Early Life and Passion for Horses
- 47s Rasika Reddy was born in 1967 and had a supportive upbringing with her father, Major Sharat Kane, and her mother, Kavita, who provided her and her sister with a solid education and self-belief.
- 1m46s Rasika started riding horses at the age of six and had a memorable first experience with a pony named Jungle Queen.
- 2m15s At around 12 or 13 years old, she had a serious accident during a riding lesson, breaking her tailbone, but her parents continued to support her passion for horses.
- 3m22s Her passion for horses influenced major milestones in her life, including meeting her husband, Dr. Ravi Reddy, a veterinarian specializing in breeding horses, through an arranged marriage.
Career and Family Life
- 4m0s After marrying in 1988, Rasika moved to Bangalore, where she helped with her husband's veterinary practice and learned various skills from her in-laws.
- 4m20s In 1992, they had a son named Arnav, and in 1994, they moved to Pune for her husband’s new job managing a modern stud farm.
- 5m4s Rasika began riding young horses as part of the breaking-in process at the farm and was encouraged by a professional rider to ride on the racetrack.
- 5m30s In 1996, she applied for and received a license to ride as a track work rider at the Pune racecourse, where she trained horses for races.
Denied Jockey License and Transition to Horse Breaking
- 6m42s After five years as a track work rider, she applied for a jockey license in 2001 but was denied without a clear reason, later learning it was likely due to her being a woman, wife, and mother, with concerns about the dangers of race riding.
- 9m16s Rasika Reddy was devastated and depressed after being denied a jockey license despite her efforts to meet the requirements.
- 11m6s Reddy decided to become a horse breaker and horse whisperer because she felt she was meant to do more with horses than just ride them.
Horse Breaking and Horse Whispering
- 12m27s Horse breaking is important because it introduces young horses to equipment and allows them to be ridden safely, while horse whispering, a method developed by Monty Roberts, uses natural horsemanship techniques based on horse behavior in the wild.
Overseas Training and Basque Training Center
- 16m45s To pursue her passion for working with horses, the speaker had to travel overseas, which was a significant financial challenge.
- 18m4s The speaker secured a work opportunity with Julian Welch, a horse trainer in Australia, where she worked as a farmhand and rider in exchange for training.
- 19m51s Upon returning to India, the speaker established Basque Training Center and secured her first contract breaking in horses for stud farm owners and trainers.
