Finding horse tack in Delhi - a well kept secret
Given the importance of horses in India's history, I'm always surprised at how difficult it is to find anything related to horses in this country - that is, outside of the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
While we were living in Delhi, it was almost impossible to find a place to do horse riding or play polo because most horse activities are linked in some way or another to the army and they make it very difficult (read impossible) for civilians and foreigners to participate. The few options are in Dwarka (Aspen polo club) and Gurgaon (Haryana Polo Club, among others), a rather long drive from Delhi.
The same goes for finding horse tack or riding material. There is one in Jangpura (http://delhitackshop.com) with a very friendly owner but he doesn't always have stocks.
So here we were, desperately trying to find knee guards.
We went to Delhi Cantonment to the 61st Cavalry unit where we had managed to buy polo helmets a few years ago. Unfortunately this time, they didn't have what we needed but they suggested we go to the Racecourses to see if we could find anything.
The Racecourse stables turned out to be quite a surprise. I couldn't tell you whether the village or the stables came first, but today the two are completely merged. Village life, and villagers, go on completely undisturbed among the stables and the horses. I have never seen anything like it. We walked through the small alleys to reach a tiny shop. We would never have guessed it was a shop if it wasn't for an old sign on top of the door.
It turns out that Mr Birju provides tack for a big part of the 61st Cavalry and exports, even, to the rest of the world. We have ordered our knee pads and can't wait to see the result in a few days.
India, you will never cease to amaze me.
While we were living in Delhi, it was almost impossible to find a place to do horse riding or play polo because most horse activities are linked in some way or another to the army and they make it very difficult (read impossible) for civilians and foreigners to participate. The few options are in Dwarka (Aspen polo club) and Gurgaon (Haryana Polo Club, among others), a rather long drive from Delhi.
The same goes for finding horse tack or riding material. There is one in Jangpura (http://delhitackshop.com) with a very friendly owner but he doesn't always have stocks.
So here we were, desperately trying to find knee guards.
We went to Delhi Cantonment to the 61st Cavalry unit where we had managed to buy polo helmets a few years ago. Unfortunately this time, they didn't have what we needed but they suggested we go to the Racecourses to see if we could find anything.
The Racecourse stables turned out to be quite a surprise. I couldn't tell you whether the village or the stables came first, but today the two are completely merged. Village life, and villagers, go on completely undisturbed among the stables and the horses. I have never seen anything like it. We walked through the small alleys to reach a tiny shop. We would never have guessed it was a shop if it wasn't for an old sign on top of the door.
It turns out that Mr Birju provides tack for a big part of the 61st Cavalry and exports, even, to the rest of the world. We have ordered our knee pads and can't wait to see the result in a few days.
making our through the small alleyways
the entrance to Birju's tack shop
India, you will never cease to amaze me.
True Adventure Seeker !
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