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Horses are back: Indonesia’s equestrian community sees a revival
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Hobbyists: Ciello Stable saw a spike in horse-riding enthusiasts during the pandemic and many came to ask for information on horse breeding. (Courtesy of Waskito Harry) (Courtesy of Waskito Harry/Courtesy of Waskito Harry)
I
n the nineties, horse riding was a popular sport among Indonesians, but interest, and the number of races, have flopped in the past two decades. During the pandemic, the sport has regained its popularity.
The Indonesian equestrian community has seen an increase in newcomers during these past two to three years. Accelerated by the pandemic, which has forced Indonesians to find hobbies that require minimal close-physical interaction, the growing interest in horse riding in recent years triggered a greater number of visitors to some horse stables.
Waskito Harry, 50, who owns a horse stable called Ciello in Yogyakarta, said his stable had more customers than usual during the pandemic.
"People get bored during the pandemic and are looking for some activities to spend their time on, and horse riding is one of the options," he said.
"Our stable is not the only one that is experiencing this growing trend. There are several other stables from other regions that have seen an increase in customers, too."
Harry said horse riding is the most-popular horse sport compared to the other two categories — horse racing and horseback archery. At least, this is true in his stable's case, which has been operating since 2019.
"Our horses are basically built for horse racing. However, when the pandemic hit, there were no horse-racing competitions at all, so I decided to call a horse trainer to train the horses for horse riding, which had more enthusiasts during the pandemic," Harry said, adding that the demand for horse trainers also increased.
