Aurangabad man uses a horse to commute to beat fuel price-hike

To counter the rising fuel prices, Shaikh Yusuf from Aurangabad has started using a horse for his commutes. The 49-year old lab assistant bought the horse after the first lockdown due to the pandemic in 2020. While Yusuf did not make much from his job, he bought the horse to commute to his workplace.

#WATCH Maharashtra | Aurangabad’s Shaikh Yusuf commutes to work on his horse ‘Jigar’. ” I bought it during lockdown. My bike wasn’t functioning, petrol prices had gone up & public transport wasn’t plying. which is when I bought this horse for Rs 40,000 to commute,” he said (14.3) pic.twitter.com/ae3xvK57qf

— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2022

He bought the horse for Rs 40,000 and named it Jigar. The primary idea was to commute to his workplace during the lockdown. He ditched his old motorcycle after the price of the fuel started to rise. Since public transportation was not available during the lockdown, Yusuf bought the horse as a cheaper alternative to his motorcycle.

Yusuf, the Ghodawala, has become quite popular in the neighbourhood. Children run alongside the horse in the neighbourhood. He also rides alongside other bikes and cycles on the public roads. Yusuf also gives rides to children. According to him, the horse is a four-year-old black horse of the Kathiawari breed.

A businessman did the same to stay fit

Back in January, a businessman in Karanataka decided to give up his car for a horse. The businessman said that he used to spend Rs 4,000 each month for the gym membership. While going to the gym he used fuel as well. According to his calculations, he will save a lot of money by buying the horse and giving up the gym membership.

Maintaining horses can be expensive

There are two types of horses – Indigenous and thoroughbred ones. While the indigenous ones can be less fussy to maintain, the cost comes around to be similar.

A horse eats about 5 to 6 kg of hay every day and it costs around Rs 35 per kg. The food cost only will come out to around Rs 6,300. Then add the cost of syce or a groomer that costs around Rs 12,000 per month.

Veternity costs come around Rs 5,000 per month while other costs like stall bedding, supplements, the farrier can cost another Rs 7,000. These estimated costs are for an Indigenous breed. For thoroughbred, the food and vet costs are significantly higher.

In recent times, the Indian market saw an unprecedented rise in fuel prices. The fuel prices crossed the Rs 100 per litre mark in almost all the states and Union Territories of the country. With the rising fuel prices, many were forced to take desperate measures. The international crude oil price is all-time high due to the war in Europe and this will affect the prices of fuel in the future. How are you saving fuel bills? Let us know in the comments below.