Pig Sticking in the Ganga Khadar

[Sakobav]

Thanks guys great pictures..hopefully more stories and pictures can be found

Cheers

[prashantsingh]

Lovely snaps nagarifle.
Doesn't the Khadir Cup in all it's silver look spectacular. Check out the little wild boar on top of the cup. I wonder why the Brits called it "Khadir" when the actual pronunciation is "KhadAr".
The snaps you have put up are probably those of a tiger hunt. Simply because there are more elephants than horses.While the poorly armed native "beaters and pickers" walk along the bush, their "Angraiz Saahebs" sit safe and secure high up in the "Howda" (surely with their heavy rifles).
Camels and Elephants were also a part of the Pig sticking event . I have some snaps of them as well. While the ladies and children were put on the elephants giving them a "birds eye" view of the proceedings down below .....the camels were mostly used by the beaters to locate the wild boars.

[Yaj]

[ Image ]

Nagarifle can you give me some info on this picture, like where and when it was taken?
Regards,
Yaj.

[nagarifle]

[ Image ]

Nagarifle can you give me some info on this picture, like where and when it was taken?
Regards,
Yaj.

hi Yaj
unable to say where or when, i had stored them but lost it on the system going haywire. maybe in 1925 Agar? Muttra tent club? do not quote me on this.

the spelling? of Kadir, not sure how it all came about but i do know that the Brits did have a funny way to spell Indian names etc.

[prashantsingh]

Ha ha ha. Naga . We were talking about spellings....... Look how they spelt Krishna bhumi Mathura (Muttra) . U.P. which still has a reasonably large Cantonment.

[Yaj]

hi Yaj
unable to say where or when, i had stored them but lost it on the system going haywire. maybe in 1925 Agar? Muttra tent club? do not quote me on this.

Thanks Mate!
Regards,
Yaj.

[nagarifle]

hi Yaj
go to www.pigsticking.com for some lovely old pics.

[panther]

Quite an intriguing article with phenomenal pictures -regardless of the quality. Sadly, it's all gone to history forever. I always use to wonder where the 'Kadir Cup Trophy' has been all these years. The sport was on decline once the mechanisation of Indian cavalry units commenced in later half of 1930's. Tracks instead of hooves as they use to say.
There are couple of authors who has dedicated a chapter or two on pigsticking in their books.
Notably, Francis Yeats-Brown in his book 'The Lives of a Begal Lancer' has mentioned 'Pigsticking' aorund the Bareilly, where he was posted at the turn of the last century. Also, a movie with the same title -staring Sir Guy Standing, Gary Coper & Franchot Tone- has some good clips of pigsticking.
Col. A.I.R. Glasfurd in his work 'Musings of an Old Shikari' has described 'Pigsticking' near Ellichpur.
Most accomplished among all is a book on Kadir Cup Trophy by General Alexander Wardrop.
Would anybody shed some light if there are other such classics on pigsticking.

[nagarifle]

there are few books around, one is with my friend, have to get hold of it. most sporting books or life style books regarding India in the old days tend to have a chapter or two on sports played by the Brits in India has at lest few pages on pig sticking.


BP the founder of boy scout, wrote a chapter on pig sticking and it does make a good read.

the 'Kadir Cup Trophy' is peacefully resting in the Calvary and guards club house in London. will try to get up to date pics of it when next in London. and any other info that they may have.

[prashantsingh]

The last pig sticking event was held in Meerut around 1986. My uncle was commanding the R.V.C. Centre and School and being the senior most officer was host to the event. A number of officers from the other regts. {61st Cav (Horse cavalry ) ,Armoured Corps & A.S.C.} were present. There were also a couple of officers from the British Army (with families) . Some civilians and officers from the Mounted Police were also invited.After the initial heats........on the final day the "Khadir Cup" was given away.
This Cup is still on display in the Officers Mess of the RVC Centre and School.
There is one "Khadir Cup" on display in the Officers mess of the Skinner's Horse. Skinners, an anglo-indian soldier, was an accomplished horseman and went on to raise the Skinners Horse.
This means that there are surely more than one Khadir Cups around the world.
I will have to again ask dear Kanwar to put the snaps of the last "Khadir Cup" being given away by my uncle (1986).

[nagarifle]

i thought that the Khadir cup was last hold in late 30s before the war? perhaps thats the last Brits khadir cup.

any more details of last khadir event?

[kanwar76]

Here's Pic of Khadir cup from Prashant



-Inder

[prashantsingh]

Thanks Kanwar.....and sorry for troubling you once again.
This surely is the last "Khadir Cup" . 1986. The winner was a soldier from the R.V.C.
The tall gentleman with his back to the camera is my uncle .....who was also a judge for international equitation events.
You will see the rider and his horse at the podium. After all the horse deserves as much credit for the victory as the rider himself.
Check out the heavy silver trophy ......and see if you can locate the small wildboar at it's epitome.

-- Mon Apr 05, 2010 11:28 pm --

Perhaps the Cup in your snap Naga is the last British Khadir Cup (late 1930's) after which they were busy fighting the Axis forces rather than sticking pigs in the Indian bush.

[mundaire]

I just got off the phone with a cousin of mine who is ex-RVC batch of 1989 (he took early release due to personal reasons). He used to be a keen equestrian & polo player and he tells me that after the 1986 Khadir Cup, it was held one last time sometime in the early 90's after which it was tanked forever due to lobbying by animal rights groups.

He was present at this last cup and tells me that it was quite a mega event. For any rider winning the cup was considered the absolute pinnacle of his life.

I've asked him to look up further details... will post them here as and when he gets back to me.

Cheers!
Abhijeet

[nagarifle]

Skinner's Horse. Skinners, an anglo-indian soldier, was an accomplished horseman and went on to raise the Skinners Horse.

just a note on Col. Skinner, he is buried in St. James Church, Kashmiri gate, Delhi. his tomb can be seen there.