In equestrian circles, he is simply known as the ‘doctor’. Mahendran Rajaram is a physician alright but it is his love for the horses and his interest in grooming quality riders that has made him a familiar face in the field of equestrian sports.

At the South Zone equestrian championships last week in Bangalore, Mahendran and his team of riders from RM Farms in Pollachi were in top form, as they won the overall title. It was another step in the long journey for Mahendran, who bought his first horse in 2002 to fulfil his childhood dream.

“I did my schooling in St George’s Residential School in Ooty. Every month, when my parents come to meet me in the school, they will take me for a horse-ride along the lakeside. Time passed by and I became crazy about horses. But we could not afford a horse. But I kept that dream in my mind till I became financially sound, “ said Mahendran, explaining his entry into the field.

“Five years back, I finally bought a horse named Little Adit, a gelding. I started training it by myself just by reading books on horse training. I also got the help of my friend Sreekumar, who holds a Degree in Equestrian Sciences from US. Till now, I have trained more than 100 horses, some grab the training process easily while others are slower,” he said.

Mahendran started the Rajaram Mahendran Farms Riding School last year. “I realised that age is not on my side to become a rider. But I felt youngsters should not be deprived of a such an opportunity. If I can help them claim some medals for the country that makes me happier than anything else,” he said on the idea behind starting the farm. Six months back, he roped in three riders in three different categories — Yashaan Khambatta (Junior), N C Subbaya (Senior) and Bharat Kumar Annaduri (Children). His efforts bore fruit at the South Indian meet as the 28-year-old Subbaya from Coorg, 18-year-old Mumbai-born Khambatta and Chennai’s 11-year-old Bharat Kumar Annaduri combined to take 19 medals, including eight gold.

Subbaya, a former National junior champion and a bronze medallist at last year’s World Showjumping Championships said of Mahendran, “He is a man with a big heart. ‘Doctor’ came to my rescue when I was looking for some serious help to stay on as a rider,” said Subbaya who won four gold medals in the meet.

Mahendran felt Indian riders had the talent to compete on the world stage but better bred horses were helping the foreign riders’ cause. “We have talented riders, but we need good horses. We need to know the bloodline of horses that are good in showjumping. We normally buy a horse that is thrown out of racing for cheap price and train them because an average Indian cannot afford to import horses. I am doing research on the bloodline of thoroughbred horses that are good in equestrian and bred in India. It will help to some extent in solving the problem facing Indian equestrian,” said the native of Coimbatore, who is a consultant physician at Kausalya Medical Centre, Pollachi.

Mahendran said his ultimate aim was an Olympic medal. “My first aim is to train the riders to do well in National championships and subsequently, in the Asian Games. But my ultimate aim is an Olympic medal for the country in equestrian. For that, I will always be available to give a helping hand to those who have the commitment and talent but can’t afford the huge expenses involved in maintaining horses.”