Meet Class 9 Solapur Boy Who Rides Horse To School

Solapur: A class 9 student has found a unique way to overcome absence of vehicles to commute to school. Unlike his classmates who either have to walk, cycle or wait at the bus stand for hours, Aadesh Salunkhe, rides a horse to school.

This uncommon mode of transportation has made Aadesh popular in the area with many videos of his horse ride going viral on social media. People who see him gallop to and from school praise him for his passion for horse riding and studies.

Aadesh lives in Vairag village in Barshi taluka of Maharashtra's Solapur district. Since Vairag is a market village, it has a lot of traffic in the main square. However, the numerous vehicles on the road during the rush hours never discourages this boy from his horse riding venture. Despite the traffic, he rides steadily on the road to reach his school.

He is a resident of Wada settlement, where most people do not have facility of vehicles. His grandfather owns 150 goats and seven horses. Aadesh has taken one of the horses to commute to and from school.

Aadesh studies in class 9 at Sadhana School in Vairag. After reaching school, Aadesh ties the horse to a tamarind tree near the school building. During tiffin break, he takes care of the horse by feeding and watering it.

"Aadesh is a new entrant in our school. He is a smart and a regular student. His passion for studies is clear. We ignore his coming to school on a horse. It is not important whether you come to school by bus or horse. What's important is to come to school regularly. To have a passion for studies is what's needed to become successful in life," said Sadhana School principal Sunil Hukkeri.

Aadesh said, "I know horse riding since childhood. So I take the horse to commute to school as there is a dearth of buses to reach the area. But I never miss school. At school, I arrange for the horse's fodder and water."