For those who know me, they will know that I wake up before 5am every Saturday to cross the border to go ride in Malaysia.
Many ask why do you do that (to yourself, ha!)? There are a few reasons.
The first one is that there is definitely more space in Malaysia, or at least it feels that way. Additionally, there is more flexibility with the time – I won’t encourage anyone to be late or early, but they can easily deal with that.
But the main reason my friend Magalie and I are crossing the border is because of the coach we found at Horse Valley Riding Academy, Zahari.
Zahari is passionate about horses - and it shows. Since we started riding with him, we’ve never had two similar lessons; it’s always different, whether it’s jumping or dressage. The class can only have poles on the ground of course, but we would be working the lines, or the rhythm, or the strides. He makes sure the horse is learning as much as we are.
Always positive and smiling, he brings tons of knowledge to the lessons yet is still able to make it fun. Additionally, despite a gap in experience and riding level, he is able to tailor our group lesson for Mag and I so that it’s not too difficult for me, yet not too boring for Mag.
Zahari is extremely generous with his knowledge and knows how to teach ‘digestible information’ so the rider is not overwhelmed with everything there is to learn (I’m obviously talking about myself!). He also helps other coaches and instructors so you’re always in good hands, whether he’s there or not.
Finally, the crew at Horse Valley Riding Academy is really great and they make you feel at home.
If you’re around JB in Malaysia, stop by and enjoy!
