There are some places one goes to that leave a mark on one for a lifetime.Along with members of the Women’s Guild of Oman, I had just such an opportunity some time back.A visit to the RGO stables in Seeb, provided us with a delightful mix of action, grace, beauty, pageantry. Above all, we were treated to a display of the highest calibre of musical rides, show jumping, dressage and regular horse riding-all in the span of just one morning.
After reaching the RGO Stables in Seeb, we were all warmly welcomed by the Stables Manager, Major Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al Balushi, who gave us a brief introduction of the set up there, and then gave us a tour of the place where we were treated to a delightful display of ceremonial splendour.
And it was then that the real show began……
The band struck up the beat, and there they came, two rows of splendid horses, coming in from both sides of the field….They moved majestically, those proud horses, and their riders. We watched with bated breath as they first trotted, then cantered at a faster, and then even faster pace. It was clear for all to see, the intangible bond between each of the horses and their riders, was a unique one, and one that went beyond set boundaries.
The music apart, there was much for the audience to feast their eyes on: the men wearing dazzling green and red coloured military uniforms, as well as dashing black uniforms. These soldiers and officers treated us to a complete routine, one where horses, men, and the accompanying background music of the highest order, first mesmerized, then, wove a spell around the audience. To top it all, there were the superb notes of the gleaming brass instruments. Such was the magnificence of the setting that it was hard to judge whether the music complemented the occasion, or the occasion complemented the music.
We were doubly lucky on that particular day, as Col. Brian Watson, and his wife, were present at the RGO stables that very morning. According to Maj. Mohammed Al Balushi, to Col Brian Watson goes the complete credit for training and setting up the first ever Mounted band in the Sultanate of Oman. In 1978 after the commissioning of the first mounted troops in the Sultanate, based on a personal request by H.M Sultan Qaboos Bin Al Said, Col Brian Watson set about training a team of young, unfettered boys, some of whom had never even worn closed shoes. These boys, included Maj. Mohammed, then a very young boy himself.
The outcome, achieved in a record time of a few short months, saw the first- ever performance of a ‘mounted band’ which accompanied the march past and the other celebrations. This band performed at the very first National Day parade in Salalah in 1979. There were a total of nine performers, of which eight were trumpeters, mounted on horses. And as Col. Brian Watson narrated the anecdote much to the amusement of all present, H.M Sultan Qaboos Al Said, while congratulating him for the success of the presentation and parade, told him that he wanted to see at least twenty five members in the band for next year’s parade!
So, one year, and many broken drums and sticks later, this too was achieved. And so began the real foundation of what has grown and matured extremely creditably since that day. Today the Mounted band of the RGO in the Sultanate is 45 members strong. They have come a long way indeed, as the RGO stables team today is about 102 members, and has 76 horses.
The Royal Guard of Oman (RGO)- A background
The Royal Guard Regiment was formed in 1973 to protect and escort His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said as well as to guard Royal property and visiting personages. It is a ‘corps d'elite’, which is trained as both a combat and ceremonial unit.
One of the most notable things that we all registered while walking around the stables was a marked absence of a ‘horsy' smell as we took in our surroundings. And the stables, they all had gleaming white and polished exteriors, through which we could see the proud and graceful horses- a definite tribute to the excellence in the systems and techniques of Major Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al Balushi, and his team.
A ‘Horse shoeing’ demo, was next on the agenda, and we saw at close quarters, the various steps that were entailed in the process. And, couldn’t help but marvel at the expertise of the soldier assigned for the task, combined with the patience of the horse that was being ‘shoed’!’
We were then introduced to Dr Ilias, from the Veterinary Department who gave us a brief background on horses, their physical health and care, and patiently answered all our queries.
Historically, Oman has been famous for it’s pure-bred Arab horses. The perfect Arabian horse has a small head, proportionate to the rest of its body; large eyes; small, pointed, erect ears; and a short, wide back. A very interesting fact that came to light was that each horse is given an ‘Equine Passport’ by the Omani Horse Register (OHR) which is the equivalent of it’s identity card.
We also learnt about how horses were actually bred at the RGO stables. This is mainly by ‘artificial insemination’, after a complete gynaecological check is completed. Since the need of a mounted band is that of bigger and stronger horses, in order to carry both the rider, as well as the instruments, The resultant output, the horses bred at the RGO stables are thorough-bred, as well as of mixed blood.
Shortly after this, we were introduced to ‘Shahba’, a beautiful tall, white horse. Major Mohammed informed us that this mare was the tallest in the Sultanate, measuring 18.5 hands. As such, she clearly occupies a pride of place in their stables.We also had an opportunity to see some of the sweetest foals that I remember seeing, along with a couple of majestic goats- complete in scarlet splendour!
Walking around had made us all hungry and thirsty, and we were then informed that refreshments had been laid out…. Tucking into the delicious that awaited us, made us ready for more!After we had all enjoyed the hospitality of the team at the stables, the tour ended with our entry into the 'Saddle room', where we were amazed to see the large number and types of saddles that were kept there. We learnt that all saddle making was done ‘in-house’, and looking at the beautifully crafted saddles, we could clearly see the high standard of craftsmanship that the stable team have attained.
All of us came home with a ‘keep- sake’ as well. Not too difficult to guess, it was a ‘horse-shoe’- for good luck!
(My Feature-Published-Oman Observer-Feb 08)
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