Royalty of a kind...
Today had a peek into another form of royalty… another brand of riches…
Visited Stud Farm at Kunigal, on the outskirts of Bangalore… Originally owned
by Tipu Sultan, when put on auction by the Government, was bought by Vijay
Mallya (does any other name come to mind when its about Studs and Races and
Riches?)
So this is a 400 acre farm maintained spotlessly… and is divided into
multiple areas – largest one being the stables where breeding happens… expecting
mares are looked after throughout the 11 months and about 5 months post ‘foaling’
(delivering)… once the foals are separated from mothers, starts their training…
exercising, running, eventually racing… every aspect of their growth and
grooming is looked after minutely, to make them stand-out ‘Studs’… huge
facilities have been built to provide rigorous training… pastures have been
landscaped to perfection to provide enough space and fodder… a separate area is
dedicated to the racing horses and their importance is defined obviously by the
number of times they have won any race… the top performers become Mr Mallyas
personal racers with a ‘VM’ prominently engraved on their body…
The farm in total houses about 400+ horses, each of them looked after immaculately
till they are of gainful use (either for race or for breeding, or for sale)… as
any of these are rendered ‘retired’, they are injected and killed… now this
practice is right or not could be a matter of debate, but it is a universal practice
nevertheless.. it is a commercial activity nevertheless… the owners may have
liking for animals in general, for horses in specific, but converting that into
a self-sustainable business model is commendable… and a model that also supports
their other interests like glitzy-entertainment, free-spirited-recreation, and ostentatious-lifestyle… and as part of the
same flamboyant world, the horses also live royally, as long as they are ALLOWED TO live…
2 comments
A blog with quite a serious overtone I must say! Deserves a column in a travelogue for sure. And for the uninitiated quite informative and sows a yearning to visit the farm.
ReplyDeleteDo they allow pubic to visit this Stud Farm
ReplyDeleteIf so at what time n days they allow n how much should v pay to enter.