And Malaysians did have occasion to celebrate last September, when Qabil Ambak, after 23 years of trying, won the gold medal in equestrian sports at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Qabil is now 43, and some may be wondering whether there’s another Malaysian who will be as successful as him in equine events.
Well, looks like 16-year-old Arysha Haya Kanda, with her extensive experience in showjumping and dressage competitions, is proving to be the most promising.
Last June, Arysha became Malaysia’s first individual medallist in the Asian Junior Championships held in Seoul. Also, she was a member of the first junior national team to win a medal at an international event, the CSIJ-B Bangkok and Princess’ Cup 2022.
She told FMT Lifestyle that her interest in riding developed from accompanying her mother to the stables for the latter’s riding lessons.
“I would be begging her to let me see the horses,” she said. “Eventually, she did let me ride.”
Representing the country competitively as an equestrian athlete since the age of 11 and consistently winning at national events, success has come early for Arysha.
Yet, it is not so much the competitive spirit that has given her the drive. “What I love most about this sport is that I get to spend time with my best friends every day, the horses. They know more about me than any human does.”
A full-time high school student who follows a self-study programme, Arysha is not your typical teenager. Her days begin at 6am, when she heads for the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort in Kuala Lumpur for her training.
“This isn’t just a sport; it’s an entire lifestyle,” she said, adding that an equestrian would have to exercise “a little more” discipline than other athletes.
“Horses are high maintenance. You have to brush them, massage them, feed them, and you have to interact with them. It’s not just the technical skills you have to acquire.”
Her beloved horse, Metzie, was standing beside her as she spoke. She looked at it and said: “What’s actually happening is this emotional dialogue where each party is speaking a different language.
“These majestic creatures, with their significant emotional capacity, can even detect a human’s heartbeat from up to four feet away. When the rider is feeling nervous and her heart rate increases, the horse can feel that and it will affect the horse’s mood and performance.
“I talk to them, pet them, tease them and play with them. Sometimes you annoy them. So you act like friends and you treat them as equals because that’s what has to happen for the partnership to work 50/50. There has to be that mutual respect.”
With only four promising youth riders in the country, and Arysha being the sole performer consistently achieving the 130cm level in showjumping, the highest class in the country, it’s evident there’s an issue.
“Currently, we don’t have a constant stream of athletes available to make teams go to international competitions. So I’d like to see more focus on building a pool of young riders, to hone their talents and teach them the right way of riding.”
However, there’s an even bigger issue, according to Arysha.
“There is a major lack of awareness about this sport in Malaysia. We go to competitions and we achieve great results but nobody knows about it.
“Our team has medalled overseas on two occasions but unfortunately it wasn’t talked about.”
Undeterred, this young athlete is set to move to Holland next year for advanced training and higher education, with her sights on the SEA Games, Asian Games and, ultimately, the Olympics.
“My current goal is to qualify for the SEA games in 2027, which will be hosted on home ground,” she said.
Follow Arysha on Instagram.