Horse breeding biz cashing in to banks
GONDAL (SAURASHTRA): Wishes need not be horses. Those in the business of breeding and selling purebred horses are bucking their way to the bank, thanks to a stirred up demand from a growing breed of rich Indians.
With horse lovers not averse to shelling out lakhs, breeders can’t ask for more. An MLA from Punjab recently bought a horse from a Dhandhuka-based breeder for Rs 3.75 lakh. Just a few days ago, a Rajkot-based industrialist bought a Kathiawadi breed for Rs 2.25 lakh from Gondal. The prices have doubled in a year.
In recent times, Saurashtra, home to the world-renowned Kathiawadi horses, has seen demand soaring on the back of horse riding, ceremonies, institutes as well as personal and corporate collections. There are around 18,000 horses in Gujarat, of which 10,000 are in Saurashtra alone.
“One time breeding of female and male horse costs anything between Rs 2,500 and Rs 4,000 depending on factors such as atmosphere, place, category of horse and of course, the customer’s requirement,” says Abdul Qasam Multani, who has eight male horses and one female horse.
On an average, he does about 15-50 cross-breedings in a month. A few days ago, he sold a female horse to an MLA in Punjab for Rs 3.75 lakh. The price of a new-born horse ranges between Rs 50,000 and Rs 5 lakh, depending on colour, height, age and overall looks.
Those in the business say demand for mares has increased due to reproduction factors. More players have joined the race. The number of members at the Kathiawadi Marwari Horse Breeders Association (KMHBA), for instance, has jumped from just around 500 a few years back to over 1,500, coming from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Ghanshyam Acharya, a Gondal-based horse-lover and a KMHBA founder, says the demand for cross-breeding has increased significantly in the past two years. Acharya, considered one of the finest horse riders, runs an ayurvedic medicine lab and has dedicated his life towards horse preservation.
Kathiawadi horses, with Arabian ancestry, are known for their endurance, power and stamina and are identified by their foreheads, eye placement, nose, long hair and long tail. In order to boost the breed in the state, the Gujarat government has also set up a few horse-breeding centres.
Bhupathbhai Dodhiya, a Panvi (Bhavnagar)-based horseman says people from Rajasthan and Maharashtra come in search of the original Kathiawadi breed. Dodhiya has been preserving the Kathiawadi breed for the past 40 years. “Demand has surged significantly in the past two years. The reasons vary from the boost in tourism and a growing corporate interest,” says Dodhiya, who owns nine female horses which he leases to marriage ceremonies, and four male horses he uses for cross-breeding.
Gondal-based Sarvanbhai has received many enquiries from institutions. “The prices of horses have increased due to the demand,” he says, hinting that he may get Rs 1 lakh per animal. Sarvanbhai takes his four male horses to many parts of the country for cross-breeding and charges between Rs 3,500 and Rs 10,000.
“Mostly, people demand white horses with long tails. Three months back I sold a female horse to a Rajkot-based industrialist for Rs 2.25 lakh,” he adds. Nanubapu Sathre, another Rajkot-based horse lover who has been preserving the animal for the past 40 years, says there are agents who approach him for taking his horse for breeding. Apart from breeding, Sathre leases out his horse for weddings and other social functions.
On the other hand, a few die-hard admirers like Digvijaysinh Zhala, the current head of the Wankaner royal clan, is lobbying hard in the US to get a separate recognition for the Kathiawadi breed there. Zhala has four horses.
TAPASH TALUKDAR
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2007
With horse lovers not averse to shelling out lakhs, breeders can’t ask for more. An MLA from Punjab recently bought a horse from a Dhandhuka-based breeder for Rs 3.75 lakh. Just a few days ago, a Rajkot-based industrialist bought a Kathiawadi breed for Rs 2.25 lakh from Gondal. The prices have doubled in a year.
In recent times, Saurashtra, home to the world-renowned Kathiawadi horses, has seen demand soaring on the back of horse riding, ceremonies, institutes as well as personal and corporate collections. There are around 18,000 horses in Gujarat, of which 10,000 are in Saurashtra alone.
“One time breeding of female and male horse costs anything between Rs 2,500 and Rs 4,000 depending on factors such as atmosphere, place, category of horse and of course, the customer’s requirement,” says Abdul Qasam Multani, who has eight male horses and one female horse.
On an average, he does about 15-50 cross-breedings in a month. A few days ago, he sold a female horse to an MLA in Punjab for Rs 3.75 lakh. The price of a new-born horse ranges between Rs 50,000 and Rs 5 lakh, depending on colour, height, age and overall looks.
Those in the business say demand for mares has increased due to reproduction factors. More players have joined the race. The number of members at the Kathiawadi Marwari Horse Breeders Association (KMHBA), for instance, has jumped from just around 500 a few years back to over 1,500, coming from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Ghanshyam Acharya, a Gondal-based horse-lover and a KMHBA founder, says the demand for cross-breeding has increased significantly in the past two years. Acharya, considered one of the finest horse riders, runs an ayurvedic medicine lab and has dedicated his life towards horse preservation.
Kathiawadi horses, with Arabian ancestry, are known for their endurance, power and stamina and are identified by their foreheads, eye placement, nose, long hair and long tail. In order to boost the breed in the state, the Gujarat government has also set up a few horse-breeding centres.
Bhupathbhai Dodhiya, a Panvi (Bhavnagar)-based horseman says people from Rajasthan and Maharashtra come in search of the original Kathiawadi breed. Dodhiya has been preserving the Kathiawadi breed for the past 40 years. “Demand has surged significantly in the past two years. The reasons vary from the boost in tourism and a growing corporate interest,” says Dodhiya, who owns nine female horses which he leases to marriage ceremonies, and four male horses he uses for cross-breeding.
Gondal-based Sarvanbhai has received many enquiries from institutions. “The prices of horses have increased due to the demand,” he says, hinting that he may get Rs 1 lakh per animal. Sarvanbhai takes his four male horses to many parts of the country for cross-breeding and charges between Rs 3,500 and Rs 10,000.
“Mostly, people demand white horses with long tails. Three months back I sold a female horse to a Rajkot-based industrialist for Rs 2.25 lakh,” he adds. Nanubapu Sathre, another Rajkot-based horse lover who has been preserving the animal for the past 40 years, says there are agents who approach him for taking his horse for breeding. Apart from breeding, Sathre leases out his horse for weddings and other social functions.
On the other hand, a few die-hard admirers like Digvijaysinh Zhala, the current head of the Wankaner royal clan, is lobbying hard in the US to get a separate recognition for the Kathiawadi breed there. Zhala has four horses.
TAPASH TALUKDAR
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2007
Labels: Marwari Horse
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