Horses are dear to my heart, even when I was a child. At that time, the nearest I got to horses was reading about them. My siblings and I indulged in much play-acting back then and I would always opt to be the character who rode on a horse. I met a real-life horse when I studied in New Zealand. During one of our short breaks, my best friend Christine Mullinder took me to her hometown Hastings, where we visited her uncle's farm and I came up close to one of his horses, even stroking its nose.
Horses went out of my mind after I graduated and started working. At age 45, having reached the pinnacle of my career path and becoming both jaded and disillusioned, I opted out of the rat race for an independent life as a writer. I also wanted to do some community work and, Alhamdulillah (thanks to Allah), I learned about the Riding for the Disabled Association Malaysia (RDA). Helping out with RDA involves working with physically and mentally challenged children in the outdoors and, bonus of bonuses, being with horses. I've been volunteering with RDA's branch at Bukit Kiara Equestrian Centre for about 12 years now; our Tuesday and Thursday sessions are one of the highlights of my week.
The courage and determination of our RDA children inspired me to take up horse-riding. I began with lessons, after which I moved on to renting a riding-school horse. This naturally progressed to leasing a horse on a long-term basis. I didn't know what got into me when I decided to take on Tarrant, a fiesty pony who was blind in one eye. He would spook at any little thing on his blind side. One year later, after many falls, I wisely returned him to his owner and was horseless for a while until I met Entin and her 16+ hands Warmblood, Armani. She wasn't riding anymore and wanted to give him to a good home - ME! At that time, Armani was already about 20 years old and past his competition days. I had him for about two years until he succumbed to severe colic. After losing Armani, I rode on Blue Eyes but a terrible fall, which resulted in breaking all the wrist bones in my right hand and a six-month recuperation, brought an end to my riding days. But I'm still volunteering with RDA-Bukit Kiara.
Armani and me
During those years of riding, I couldn't see a horse-related book without buying it. Quite soon, I had a decent little library of equestrian books.
One of my favourites amongst these books is What is my Horse Thinking? by Lesley Bayley, which helps you figure out what your horse is trying to tell you when it curls its lips, shakes its head or pushes back its ears.
Another favourite is Heather Moffett's Enlightened Equitation. I was so taken up by her classical riding principles that I persuaded two horsey buddies, Datin Noriah and Cecilia, to accompany me on a study-cum-holiday all the way to her farm in the village of East Leigh in South Devon, England.
A new and updated edition of this book was launched recently.
At Heather's farm - with Cecilia (4th from left), Noriah (6th from left) and others.
Heather is the one in the striped top.
I suppose our East Leigh trip is one proof that horse-people are a 'breed' apart. No one else would think it's fun to wake up before dawn, drive to the stables in the wee hours of the morning, take her horse out come rain or shine, spend the rest of the morning holding his lead rope while he munches away at the grass, and then go home sweaty and with horse-hair all over. No one else would spend much of her hard-earned money on things for her horse instead of on herself.
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