Horse-riding to help stomp out unhealthy activities

KOTA BARU: Kelantan is one of the few states in the country with a horse-riding culture among the locals.

It is estimated that there are between 600 and 700 horses, mostly ponies and mixed-breeds, kept by owners in villages and towns.

The increasing popularity of horse riding in the state can partly be attributed to the hard work of cattle rearer-turned-horse breeder Adnan Derani, 48.

Adnan, who lives in Pasir Hor, a village near here, bought three ponies for RM1,500 in 1993 as a hobby.

His collection increased as he saw youths in the village were keen on riding. As they could not afford to buy horses, Adnan bought more and now owns 15 horses valued at RM100,000.

Adnan has also taken on the responsibility of training youths in not only riding but also horseball.

(Horseball is a game which began in France in the 1970s. It can be described as a cross between polo and basketball, with hoops hung at right angles to the ground. Players score points by throwing a ball through the hoops).

Training sessions were previously held in the evenings at a field near his house with up to 20 youths attending each session.

"I didn’t want them to loiter around and be dragged into immoral activities. They should do something beneficial during their spare time.

"They can pick up some skills through their involvement here and it might be useful to them later on," he said.

Adnan’s horseball team is one of only two in the country — the other being the Royal Malaysian Police — and has performed at many shows in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor, among others.

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Malaysia Open Polo Tournament 2007 : Thailand Polo Won Big Over Ranhill !

THAILAND Polo are in the final of the Malaysian Open Polo Tournament 2007 after another superb upset win at the Putrajaya Equestrian Park yesterday.

After an upset over USA Polo on Wednesday, the Thai team edged Jogo Polo 8-7 in a keenly contested semi-final yesterday.

Thailand drew first blood in the first chukka but it was Jogo who finished strong to take a 3-2 lead at the end of the period.

A three-goal burst from Carlos Pando in the second chukka, saw Thailand regain the lead but two goals from Jogo squared the match at 5-5.

Thailand added two more goals in the third chukka while Jogo could only bag one to make the score 7-6 going into the final chukka.

They beated Ranhill with the extravaganza goals, 10 - 5 in 4 chukkas. The best player of the match were passsed to Carlos Pando who also the highest goal. The prizes were given by the HRH Sultan Of Pahang, Sultan Ahmad Shah accompanied by the chairman of the organizer, Khairy Jamaluddin who played for his team, Jogo Polo.

Meanwhile, in the Merdeka Cup competition, USA defeated La Sarita 7-6 to move to final to meet BDRB Polo for the title.

FEI : World Endurance Championship 2008 in Terengganu, Malaysia.

The FEI World Endurance Championship 2008 will be held at Terengganu International Endurance Park in Setiu Terengganu, Malaysia.

Situated a few kilometers from the South China Sea, the venue will offer visitors and competitors the best of Malaysia's natural beauty and hospitality, as well as:

First class stabling and quarantine areas for horses
Excellent trails, groomed for a safe, yet challenging Endurance competition
Sheltered cooling and crewing stations and vetting area
Spectator-friendly viewing areas
Hospitality and refreshment centers

The course is designed to provide a safe yet challenging competition, taking riders along the stunning coast line, through palm plantations, along canal banks and through natural vegetation forests. A long and wide grassy stretch of track provides ample space for the start of the competition and egress from the venue, and for a safe finish line and entry back into the Endurance Park.

The 2007 Pre-Ride event will be held November 9-11 at the Terengganu International Endurance Park. Riders, veterinarians and officials will experience the venue and the course, with the goal of experiencing and understanding the unique challenges of Endurance competition in a tropical climate. And - the ultimate goal of optimizing conditions for a fair, safe, and smoothly run FEI World Endurance Championship 2008.


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From the Organizers of the 2008 FEI World Endurance Championship:

+ We will offer two-way air freight for horses to and from Malaysia from designated pick-up points.

+ We will provide return tickets for all qualified riders and two grooms per horse, one chef d’equipe and one veterinarian for the team.

+ We will provide accommodation, meals and transportation for all team officials, riders and grooms.

+ We will provide excellent facilities at Malaysia’s “Terengganu International Endurance Park” for both horses and participants.

+ We will organise a trial run in November 2007 – riders and horses from several countries will be invited.

+ Accommodation: We will provide hotel accommodation in Kuala Terengganu for all FEI officials, team officials and riders. Grooms and support staff will be accommodated in hotels near the Venue. More than one thousand rooms are currently available in Kuala Terengganu and the State Government is committed to having more hotels built and to be ready before October 2008.

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Polo: Ranhill shock favourites Royal Pahang

FAVOURITES Royal Pahang Polo are out of the Malaysian Open Polo Tournament final after a shocking semi-final loss to Ranhill at the Putrajaya Equestrian Park yesterday.

Ranhil were obviously not intimidated by their opponent’s awesome reputation and ran out 6-3 winners.

The teams were deadlocked 3-3 going into the fourth chukka before Ranhill pulled away in the last period.

Royal Pahang were left to rue their bad luck as they had several opportunities to score but their players left their shooting sights at home.

Ranhill will now meet either Thailand Polo or Jogo Polo in Sunday’s final while Royal Pahang will play in the third-fourth playoff for the Prime Minister’s Cup.

Meanwhile, BRDB Polo slammed Punjab Polo 12-1 in the race for the Merdeka Cup.

BRDB will face either USA Polo or La Sarita in the final.

President’s Bodyguard of India to perform at Malaysian Open Polo

If you are attending the Malaysian Open Polo Tournament this weekend, you are in for a real treat. The President’s Bodyguard of India is in Malaysia for a special performance at the Malaysian Open Polo Tournament. The commanding officer Colonel Ali Adil Mehmood has sent his Second-in-charge Lt Colonel Sanjay Bhatia, with a squad of four troopers, to Putrajaya to perform at the Malaysian Open Polo Tournament.

These skilled horsemen won’t be playing polo, though they are all adept at it. Instead the PBG will be doing a trick riding performance. Their spectacular performance will include a standing salute, hanky-picking and tent-pegging.

Their version of tent-pegging isn’t the messy cavalry charge we are used to seeing in Malaysia. The PBG have to be far more precise as they lance the pegs from between the legs of an assistant standing over the pegs. And they tent-peg with lances, rapiers and stilletos.

Putrajaya is an excellent performance ground for them as the polo grounds have an excellent grandstand to seat spectators comfortably. The field itself is in perfect condition. It is Malaysia’s Palermo.

The polo at the Malaysian Open is fantastic. The quality of the teams is very good, and all matches are very competitive. This is a tournament really for spectators to enjoy polo and be entertained.

This weekend the President’s Bodyguard will make one performance each day, at approximately 4:30 pm on Saturday and at about 5:00 pm on Sunday. Don’t miss it.

Malaysia confident of polo gold in Sea Games

KUANTAN: Malaysia is confident of delivering the polo gold medal at the Korat Sea Games in Thailand in December.

Malaysia won the gold when polo made its debut in 1983 but the sport was dropped from subsequent Sea Games.

"Being the defending champions, Malaysia is determined to win the polo gold in Thailand in December,” said team manager Ahmad Jamili in Kuantan.

"The only time polo was included as a Sea Games event was in 1983. After a lapse of 24 years, Malaysia is ready to makean impact again.”

”The team has a blend of young and experienced players who have been playing in the National Polo League. Most of them also competed in the recent Royal Pahang Polo Classic in Pekan.

”We are ready to deliver the gold. We are leaving nothing to chance. That is why we will be taking our own horses to the Games,” he added.

Besides Malaysia, hosts Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and the Phillipines will be competing, with the biggest challenge coming from the Phillipines.

The Malaysian Polo Association, said Ahmad, has shortlisted 10 players amongst who is the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, TengkuAbdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah who was a member of the gold-winning team in 1983

Ahmad said some of the players would be sent to Argentina on September 12 for greater exposure.

”They will be there for two months undergoing training and playing in some competitions. On their return, they will undergo centralised training in Pekan before the final squad of six is announced.”

The players are currently competing in the ongoing Malaysian Open Polo tournament at the Putra Jaya Equestrian Park.

The short-listed players: Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, Shaik Reismann, Rizal Ramli, Saladin Mazlan, Yudie Fazly,Tengku Shahril Tengku Sulaiman, Datuk Mahmud Moiz, Hayuddin Hamzah, Ali Mazlan, Zuhairi Kolfli.

Royal Kelantan Endurance Challenge 2007

The Kelantan Royal Endurance Ride 4, 2007 will be conducted as part of the overall celebration to commemorate the birthday of His Royal Highness the Sultan of Kelantan's. The Ride shall be organized by the State Government of Kelantan. It shall be held on Friday and Saturday, 7th – 8th September 2007 in the general area of Gunong, in the District of Bachok, in the State of Kelantan , Malaysia . The venue of the Ride (Gunong) is located about 20 km away from Kota Bharu, the State Capital of Kelantan. The Ride will culminate with a dinner and prize giving ceremony on 8th September 2007 .

The General Conditions of this Ride are organized in accordance with the FEI statutes. The Draft Schedule for the proposed Ride has been submitted to the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) for approval.

The Organizing Committee of the Ride has the honour to cordially extent an invitation to your Club to participate in the Ride.

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