The Pony Boys after the pandemic

After pandemic losses, the Baguio Pony Boys are starting fresh.

The Wright Park Pony Boys Handlers Association, Inc., better known as Pony Boys, remain hopeful a stability in their business is possible.

Noelmartin Alquizar, vice president of the Pony Boy’s Association said “Ngayon lang [nagkaroon ng insurance] kasi meron din ‘yong nahulog [na turista] noon [sa kabayo], halos pinapa-shoulder lahat ng gastos sa amin. Wala naman kaming pondo. Kaya ang advice naman ng city government, kumuha kami ng insurance. [Para] at least may tutulong.”

He said the new registration with Malayan Insurance, classified under personal accident insurance, serves as their business’ safety net if tourists experience accidents and injuries during horseback riding. Specifically, the insurance covers accidental deaths, total permanent disability, disablement or dismemberment, and medical reimbursement which ranges from Php 7,500 to Php 25,000 in financial aid. The insurance requires riders to register and pay an additional Php 20 before riding a horse.

“Hindi naman natin maiwasan ‘yang disgrasya. Kaya gumawa rin kami ng paraan para may tutulong sa amin kasi wala rin kaming pondo. At least merong mag-cocover sa financial, may mag-rerefund sa gastusin. Iyon naman ang malaking tulong ng insurance,” Alquizar added in a mix of English and Filipino.

There are an estimated 500 tourists who flock to Wright Park during peak days while on regular weekends there could be about 150 tourists.

Alquizar said that the pony boys are lucky enough if there are tourists wanting to ride in Wright Park during weekdays, especially during the rainy season.

“Pabago-bago rin ‘yong kita dito. Last year maganda ang September. Ngayong taon, pangit ang September. At least meron ‘yong mga nagpapautang ng pagkain ng kabayo,” Alquizar added.

Currently, there are 200 horses in Wright Park under the Pony Boys Association, making the group the biggest association of horse handlers in the city.

Sadly, Alquizar sees horseback riding as an irregular source of income.

“Sa ngayon, ang masasabi ko lang, medyo sa weekend lang sila [tourists] bumibisita pero ‘pag during school days talagang wala. ‘Pag holidays, ganyan, meron. Hindi kasi masabi kung ilan din ang [income na] pumapasok everyday, ” he said as the decreasing number of tourists who want to ride a horse is a reality.

“Hindi tulad noon na mura ang bilihin, kung lima sila, lima rin ang sasakay. Ngayon, lahat-lahat na [ay] medyo nagtitipid na rin. [Pero] at least meron pa ring sumasakay,” he added in Filipino.

Paris, a member of the pony boy’s association for 45 years, said Cordillerans used horses as their mode of transportation due to the mountainous terrain of Cordillera, however, due to modern changes horses have now become a part of tourism as a novelty, horseback riding.

Paris said Wright Park does not operate every day and is only dependent on the tourists that ride the horses during weekends, holidays, summer, December, and Panagbenga season.

Thus, the pony boys do not have a daily regular income, which is why the Php 150 to 200 that they spend every day on their horses’ maintenance comes from their own pockets.

Paris said that the biggest challenge that the pony boys have faced throughout the decades that they operated their business is the COVID-19 pandemic.

The horses got sick with equine infectious anemia (EIA) during the COVID-19 lockdowns which made it difficult for the pony boys to take care of their horses logging 27^th horse deaths in March 2021.

Alquizar said that the 1990 earthquake was even easier to handle because a few months after the earthquake, they were able to get back on track immediately. Meanwhile, the pandemic lockdowns lasted nationwide for 2 years which greatly stunted their business.

The Pony Boys survived the challenges that the pandemic had brought to their business by selling horse manure as compost, using herbal alternatives due to insufficient horse medicines, and harvesting grasses when they had no money to buy feeds.

In a small corner lies the livelihood and culture of pony boys where green spaces for horses are being cemented, roads are being built for modern cars, and the urbanization of Baguio continues to develop. In between their COVID-19 pandemic recovery and upcoming Baguio modernization projects, the pony boys never thought of giving up.

“Nakipag-coordinate kami sa mga barangay na nasasakupan ng Wright Park para sa mga ruta namin,” Alquizar said in Filipino, explaining their response to the gradual decrease of spaces they are allowed to ride their horses. Among the barangays that they coordinated with were Gibraltar, Mines View, Outlook, Lualhati, and Pacdal. Alquizar and Paris said that as long as there are horses in Wright Park, they will continue to operate, believing the pony boys will not lose their place in Baguio, as they have contributed much to the city’s tourism and culture.   By Janine Ganapin