EQUESTRIANISM or the art of riding on horseback is fast catching on with many expatriates here, with some of them riding for pleasure and relaxation and others interested in pursuing the sport professionally. Waleed Sharafaddin, 28, a Yemeni auditor in Jeddah, thinks horse riding is “adventurous and helps relieve stress.” “I suggest that all other expatriates also go for it because horse riding here is well-facilitated and is widely popular among Saudis. So, this is one way to know your Saudi hosts better,” he said. Mohammed Kaj, at the Kinndah Equestrian Club in Jeddah, estimated the number of expatiates enrolled with the club at about 40 percent, most of them being Arabs and a few westerners. The club has two female trainers - an Egyptian and a Saudi. “Horse riding is a wonderful recreational activity. Riding in a moonlit desert, where the horses actually belong to, facing the horizon before you, is an experience of a lifetime,” Kaj said. “Many people think riding a horse is easy,” he said, listing three points which matter. “First, stamina and balance; second, knowing how to control the horse because you don't want your horse to run away; and third, fitness. Once you achieve these three things, you must decide what you want to do - pleasure riding, horse jumping, endurance racing etc.,” he said. Every year, the Kingdom hosts six endurance races. In addition to horse riding, some expats are also exploring other facets of equestrianism, whose definition does not just include the use of horses for recreational activities and sports but also for working and practical uses. Malonie Deasy, a hair color artist from Seattle who currently lives in Riyadh, said her hobby is learning equestrian polo and introducing the sport to Saudi Arabia. “Arena polo is an amazing sport, very fast and a lot of fun. It is gaining popularity in the US as well. There are a few of us expats that are starting to play polo. It is a sport that hasn't been formally introduced to Saudi Arabia. However, polo in Riyadh is moving along very slowly, so Jeddah is the place for this sport,” Deasy said. Judy Houry, a qualified British therapeutic riding instructor who heads the Open Skies therapeutic riding school for children with special needs, believes the main benefit of riding in the Kingdom for expats is that it is very cheap and easy to arrange compared to the US or Europe. “However, of late, expatriate involvement in horse riding here is dropping,” said Houry. The benefits of riding for people with disabilities have been recognized for over three thousand years. People of all ages with physical disabilities are said to have responded to the therapy with improvements in joint mobility, balance and coordination, relaxation of spasticity, increased muscle power, increased self-confidence through improved self-image, improved learning, concentration, spatial awareness, motivation to set and achieve goals, etc. “Medical guidance and approval is essential for the safety and protection of everyone involved,” Houry said. One such therapy, the hippotherapy, is a medically prescribed procedure conducted by health care professionals. The goal is rehabilitation through the motion of the horse; riding skills are not taught in classical hippotherapy, but may become an ultimate goal. The hippotherapy team always includes a therapeutic riding instructor and a specially trained horse. “We have sessions on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons at Al-Aseel stables from 4 - 6 p.m. We have 39 registered persons, both Saudis and other nationalities aged between 4-33 years,” she said. The best bet “We love the Arabian horses. They are the most beautiful and enduring horses and can run for a long time. They are intelligent because they are fast learners and are immediately able to bond with their owners. Arabian horses are cold blooded which means they have a strong personality,” said Kaj of the Kinndah club. He said horses from Europe, America, Russia, France , Australia and other countries have a ‘hard time' in summer, with some of them unable to survive the heat, in spite of being transferred to cold places like Taif and being kept in air conditioned rooms. “But for Arabian horses, it's not a problem as this is their land,” Kaj added. Bruce Cowley of Jeddah Polo said that though Arabian horses are more suited to the climate, they can pose a challenge to the novice rider. Horse passports Kaj said that though there is no custom levied on bringing horses to the Kingdom from elsewhere; horses brought by air can be costly. Bringing horses from Arab countries, like the UAE, can cost less as a horse shipment can carry six horses at a go. “There's no permission required for buying a horse. But you have to keep it in a stable,” he said. He said newborn Arabian horses have to be registered with the King Abdul Aziz Arabian Horse Center in Riyadh which represents the Kingdom at the World Arabian Horse Organisation. “Here, their pedigree is established by matching the new-born's genes with its parents. A microchip is implanted in the horse's neck. It is also given a passport for trade purposes,” Kaj said. The Arabian horse business is a multi-million dollar international industry. Adnan Al-Baitony, top Saudi equestrian who represented Saudi Arabia in the Beijing Olympics last year and head trainer and manager of the International Equestrian School in Riyadh, deals in investment horses, which means “buying, breeding and training young horses.” He thinks expatriates here are not very professional and that they are only into pleasure riding. “We Saudis have a lot to offer to expats and it is not the other way round. We have very good equestrian facilities here,” said Al-Baitony, at whose school about 30 to 70 percent of the enrolled are expatriates. Meanwhile, Toni Riethmaier, a German assistant manager at a restaurant in Jeddah, has never fancied horse riding, and he has somewhat of a queer rationale for it. “In my eyes, it's more a female thing. In Germany, the majority of girls start horse riding in elementary school and it is a big NO for all boys,” he said.
