A Five-year-old's First Horse Ride

RAHIDA Datuk Abdul Razak, the head of corporate affairs and membership of the riding school in Taman Ekuestrian Putrajaya, was clearly amused.

Her charge, five-year-old Mika Dawson, was going for his first riding lesson and he was adamant that they let him go into a full gallop with a few jumps thrown in for good measure.

“Whoa!” she told this over-ambitious kid.

Here’s how you do it: Rahida showing five-year-old Mika Dawson the proper way to hold the reins.

Not that the 26-year-old Rahida was in a position where she had bitten off more than she could chew with this first-time rider.

Being a Class 31 show jumping champion who has her eye on the SEA Games, Rahida has 17 years of riding experience.

She knows well what it takes to reach such a level. And like it or not, Mika will have to start at A before zipping to Z for his own good, safety-wise.

“Learning how to ride a horse is not like getting on a motorbike and starting the engine. Remember, a horse is not a machine. It is a living being with feelings,” she said.

After saying so, Rahida handed Mika a brush. Before going on his ride, he would have to groom the horse first. This, she explained, is one way for rider and animal to get acquainted.

Getting to know you: Rahida lets Mika know that grooming a horse before riding is one way of acquainting rider to animal.

As Mika did as he was told, Rahida recalled that unlike Mika, she would practically burst into tears during the early years of her own riding lessons.

It was her father, Datuk Abdul Razak Latif, 56, who had cajoled her to give the sport a bit of time.

“You heard of the saying, ‘Tak kenal maka tak cinta’ (Don’t know therefore don’t love)? I soon discovered that once you learn to like the horse, then it will respond to you,” she said.

Today, there is no doubt that Rahida looks forward to riding.

She is on her gelding, Crocket, at 7am every day before clocking into the office at 10am. Naturally, Rahida has a few horse stories to tell.

One would involve an unforgettable affair with an Australian gelding by the name of Taqwim. Rider and horse met in Johor seven years ago.

“I felt the most relaxed and safe on him because he was such a kind horse. Sometimes when I made silly mistakes during jumping, he would help me. I believe that he could sense it when I was nervous or stressed,” she recalled.

And yes, don’t be surprised that horses can also have a bullying nature. The result of a relationship gone sour would result in Rahida falling off when a bad-tempered mare decided to take off on her own.

“I just didn’t have a ‘connection’ with that horse,” was her summation of that episode.

Making a connnection: Rahida with her horses, Contermo (left) and Crocket.

Whether one believes it or not, Rahida has come to the conclusion that a horse’s character can be judged from the position of where the hairs change direction which is between the forelock and the mane.

“If it is below the eye, then it will denote bad temperament. It is taken as a good sign if it is found between or above the eye.

“Taqwim has such a mark which was just between its eyes,” she said.

As for her personal take on the “connection” subject, Rahida surmises that this can be interpreted as having the horse yielding to the rider’s commands.

“This is when the horse is being kind and listening to what you want it to do.

“When the both of you are riding, it’s only you and the horse and nobody else. But horses have their days when they will make mistakes and that is when you will have to “listen” to them instead.

“Indirectly, horse riding will teach you how to be patient and help an individual deal with the emotional aspect of things,” she said.

At this point, Mika, our over-ambitious beginner, announced that he was done with grooming and interrupted the reverie. Can he have his ride now?

Of course he could and Rahida wasted no time in showing the young tyke how to saddle the horse, mount it and position his hands on the reins.

Doing the walk around: Mika under the vigilant eyes of an instructor who has the horse on a leash.

But before the over-eager rider could go tally ho, Rahida gave him a pep talk on responsibility.

Herein, the safety aspect fell in.

“Horses don’t like blinding light and sudden noises or movement. Never go behind a horse and smack its behind.

“And don’t forget, horses are like children. If it is frightened you will have to calm him with your voice,” she said.

And no, there would be no galloping or jumping for Mika. Instead he and horse would be starting off with a walk, on a leash with a vigilant instructor on hand. Obediently, he complied.

Looking on, Rahida added that children have much to benefit from learning how to interact with horses.

“Time management is one aspect. When the instructor says that lesson is at 7.15 am, it doesn’t mean that you can just show up and ride. You must come half an hour earlier, look for a horse and allow for time to warm up the horse,” she said.

And manners would be another thing that a child would learn, as Mika found out after his ride.

“You must show the horse that you care by acknowledging its existence. Also it is good to say thank you after a ride by patting it twice on the back,” said Rahida as a way of concluding the lesson.

The riding school at Taman Ekuestrian Putrajaya is two years old.

It has 100 stables and 30 privately owned and club horses.

Riding times are at 7.15am to 11.15am and 4.15pm to 7.15pm.

For enquiries, call 03-8888 6080 (Nashilda ext 118). They are closed on Mondays.