decked in colourful finery, these show dancing horses are great crowd pullers at animal fairs across the state. However, what is a treat to our eyes is an arduous journey for the animals.

Show dancing is a popular entertainment and competitive sport in horses. At the animal fairs, this is listed as a competitive sport and the owners are felicitated with substantial cash prizes while accolades flood them. At the state-level Kila Raipur Games, it is a great pull and owners are bestowed with ‘sanmans’. 

A progressive farmer from Barian Khurd village in Hoshiarpur, Manjit Singh has been breeding horses ever since he was a teenager. Back then, he found himself deeply fascinated by the vigour and prowess of the animal. After dabbling with breeding of the horses, he entered show dancing and now owns three mares — Soni, Sheri and Kabutri. These have won him national- and state-level championships and he considers it a natural temperament of horse to abide by the thap and the beat of dhol. 

“We never use a stick on our animals. It is the deep bond between the trainer and the animal that helps deliver a power-packed performance,” he says and insists that he gives them a good and nutritious diet. Their trainer, Jagsir Singh, emphasises on the importance of love, eye contact and mutual respect for a successful show dancing horse. Dr Daniel Niels, professor of veterinary medicine at Lincoln University, too has emphasised the importance of visual contact with horses.

However, beyond the fun factor lies the need for training — long arduous hours are spent perfecting the drill. The practice takes its toll on animal health and frequent bruises and falls send the health of animals on a downward trail. To safeguard animal rights, the use of cots and other kinds of contrivance was banned at the state-level animal fairs a few years back, but not much has changed. Any radical jumping and precarious balancing afflicts the animal with nasty falls, subjecting them to lameness, which is painful and the treatment for which is time-consuming.

The lure of money has made horse owners foray into the wedding market too where the demand for dancing horses has taken a precedence. As money rules, there are no refusals. Ignoring the temperament and natural inclination of the animal, they are made to dance amongst bursting fireworks and loud decibels. Binny Rehsi, an animal rights activist, fumes at the insensitivity of such performances. “Subjecting an animal to that kind of commercial activity is a crime in itself.” She says animals are there for love and companionship and not for minting money. Veterinary surgeon Dr Tirath Singh adds, “A painful training technique is detrimental to the welfare of animals. It is incumbent upon us to treat them humanely.”

The popularity of show dance brings in claps, cheers, recognition and material rewards for owners. But, for the animals, it is the love and gentleness that counts.