Mr. Tong has been involved in horse breeding since he was 8 years old - Photo: AN VI
For them, horses are friends, relatives, and passions, and that is the interesting story of Mr. Le Tien Tong (48 years old, living in Binh Chanh) who is pursuing them at a farm in Ho Chi Minh City.
Following in the footsteps of our ancestors
Mr. Tong has a farm of nearly 5 hectares right next to Trinh Quang Nghi Street (Binh Chanh District). There is no need for a sign, the characteristic musty smell of horses wafting in the afternoon breeze is the sign that you have arrived at this farm.
The deeper we went, the more clearly we could hear the neighing of the horses. There were about 40 adult horses there, the loudest, strongest and most spirited neighing one was usually the leader. The young horses and mares were often chosen by Mr. Tong to train new students for the first time.
Standing among the horses was Mr. Tong with his tanned face, bringing bundles of grass to feed the horses during their afternoon meal. Every now and then he would stroke their manes and bend down to check each horse's hoof.
Horse breeding came to him as a predestined profession. Starting from the age of 8, he followed his grandfather to and fro with horses at Phu Tho racetrack - a place frequented by the upper class of the six provinces of the South.
Ms. Dao Thi Ngoc Danh was instructed on horse riding by Mr. Tong - Photo: AN VI
"At that time, my family also raced horses very fiercely. Unfortunately, the racetrack closed later, but my love for horses was still as strong as before, so I continued to raise them," Mr. Tong shared.
The main source of income that this farm brings to Mr. Tong is from charging experience fees, horse riding lessons, renting horses for photography as well as serving as a backdrop for film crews.
For the experiential activity, Mr. Tong charges 350,000 VND/20 minutes. He charges 6 million VND for horse riding lessons per course, with a course consisting of six sessions and each session lasting about 45 minutes.
"As for the film crew, I rent them out under a contract for 6 million VND/day. If the horses have to be transported out of the province, I will charge 7 million VND/day," Mr. Tong added.
Horses on the farm are also trained by Mr. Tong for experience and filming purposes:
"They often walk more gracefully and slowly to exude the aristocratic aura in the movies. They also train the horses to be a bit gentler so that people who come to take pictures won't be afraid."
Mr. Tong’s journey to succeed his father was as bumpy as the trotting steps of his horses. There was a time when his horses, which he considered his children, had to go without food for a few meals because of lack of customers and not enough money to buy food and grass for them.
With experience from previous generations, Mr. Tong can do all the steps in horse care himself, from giving birth, cutting hooves, bathing, trimming hair...
"Except for really difficult cases, which I have never seen before or do not have medicine available, I only ask for help from a veterinarian. But such cases are rare because horses are healthy animals. If they eat and drink regularly and the weather is stable, there is no need to worry too much," said Mr. Tong.
Mr. Tong's horse farm is often crowded with visitors during the summer and weekends - Photo: AN VI
Raising horses is like raising children.
Raising a horse to adulthood is no different than taking care of a newborn baby until it can walk. Whenever a mare is pregnant, Mr. Tong is always there to check on her and he himself delivers and cuts the umbilical cords of the horses born at this farm.
When the foal is 18 months old, the most difficult "battle" begins, that is when Mr. Tong trains the horse continuously for a month.
"Some horses understand when I speak gently, some have to be nudged in the side, some have to be pulled hard on the reins... I have to understand each horse here to know its weaknesses, and take advantage of them to make training easier. In general, I have to let the horse get used to me before I dare let customers ride it," Mr. Tong shared.
A horse is successfully trained when it can be controlled to turn left and right, trot, gallop and many other advanced techniques. In the training process, the most important thing is to make the horse understand the rider's signals from an early age.
Illustrated, Mr. Tong resolutely climbed onto the back of a horse that was nearly 1.7m tall. Every muscle of the horse tensed up, neighing loudly. Mr. Tong stroked it a few times, the horse panted and then calmed down. When he held the reins on the right side and relaxed the left side, the horse turned right and vice versa. When he nudged the horse's belly or pulled both reins taut, the horse immediately took off with long, powerful strides.
The most unique move is the trotting and bouncing style. According to him, this is a technique that he trains very carefully because the film crew often needs the horse to move slowly and beautifully according to that technique.
"Watching movies where ancient kings or nobles ride horses, there are often scenes where the horses walk slowly so people can admire the scenery and look around. It may look like that, but to train a horse to walk smoothly and elegantly like that is very difficult," said Mr. Tong.
Mr. Tong takes care of the horses with all his heart - Photo: AN VI
On his farm, many of the dogs are so "proud" that they refuse to let guests ride them. "Training these dogs like that makes me fall all the time. One time, I fell and opened my eyes to find myself in Cho Ray Hospital," Mr. Tong said with a laugh.
That is why when teaching horse riding to guests, Mr. Tong always closely follows every little movement. Guests who come to study for about three months will be able to master the horses here.
In addition to teaching students, Mr. Tong also raises horses for those who are passionate but cannot raise them in the city center. Horse owners will visit the horses every week and send Mr. Tong money for food and care.
Eat and sleep with horses
Because he opened a farm in Ho Chi Minh City, his area is not as large as many farms in other provinces. The amount of grass is also limited, so Mr. Tong has to grow more himself to have enough food for 40 horses.
Each day, adult horses eat up to 5kg of rice, grass and food. It is estimated that the monthly cost of maintaining his herd of horses is about 40 million VND.
"There were times when I was very sad, especially when there were no customers, and I ran out of money to buy food for the horses. At that time, I had to borrow money everywhere. I would rather starve than let the horses starve. They are very muscular, and if they skip a few meals, they will weaken immediately. It was very painful to see," Mr. Tong pensively recalled the difficult period when he first opened the farm.
Horses are very smart. Every time they hear the sound of Mr. Tong's cart carrying grass back, even though it is still out of sight, the whole herd neighs repeatedly from inside the farm to welcome their owner. He said that horses also know happiness and sadness and seem to understand human language.
Mr. Tong's horse farm has 40 horses, mainly British and American breeds - Photo: AN VI
"Some horses are sad, I can tell by looking at their eyes, then I check to see if they are having any health problems. If a horse is sick, I tie a hammock in the stable to sleep with it to constantly monitor it. There are also cases where a horse dies... that scene is very heartbreaking," Mr. Tong said emotionally.
According to him, horse riding is no longer a high-class sport as people think. At this farm, Mr. Tong does not collect entrance fees from guests. Guests only pay for coffee and horse riding, and can freely visit the rest.
"I want this horse riding sport to spread more widely. They have affection and loyalty to their owners, which is a virtue that I really admire," Mr. Tong shared.
Coming to the horse riding farm for the first time, Ms. Dao Thi Ngoc Danh (26 years old) said that at first, seeing these majestic horses so tall made her very scared.
"Later, I found them extremely cute. I have to choose the ones that are a bit gentle. If I ride them when they are sad or angry, they won't accept it," said Ms. Ngoc Danh.
On the first day, Ms. Danh was taught basic techniques such as controlling the horse to the left and right, trotting, etc. She said she felt both curious and scared.
"If I didn't have a coach by my side, I really wouldn't dare get on these horses' backs," Ms. Danh shared her experience.
On her first experience, Ms. Danh said that the rider needs to be brave because the more afraid and shaken she is, the more uncomfortable the horse will be and will not let her ride.
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