Jammu City --> Kanyakumari : On Horseback!

Tcavalo · 7th August 2011, 20:19

Hi guys,
I am planning a road trip (sort of) from Jammu City to Kanyakumari. We initially thought of doing it from Leh, but it does not seem to be realistic.
The route we have mapped out is as follows:
JammuCity to Pathankot then Chandigarh on to Delhi then Agra down to Indore via Gwalior, skirting the Palpur forests and then to Hyderabad via Akol and Nanded. From Hyderabad we will move on to banaglore while passing through anantapur and then on to Kanyakumari via Mysore and Coimbatore.

Would love any advice on fellow teambhpians on the trip and route selected.

oh yes, I forgot, this is a slightly different kind of road trip. The total distance is estimated at about 3,850 kms and the time allotted for completing it will be 220 days (approx. 7.5 months). Why so long you ask? We're doing it on horseback.

Its a ride that has never been undertaken in documented Indian history and will consist of me, one of my students and 5 horses. No convoy, no escorts, no mobile phones or GPS. We carry whatever supplies on the other three horses (which also double up as replacements should something happen to another) and we stock up at villages and towns along the way.

We will move at an average of 30 km per day, with 2 day rest stops after every 4 days. The trip will be mostly cross country, avoiding roads and highways except around cities and river crossings.

So once again, any advice will be greatly valued.
Then there is one other thing - if any team bhpians along the way have the space and the inclination to offer their hospitality while we are en-route, it would be greatly appreciated as finding safe rest-stops is proving to be somewhat difficult as of now.

The ride is scheduled to begin in October 2014, we have the horses and ourselves currently in training and hope to keep to this schedule provided all clearances etc are in place.

Sorry about the long post guys, but i couldnt shorten it any further. Mods, if this belongs somewhere else- please do the needful.

Thanks alot in advance guys.. happy driving.
A

check out planned expeditions at The Long Riders' Guild - Current Expeditions

ampere · 7th August 2011, 20:51

Wow!

Road conditions? Do they matter?

What an initiative!

Tcavalo · 7th August 2011, 20:56

hi ampere...
Road conditions are not a big deal since we are staying away from paved roads most of the time.. also we don't have tyres or susension.. not the leaf spribg kind anyway... I'm looking more for any knowledge of villages/general attitude of people/naxals/safety etc...

Tcavalo · 7th August 2011, 21:23

Hi amp.. no road conditions are not that big a deal as we will be avoiding paved roads most of the time and there are no tyres or suspension.. not the leaf spring kind anyway... im talking more about general knowledge of the villages, attitude of the people, naxals, tribals, crime etc along the way... of course, i know that in general one has to be careful but any sort of real experience or knowledge will be helpful...

live360 · 23rd January 2012, 20:32

Hello,
Wow, that would be a monumental trip. I was also contemplating on a trip like this, with slower pace (a state or two at a time) and then taking a break for couple of months.
If you don't mind me asking too many questions,
Are you bringing your own horses or hiring them locally? Can you find horses in India that are capable to do this and trained well enough?
I'm a horse lover currently living in US but planning to move to India in a year. I'd really appreciate if you can refer me to a link/person/farm where I can buy well trained horses.

Good luck and thank you.

Tcavalo · 31st January 2012, 13:34

Hi live360...

Haha.. maybe we can do some practise runs together. There are good horses in India, and I'd tell you where to get em, but that would be advertising and it was hard enough getting approved :P
I have my own horses, and my own training centre here in Indore, hopefully we will have the resources we need to begin work mid-2012. I can PM you and let you know about the horses too.
Cheers
TC

live360 · 14th February 2012, 05:32

Hi TC,
Thank you so much for your post. It is encouraging that I can find a well cared horse, all I see online look either malnourished or abused. Boy, I’m excited at the prospect of owning a horse in India. I don’t know how to send a PM on this site but I have lot of questions like Nutrition, health, hoof care etc as there aren’t any horses near my hometown in AP.
Please send me a PM when you get a chance and again thank you so much for your time.

viggienomad · 15th February 2012, 21:31

That's really a laid back travel and would feel the country in close quarters. Please explain more on how you evolved the route. I hope getting lost in a route for a while is not a big deal.

I believe using roads near cities will be more risky than tribals. With 5 horses, will the formation be 2+2+1 on roads?

gd1418 · 15th February 2012, 22:01

I knew that TBHP had travel crack-pots of all kinds and have known some too, but TC you are one of a kind. 4000 Kms on a horse back. This is going to be a first.

Wish you all the luck and success. Since you won't be carrying any electronics and travel across states & cities like they used to do some hundreds of years ago, I presume we shall be bereft of some wonderful pictures and also won't have regular on the road updates. That is going to be sad.

Anyway, glued to this thread.

hvkumar · 16th February 2012, 08:57

What a trip! When are you going?

7th August 2011, 20:19	#1
Tcavalo Newbie Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Pune/Indore Posts: 11 Thanked: 44 Times	Jammu City --> Kanyakumari : On Horseback! Hi guys, I am planning a road trip (sort of) from Jammu City to Kanyakumari. We initially thought of doing it from Leh, but it does not seem to be realistic. The route we have mapped out is as follows: JammuCity to Pathankot then Chandigarh on to Delhi then Agra down to Indore via Gwalior, skirting the Palpur forests and then to Hyderabad via Akol and Nanded. From Hyderabad we will move on to banaglore while passing through anantapur and then on to Kanyakumari via Mysore and Coimbatore. Would love any advice on fellow teambhpians on the trip and route selected. oh yes, I forgot, this is a slightly different kind of road trip. The total distance is estimated at about 3,850 kms and the time allotted for completing it will be 220 days (approx. 7.5 months). Why so long you ask? We're doing it on horseback. Its a ride that has never been undertaken in documented Indian history and will consist of me, one of my students and 5 horses. No convoy, no escorts, no mobile phones or GPS. We carry whatever supplies on the other three horses (which also double up as replacements should something happen to another) and we stock up at villages and towns along the way. We will move at an average of 30 km per day, with 2 day rest stops after every 4 days. The trip will be mostly cross country, avoiding roads and highways except around cities and river crossings. So once again, any advice will be greatly valued. Then there is one other thing - if any team bhpians along the way have the space and the inclination to offer their hospitality while we are en-route, it would be greatly appreciated as finding safe rest-stops is proving to be somewhat difficult as of now. The ride is scheduled to begin in October 2014, we have the horses and ourselves currently in training and hope to keep to this schedule provided all clearances etc are in place. Sorry about the long post guys, but i couldnt shorten it any further. Mods, if this belongs somewhere else- please do the needful. Thanks alot in advance guys.. happy driving. A check out planned expeditions at The Long Riders' Guild - Current Expeditions
	(2) Thanks

7th August 2011, 20:51	#2
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,945 Thanked: 12,928 Times View My Garage	Re: Road Trip.. Jammu City --> Kanyakumari Wow! Road conditions? Do they matter? What an initiative!
	() Thanks

7th August 2011, 20:56	#3
Tcavalo Newbie Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Pune/Indore Posts: 11 Thanked: 44 Times	Re: Road Trip.. Jammu City --> Kanyakumari hi ampere... Road conditions are not a big deal since we are staying away from paved roads most of the time.. also we don't have tyres or susension.. not the leaf spribg kind anyway... I'm looking more for any knowledge of villages/general attitude of people/naxals/safety etc...
	() Thanks

7th August 2011, 21:23	#4
Tcavalo Newbie Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Pune/Indore Posts: 11 Thanked: 44 Times	Re: Road Trip.. Jammu City --> Kanyakumari Hi amp.. no road conditions are not that big a deal as we will be avoiding paved roads most of the time and there are no tyres or suspension.. not the leaf spring kind anyway... im talking more about general knowledge of the villages, attitude of the people, naxals, tribals, crime etc along the way... of course, i know that in general one has to be careful but any sort of real experience or knowledge will be helpful...
	() Thanks

23rd January 2012, 20:32	#5
live360 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: VJA Posts: 44 Thanked: 4 Times	Re: Jammu City --> Kanyakumari : On Horseback! Hello, Wow, that would be a monumental trip. I was also contemplating on a trip like this, with slower pace (a state or two at a time) and then taking a break for couple of months. If you don't mind me asking too many questions, Are you bringing your own horses or hiring them locally? Can you find horses in India that are capable to do this and trained well enough? I'm a horse lover currently living in US but planning to move to India in a year. I'd really appreciate if you can refer me to a link/person/farm where I can buy well trained horses. Good luck and thank you.
	() Thanks

31st January 2012, 13:34	#6
Tcavalo Newbie Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Pune/Indore Posts: 11 Thanked: 44 Times	Re: Jammu City --> Kanyakumari : On Horseback! Hi live360... Haha.. maybe we can do some practise runs together. There are good horses in India, and I'd tell you where to get em, but that would be advertising and it was hard enough getting approved :P I have my own horses, and my own training centre here in Indore, hopefully we will have the resources we need to begin work mid-2012. I can PM you and let you know about the horses too. Cheers TC
	() Thanks

14th February 2012, 05:32	#7
live360 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: VJA Posts: 44 Thanked: 4 Times	Re: Jammu City --> Kanyakumari : On Horseback! Hi TC, Thank you so much for your post. It is encouraging that I can find a well cared horse, all I see online look either malnourished or abused. Boy, I’m excited at the prospect of owning a horse in India. I don’t know how to send a PM on this site but I have lot of questions like Nutrition, health, hoof care etc as there aren’t any horses near my hometown in AP. Please send me a PM when you get a chance and again thank you so much for your time.
	() Thanks

15th February 2012, 21:31	#8
viggienomad BHPian Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Bengalore Posts: 124 Thanked: 91 Times	Re: Jammu City --> Kanyakumari : On Horseback! That's really a laid back travel and would feel the country in close quarters. Please explain more on how you evolved the route. I hope getting lost in a route for a while is not a big deal. I believe using roads near cities will be more risky than tribals. With 5 horses, will the formation be 2+2+1 on roads?
	() Thanks

15th February 2012, 22:01	#9
gd1418 Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 3,578 Thanked: 728 Times View My Garage	Re: Jammu City --> Kanyakumari : On Horseback! I knew that TBHP had travel crack-pots of all kinds and have known some too, but TC you are one of a kind. 4000 Kms on a horse back. This is going to be a first. Wish you all the luck and success. Since you won't be carrying any electronics and travel across states & cities like they used to do some hundreds of years ago, I presume we shall be bereft of some wonderful pictures and also won't have regular on the road updates. That is going to be sad. Anyway, glued to this thread.
	() Thanks

16th February 2012, 08:57	#10
hvkumar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 7,369 Thanked: 3,454 Times	Re: Jammu City --> Kanyakumari : On Horseback! What a trip! When are you going?
	() Thanks