Horse show on April 17

A horse show organised by Premadasa Riding School is to be held at Nuwara Eliya Race Course on April 17 commencing 4.30 p.m. The show is to start with a march of the participating horses, dressed in Rajastani costumes. The dazzling event is to get off the mark soon after the flag salutes.

The Horse Show will include a combination of tent pegging, horse dances, hanky picking, fire arch runs and numerous other activities and acrobatics performed on horseback. Nearly all items on the day's itinerary are reminiscent of days when wars were fought astride horses and quarrels were sorted at the tip of a sword.

It was during such times that the game of tent pegging arose. Now it is an internationally recognized sport, tent pegging originated from a war manoeuvre that uprooted pegs tethering the tents of enemy soldiers, trapping them within the folds of their own tents, thereby making easy work for the cavalry. Tent pegging has made its way off the battle fields and into the sporting arena.

A swirl of colour and the beat of hooves, horse dances too originated from the battlefields. In essence foot steps and evasive manoeuvre were taught to mounts, to protect themselves and their riders in the heat of battle. The beat of war drums that they dances to have since become the beat of pleasure instruments. And their war manoeuvres have since become dance steps.

The fire arch runs allow a glimpse of the tenacity and strength of spirit of the horses.