Khartoum's Equestrian Club struggles amid Sudan upheaval

A worker feeds a horse at a private stable at the Equestrian Club, in Khartoum, Sudan, June 27, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - For decades the Equestrian and Racing Club has given upper-crust Sudanese the chance to learn horse riding and watch horse racing in a shady compound set apart from the surrounding urban bustle of the capital Khartoum.

But the club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April, dampening higher society life.

Horse races were halted and attendance at equestrian classes dwindled after protests broke out in the dusty streets of the capital on the Nile river, with the loss of scores of lives as security forces cracked down.

Tajideen, 14, poses for a photograph with a baby goat, near the room where he sleeps, at the stable at the Equestrian Club in Khartoum, Sudan, July 2, 2019. Tajideen is spending his summer holidays helping out family members at the stables. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

"The main problem is that people don't have enough cash (for the club), they're keeping it to live on, not to bring children to ride horses," said Rafat Awad, the club's treasurer.

"You see the situation in our country, people dying. You can't just go and race. Some people are sad, some are angry, some still waging revolution, so we found it wasn't right to stage competitions."

The club was founded in 1908 under British colonial rule but betting on horse races ended in 1983 when sharia (Islamic law) took effect. Before being halted, horse races were run through sponsorships and some 200 horses are kept in the club's stables.

Mohamed, 16, enters a room where he lives, at the stables of the Equestrian Club, in Khartoum, Sudan, July 2, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

There has been a modest resurgence of visitors to the club in recent weeks as violence has eased following a political transition deal between the temporary ruling military council and opposition leaders.

Around two dozen people, including children, come for riding classes in the evenings, after the searing daytime heat eases, often watched by their families.

Lessons are offered daily except Friday, the Muslim holy day, for 1,400 Sudanese pounds (nearly $20) a month - a sum beyond the means of most Sudanese, let alone the cost of buying and keeping a horse at the club.

Sudanese horse riders take part in a class at the Equestrian Club in Khartoum, Sudan, June 26, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Some female club members describe how they've had to overcome a disapproval of women participating in sport that is common in strictly Islamic Sudan.

"If your family members are interested, it's easier than if you start on your own," said Einas, 18, who has been riding for one year. Her father has race horses and has won competitions. She said that in Sudan, however, racing was mainly a man's sport while women often practiced show-jumping.

Twenty-four-year-old Sagda, a club member who had been riding for 11 years, said: "My mum brought me here, my family don't mind that I'm a woman riding.

Rayan Ragab, 24, a professional horse rider, rests at the Equestrian Club in Khartoum, Sudan, July 2, 2019. Rayan has been riding for 13 years. She was a gymnast and had a show at the club, where she saw horses and decided she wanted to ride. She is also a football player. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

"It can be a bit hard - some people disapprove at how we are dressed," she added, referring to tight-fitting equestrian garb.

(Reporting by Andreea Campeanu; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

A poster depicting horses hangs inside the home of one of the workers of the Equestrian Club, which used to host the betting offices, in Khartoum, Sudan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

El Tayeb (L), 19, and Tajideen, 14, rest on a bed outside their room, early morning, at the stables at the Equestrian Club, in Khartoum, Sudan, July 2, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

El Tayeb (L), 19, and Tajideen, 14, rest on a bed outside their room, early morning, at the stables at the Equestrian Club, in Khartoum, Sudan, July 2, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Rayan Ragab, 24, prepares to ride a horse at the Equestrian Club in Khartoum, Sudan, July 2, 2019. Rayan has been riding for 13 years. She was a gymnast when she had a show at the club, where she saw horses and decided she wanted to ride. She is also a football player. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Einas (R), 18, and her friends wait to ride horses at the Equestrian Club in Khartoum, Sudan, July 2, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Dania, 13, prepares for horse riding lessons, at the Equestrian Club, Khartoum, Sudan, June 27, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Women chat at the Equestrian Club complex, in Khartoum, Sudan, July 1, 2019. Open until 11pm, the compound holds the equestrian club, the race club, a learning school, and a space where families come to relax in the evenings. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A young man who lives and works at the stables sits on a bed outside his room, at the Equestrian Club, in Khartoum, Sudan, July 2, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Einas, 18, who is a horse rider, poses for a portrait at her home in Khartoum, Sudan, July 3, 2019. Einas has been riding for a year, and her father is a race horse rider. "If your family members are interested, it's easier than if you start on your own," Einas said about being a female horse rider. Cups won by her father at races and a portrait of her mother sit on her desk. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A boy pets a horse at the Equestrian Club, in Khartoum, Sudan, June 27, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Einas, 18, touches the horse she rides at a riding class, at the Equestrian Club, in Khartoum, Sudan, June 26, 2019. Einas has been riding for a year and her father is a race horse rider. "If your family members are interested, it's easier than if you start on your own," Einas said about being a female horse rider. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Lema, a horse rider, rests in the sitting area near the horse riding arena, at the Equestrian Club in Khartoum, Sudan, June 29, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A boy smiles as he rests by a horse riding arena, after helping to bring the horses to the riders, at the Equestrian Club, in Khartoum, Sudan, June 27, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A seller picks up soda bottles from the fridge at a small shop at the Equestrian Club, in Khartoum, Sudan, July 1, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A Sudanese man trains a horse at the Equestrian Club in Khartoum, Sudan, June 26, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Souvenirs lie on shelves at the Equestrian Club, in Khartoum, Sudan, July 1, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

An old book announcing a race, with former president Omar Al Bashir's photograph on it, lies on the ground, at the Equestrian Club compound, in Khartoum, Sudan, July 1, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Children wash a horse before riding classes at the stables of the Equestrian Club in Khartoum, Sudan, June 27, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Terab, 48, who works at the stables, rests in his room, at the Equestrian Club, Khartoum, Sudan, July 1, 2019. Terab is from Nyala in Darfur, and has been living in Khartoum for three years. He supports his two children and first wife back home, as well other children who are related to him. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Children who help take care of the horses on evenings at the Equestrian Club wash, before heading home, in Khartoum, Sudan, July 1, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Men ride horses on the race track at the Equestrian Club compound in Khartoum, Sudan, June 29, 2019. The club has had to cut back activities since popular unrest erupted in December and led to the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Rayan (L), 24, and her friend Sagda, 24, chat before horse riding at the Equestrian Club, in Khartoum, Sudan, July 2, 2019. Rayan has been riding for 13 years. She was a gymnast and had a show at the club, where she saw horses and decided she wanted to ride. She is also a football player. Sagda, a journalist and club member who had been riding for 11 years, said: "My mum brought me here, my family don't mind that I'm a woman riding. "It can be a bit hard - some people disapprove at how we are dressed," she added, alluding to tight-fitting equestrian garb. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Taisir, 24, who lives with her husband at the stables, poses for a portrait at her home, at the Equestrian Club, Khartoum, Sudan, July 2, 2019. Taisir and her husband, Terab, who works at the stables, are from Nyala, in Darfur, and have been living in Khartoum for three years. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu