Sign Up For A Horse Riding Bootcamp

As children, most of us have nursed some desire to ride a horse (and if we had read The Black Stallion books, we wanted to befriend one as well). In Mumbai, choices are restricted to either riding the sad, malnourished ponies at Bandstand, or enrolling for lessons at the Mahalaxmi Race Course. If you did not do either as a kid, and still crave the hair-flying experience that comes with galloping around an open field, then you might be interested in White Collar Hippie’s horse riding bootcamp. The Mumbai-based travel company, launched just three months ago by friends Vikrant Chheda and Sachin Parikh, specialises in weekend excursions that take city folk off the beaten path. “We wanted to cater to the market that was looking for something more than regular tourist trips—people looking for the experience of a backpacker but who are not confident to go out on their own,” says Chheda who, like Parikh, has a day job. Chheda works in environmental management, and Parikh in finance.

The duo has been testing out their excursions on friends for a year now, and during this time, they have taken groups of all ages to Kerala, Ladakh (Chheda helped organise the Confluence festival in 2009), as well to places around Mumbai, including the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. For their next trip, to be held over Independence Day weekend, from Friday, August 12 to Monday, August 15, White Collar Hippie has organised a bootcamp at the Japalouppe Equestrian Centre in Pune for just 30 people.

During the camp, you will live, eat and ride at the Centre, taking lessons from the head instructor on riding as well as learning how to look after a horse and manage a stable. While most of the day (around five hours) will be spent on riding lessons, the remaining time will be devoted to learning juggling, ultimate frisbee (Chheda says it will help impart some of the poise and posture required of horse riding), trekking and being shown how to build a barbecue from local materials. Accommodation is shared, in a dormitory, and all costs, including food, drinks and lessons, are included in the price of Rs8,750 per person. You will have to arrange your own transport to and from Pune.

For more information, call 99302 60748 or write to info@whitecollarhippie.com.

Phone99302 60748

Relevant DatesFriday, August 12 to Monday, August 15

Ticketing & Price InfoRs8,750

Websitewww.facebook.com/event.php?eid=207006342682013