Thoroughbred Racing and Breeding Industries in India

Racing has a long history in India, and it is believed that races were first held in Madras in 1780. As time elapsed and more areas in India came under British rule, the population of horses increased, as did the number of racetracks. The number of horses and horsemen swelled in India—from the mouth of the Ganges River to that of the Indus, and from the Himalayas to Madras. Calcutta, the colonial capital, became the headquarters of racing.

By 1862 the sport of horse racing had grown in popularity to the point that there were close to 100 racecourses in India. These were mostly in towns where there were British army cantonments.

The National Horse Breeding and Show Society of India published Volume 1 of the Indian Stud Book in 1927. This book included horses from various breeds: English Thoroughbreds, Australian Thoroughbreds, Trotters, Marwari, Kathiawaris, Desert Arabians, and half-breds. These days, India has about 3,000 Thoroughbred mares and breeds about 1,800 foals per year, an increase of 50% in the last decade at a time when numbers have been dropping in other countries. Imports of in-foal mares have risen dramatically in the last few years as breeders seek mares with more international pedigrees.

Racing is now conducted on a seasonal basis in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Mysore, Delhi, and Chennai. About 4,000 active racehorses run in over 3,000 races for a total of $24 million in prize money. Stakes races have increased dramatically in recent years, and the winner of the recent Indian Derby run in Mumbai earned $300,000.

Breeding and rearing Thoroughbreds in India is a big challenge for a number of reasons, and KER has provided consultation services to some farms for many years.

In some areas of the world, horsemen take seasonal availability of good pasture for granted and in places like New Zealand, breeders might have good-quality pasture available all year. But in India a combination of high land values and a monsoonal climate means pasture is a minor or missing ingredient in the diets of most Thoroughbreds.

With India’s booming population of well over a billion people, land is a precious resource, and some stud farms sit on property adjacent to land worth over a million dollars an acre. This means farms tend to be smaller and stocking rates higher than in other countries. The monsoonal climate provides torrential rain over a few months followed by long dry periods. This weather pattern makes it hard to grow grass, and horses are often stabled during the monsoon. Horses usually do not consume meaningful amounts of pasture.

Fresh lucerne/alfalfa (80% water) is commonly fed as a pasture replacer, but in recent times supply has dropped as farming land is lost to the expansion of cities and high prices for sugar cane make that a preferred crop. Some farms are now drying lucerne to provide a more regular supply, and this forage is chopped or chaffed to become a valuable ingredient. But there is no such thing as lucerne/alfalfa hay available. Fresh oats and Rhodes grass are also cultivated for cutting and feeding to horses on some farms. Native grass hay is readily available, but it is poor quality with low protein, energy, and mineral levels, so it supplies necessary fiber for digestive health but little else in the way of nutrients.

Energy requirements for growth, lactation, and performance are higher in the tropical climate of India than in temperate climates. When this is combined with lower-quality forages, it means the need to feed more grain to supply energy needs. Traditional feeding practices involve larger quantities of oats and bran, but soybean meal and corn are also used and are becoming more popular.

In recent years feeds have been imported from Australia for use on the racetracks and some stud farms, but import duties and clearance delays make this a complicated arrangement. In 2007 Kentucky Equine Research (KER) entered a brand alliance partnership with Himalayan Horse Feeds in Delhi to develop the first commercial horse feeds manufactured in India. These feeds were initially developed for polo horses but are now finding favor on the racetrack and on breeding farms.

KER has provided consultancy services to some leading Indian stud farms such as Nanoli, Equus, and Kunigal Stud for many years, and these farms have an enviable record of producing winners and group race winners. The farms make extensive use of KER’s Gro-Trac and MicroSteed software, and KER nutritionists give advice on regular feed programs and nutrition solutions for problem horses.

Peter Huntington, B.V.Sc, director of nutrition for KER Australasia, travels to India on a regular basis for hands-on work with horses on the stud farms. On a recent visit he provided advice to eight breeding farms. This involved inspection of individual horses, review of growth records, and evaluation of individual or group feed programs. This is all part of the KER service, as the company aims to help improve the knowledge of equine nutrition and the productivity and health of horses around the world.