Horse Riding Malaysia

Gombak Horse Riding Club

Gombak Horse Riding Club is conveniently located in Gombak, right outside of KL city center. I went there on a Sunday morning. It took me about 40 minutes to drive from Kajang. If you are going there from KL city center, it should be around 30 minutes.

Horses playing in stable early morning. There are approximately 6 horses for different activities such as riding school and outride.

A few additional pets are making the stable more lively~

Gombak Horse Riding Club Riding School

IMG_20160724_080508 — Amazing view to appreciate while learning horse riding

There is a big paddock to accommodate several students at one go. When I visited, there were 2 coaches (Angah and Chai) training 2 different students individually at this paddock. But I’m sure this paddock can comfortably accommodate up to 4 horses for training at one go.

IMG_20160724_080409 — Stage for students who need a little help getting on horses.

IMG_20160724_113023 — A first-time student posing on Francis Express.

IMG_20160724_092900 — She sure looks like having a good time!

The facilities also include a paddock ring. I’m not sure what is the exact size, but it is definitely bigger than the standard 15m diameter ring. During my visit, I did not see the trainers make use of this paddock ring. Probably the trainers make use of the ring paddock to train horses more often. This ring paddock is definitely a good addition if the student crowd is more.

Other Facilities

There is also a facility for archery if you are into bow and arrows.

A really macho office decorated with various gears.

A surau is conveniently provided for Muslim students and visitors.

There is also an area for dining. There is a menu placed at the table but I’m not sure if food is being served on normal days. I did not see anyone order food throughout my visit and the counter looks rather empty as well. But the tables and chairs definitely serve as a chilling place to hang out while waiting for your children or partner come back from riding.

More private space for visitors who want to spend some quiet time.

The person in charge of Gombak Horse Riding Club is Mr. Sharil.

Mr. Sharil from Gombak Horse Riding Club on horse

Gombak Horse Riding Club offers a membership package for RM150/year. You can still come here for a visit and ride even if you are not a member. Join as a member to enjoy the following benefits. Do contact Mr. Sharil to find out more.

Gombak Horse Riding Club Membership Package

Trying Horses

I got to try on 2 of the horses during my visit.

Francis Express – is a really beautiful white horse who arrived to Gombak Horse Riding Club recently. He trots really really softly. Riding on him is fairly comfortable. He is perfect for new students to have a sense of what trot is without bouncing all over. However he might not be a good choice for student for long term if the objective is to to learn a solid trot. Part of learning horse riding is to be able to ride on any horse steadily. Student should not settle on an easy horse too early.

Jet – another beautiful brown horse in Gombak Horse Riding Club. I was having a little problem with Jet at one particular corner. He kept going into the “shortcut” without passing the cone properly. It was a pretty strange way to ride when you pull the horse head facing right while his body kept moving to left. Well, probably it was because Jet got used to going in the “shortcut” in the previous few sessions by other students. Sharil saw it and he swiftly retrained Jet to not use the “shortcut”. It was about 6-8 rounds of trot and canter by the alpha and Jet is back to be a good boy. Yes, horses do learn very quickly!

Last Thought…

Generally I enjoyed the visit very much. The best part about Gombak Horse Riding Club is the people there. The staffs and coaches are friendly and chatty. There is a little hut right next to the big paddock. Parents and students sit there to chit chat about their riding progress and talk about everything related to riding – while watching the horses in action. One of the students (Umi, a really cheerful lady) actually baked some Raya cookies to give everyone a treat! Needless to say, I made some really amazing friends there.

The location of Gombak Horse Riding Club is here:

You can also follow Gombak Horse Riding Club in their Facebook page.

Do look for Mr. Sharil (+6012 270 5674) to find out more about their activities!

AS Equestrian Centre

AS Equestrian Centre is located in Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan. It might sound far from KL but it is only right after Selangor and Negeri Sembilan border. On a Sunday morning, it is about 30 minutes drive from where I stay (Kajang).

The road lead to AS Equestrian Centre is not a big road, you might want to drive slowly upon nearing to avoid missing the entrance.

Parking is on the left upon entering.

Upon entering, you will see impressive landscape. In fact, this is the most well-decorated riding school I have visited so far.

Extra spaces for riding students and visitors to chill out.

The owner is also running Homestay Rawa at the same place. It makes the perfect location for foreign horse riders to come to Malaysia for a ride.

Common dining area for homestay visitors.

There are about 8 horses sitting (and sleeping) at the back of the stables.

It was about 8.15 AM when I arrived. This horse must have a late party last night!

The gears for horses are well organized.

If you are here for a visit, you can buy some carrots to feed the lovely horses too. Each pack of carrot is selling for RM2.00.

Oh wait… AS Equestrian Centre is also keeping some extra pets!

I was probably a little too early. When I arrived the horses are not ready for action yet. But that gave me some extra time to chit chat with the guide, Aqil while he was grooming the horses.

Aqil – the man behind AS Equestrian Centre

Aqil is a Level 1 Coach, graduated from Melbourne, Australia. For those who are not familiar with horse riding coaching program, being a Level 1 Coach is pretty impressive. I have met many “coaches” in Malaysia who are not officially certified.

Aqil is a really friendly guy who is happy to share his experience. He shared with me his exciting experience on how he tamed Marco. Marco was a really aggressive horse and did not like any trainer since young. He thrown all trainer down whenever a trainer tried to ride on him. In fact, one of the trainers got his arm broken while trying to tame Marco. When came to Aqil’s turn to test on Marco, Aqil practically tied himself up with Marco while trying to tame him. Marco tried to throw Aqil off for half an hour but with no luck. To make a long story short, eventually Marco submitted to the macho Aqil and started their amazing training journey together.

Trail Ride

Aqil got me another horse, Cross Bell. We went on to some warm up in the paddock before heading out to our trail ride.

Cross Bell is a very responsive horse. I could make transition into trot and canter by tapping on his shoulder lightly.

WhatsApp-Image-20160717 (12) — Daniel on Cross Bell

The trail here is slightly short compared to some other trails I ride usually. However, this trail has a lot of long up-hill road. That gave us plenty of opportunity to canter uphill which is pretty amazing experience altogether.

At the top of the trail, we arrived to a hill with MAGNIFICENT view. At one point, we could even view Seremban, Cheras/Kajang, and Broga Hill all together from the same spot!

The whole trail ride took us about 45 minutes. We probably spent a lot of time cantering on our way in and took a shorter route to come back. Generally, it was a pleasant trail ride with Aqil. I’m surely going back for another trail ride!

Upon coming back, Aqil right away started his training with his regular students.

Riding School in AS Equestrian Centre

I met one of the parents who sent his kids to train with Aqil. The father has been very satisfied with Aqil’s coaching. A lot of riding schools in Malaysia do not take kids below 10 years old. Aqil is not your typical coach that follows by the book. He is delighted to train your little ones individually. I observed that he was really nurturing and patient with the younger riders.

IMG_20160717_101703 — Aqil training a 6 year old

If you want to give AS Equestrian Centre a visit, here is the location.

The person in charge for the site is Pn. Saadiah (019-354 4472). She is very easily accessible through phone or you could simply drop her a message in WhatsApp.

Hacking @ Paya Indah Wetlands, Dengkil with MM2020HorseAdventure

Paya Indah Wetlands, Dengkil by MM2020HorseAdventure is open for business!

https://vimeo.com/174629776

I went Paya Indah Wetlands, Dengkil for trail ride in the morning. I was greeted by Athirah from MM2020HorseAdventure office.

When I arrived, I got my horse, the gigantic Negro. I brought Negro to the arena to do some warm up for about 15 minutes before we head out. Negro is one of the most challenging horses I have ever ridden. He is a really muscular horse. His canter is fast and his stride is huge.

One of the frequent riders, Amirul was helping out as the guide to bring us riding into the trail.

The track in Paya Indah Wetlands, Dengkil has plenty of trees surrounded by peaceful lakes. It might be a little too plain if you like variety of view while you ride.

The original route was blocked by fallen branches. We did a detour to bypass the blocked route.

The whole trail took us about 1.5 hour. Generally, it was a good mixture of trot and canter throughout our ride.

Do come over and give it a try!

Hacking @ Putrajaya with MM2020HorseAdventure

Visit to Denmark Royal Stables

The Royal Stables of Denmark are located at Christiansborg Palace in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Today, there are about 20 horses in the stables. The stables are open to the public. I visited The stables in May 2016.

The status is built in remembrance of King Christian IX after his death in 1906. Four artists were invited to compete for the commission. Sculptor Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen, won the competition with her proposal for a new equestrian statue. In the proposal, the statue was shown on a high pedestal.

The office of the Prime Minister of Denmark is located at the left side of the following photo. Throughout my visit, I have only seen 1 security guard. You can probably imagine how confident the Danes are with their security.

I visited The Royal Stable on Saturday. The entrance fee is 40DKK (equivalent to RM24). There is a free guided tour at 1.30PM (I don’t exactly remember the time but it is around this hour), every Saturday. Any other time you can still walk around by yourselves.

There is a showroom known as The Harness Room to display paintings and old uniforms of the Royal Stables. The entrance of the room is the place where you can get your ticket. I arrived The Royal Stables slightly early. While waiting for the guided tour to begin, I killed some time in the The Harness Room with the attractive displays.

The Harness Room

The Royal Stables

Next, I proceed to enter the Royal Stables. The horses are all white in color. They probably have a better life than I do – they get released into the grass during summer to run freely for 2 months!

Coach Hall

The Royal Stables also contains the Coach Hall with old well-preserved state coaches and carriages. The coaches and carriages were actually used for various royal ceremonies. However for practical reasons, they are being preserved for display now.

Thanks to our tour guide, she generously brought us to visit the other side of the Royal Stables which is usually closed for public. The “behind the scene” visit surprised me how clean the place is kept although it is not open for public.

Riding School

There is also a riding school in the Royal Stables. The indoor arena is huge. Since it is indoor and the weather in Denmark is mostly wet and cold, the sand is not as fine as the sand in Malaysia.

Students are learning in the Royal Stables.

Generally it was a really pleasant time to see the royal horses and to understand the history of Copenhagen through horses. If you happened to be in Copenhagen, remember to visit the Royal Stables on Saturday to catch the guided tour.

Hope you have enjoyed a virtual tour to the Royal Stables, Christiansborg Palace, Denmark!

MM2020 Horse Adventure

MM2020 Horse Adventure is located in Putrajaya Equestrian Park. They have an active Facebook page, unfortunately they do not have a website. The following information is collected through my personal riding sessions with them in Putrajaya Equestrian Park.

This is a photo of the office. It is a little hard to notice if you do not intentionally look for it. Once you parked your car, walk through the entrance and turn left. You will find the office at the end of the walkway.

Upon reaching, you will likely find the friendly administrator, Athirah working at her desk:

I have been with another riding school prior to switching to MM2020 Horse Adventure. I have to give acknowledgement to Athirah that she has been pretty helpful and attentive to my needs. I’m happy to recommend anyone to ride with MM2020 Horse Adventure. I truly believe she has gone the extra miles to help me in many occasions. Thanks Athirah!

Athirah & Daniel - escorted hacking — A photo of Athirah and myself went out for escorted hacking accompanied by Wan

This is a trail ride video:

You can check out more of the videos here >> Canter in Putrajaya Equestrian Park (riding school)

Here is a beautiful photo of the facility:

MM2020 Horse Adventure - Putrajaya Equestrian Park — MM2020 Horse Adventure – Putrajaya Equestrian Park

You can book a session for your wedding photo shooting as well:

Wedding Photoshoot @ MM2020 Horse Adventure

MM2020 Horse Adventure Activities and Lessons:

MM2020HorseAdventure Riding / Lessons Packages — MM2020 Horse Adventure Riding / Lessons Packages

If you are new to riding, you are recommended to sign up the Combo package to practice to be reasonably comfortable in riding different horses.

Another impressive service provided by MM2020 Horse Adventure is they provide helmet for student to use, at no cost. This is really thoughtful because most new riders have yet to decide whether riding is really the sport for them. Spending RM200-RM300 for a helmet to “try out” a sport is obviously a little high up front cost. The free helmet provided by MM2020 Horse Adventure is really handy for students’ first few sessions. If the students have decided to be more serious with horse riding, the student can buy a personal helmet at the shop next door.

Wan, the instructor @ MM2020 Horse Adventure — Wan, the instructor

MM2020HorseAdventure instructor, Wan. He is an experienced horse riding instructor. He has been riding horses since young age. I have met several instructors throughout my riding lessons. I believe instructors who have high expectation of you and are hard on you are good instructors. It really is for your own good. They will pinpoint the smallest mistakes you are making while riding, again and again, to ensure you have the right posture and right habit while riding. Wan is definitely one of such instructors. He is a tough coach during lessons but he is also a really nice guy when you chat with him privately. While Wan is away, other guys (Sam and Anil) working at the saddle can also coach and watch you riding at the paddock and polo field.

Here are some details about the facilities available in Putrajaya Equestrian Park.

Riding School Paddocks

2 x Sand Paddock 20m x 60m
1 x Lunging Sand Paddock 15m in diameter

Practice/Grazing Paddocks

1 x Sand Paddock 40m x 60m
1 x Grass Paddock 40m x 90m

In other words, this venue is meant for serious business.

This is one of the paddocks available in Putrajaya Equestrian Park. Students learn to trot and canter within the compound during lessons. The lessons are done under instructor’s supervision. It is a good idea for student to practice in paddock to build up skill and confidence before heading to more challenging rides. In fact, the following paddock is the place where I spent a lot of my lesson sessions practicing trot and canter.

Last thought…

Don’t be surprise if you happen to meet Tun Mahathir in the facility because MM2020 Horse Adventure is founded by Tun Mahathir.

From left: Dato Mukhriz, Tun Mahathir and SM Hashim on horses

I have yet to meet any of them personally in the facility. But I would imagine it will be totally awesome if I get to ride with them one day!

Rayo MM2020 Horse Adventure — Rayo saying goodbye!

Overall, It has been a pleasant experience to ride with MM2020 Horse Adventure. Most horses are easy to ride. The lesson fee is affordable and reasonable. The staffs are friendly. I’m happy to recommend anyone who want to try out horse riding to give them a visit. Oh… and don’t forget to try out the Joyride for RM10 if you are visiting for the first time. You get to ride on a horse walking around the stable for few minutes guided by the staff. The last I heard from Athirah they are moving to Paya Indah Wetlands, Dengkil. However, I have yet to get any notification they have moved. Until next time!

Hacking at Putrajaya Equestrian Park (outride)

Dengkil is sitting right next to Putrajaya Equestrian Park. If you request for an escorted hacking session, the following is the place you will be riding at.

On that day I went out with Wan (the instructor), Athirah (administrator for riding school) and her friend. I was about 10 minutes late but they were kind enough to wait for me.

In the following you can see we ride through some pretty breathe-taking views. We ride inside a palm oil field and we were also riding along a lake.

Canter in Putrajaya Equestrian Park (riding school)

This is a video of riding inside the riding school field. My instructor (Wan) get me to canter for a round in school before heading out to the park located next to the riding school. We used the sandy track to head out, which is a much smoother ride when horse canter on sandy track.

This is a video of us riding in the park next to Putrajaya Equestrian Park. The whole track is about 3KM (a rough estimation). It takes about 20-30 minutes if you canter all the way. It will be 40-50 minutes if you trot or walk occasionally. You can see from the following video, the track is pretty clear so it’s possible for you to canter all the way in the track. There will be some 90° degree sharp corner (like the one in the beginning of the video) so it might be a good idea to trot over instead of cantering.

There is a playground (accessible by public) right next to this park. The following is a video of us walking through the playground

Horse Riding in Malaysia – Getting Started

Hello rider! This is Daniel Foo. This page shares information about Horse Riding in Malaysia.

If this is the first time you are searching for horse riding in Malaysia, I’d like to welcome you to the exciting world of equestrian by giving you a free book as a gift:

Click here to download the book: Horse Riding 101 – A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners by Daniel Foo (180 pages, 110 MB)

Click here to download training syllabus: Beginner – Horse Riding Syllabus (36 pages, 8 MB) if you want to learn horse riding.

Horse Riding Equipments in Malaysia

Riding Lessons

For many Malaysians who live in city (like I am), it is not common to have horses as pet. Therefore most of us do not have experience in riding horses. It become really important to take up proper riding lessons before going for more advanced activities with horses.

Riding lessons in Malaysia are offered in packages. You will often see riding schools offer different riding packages with different pricing and different number of session. However, generally you will find the packages as following:

Beginner Level

beginner-level

Beginner Level package is usually short sessions from 20-30 minutes for each session. Reason why it is designed to be short session is to allow the student to get used to using specified part of their muscle to ride a horse. In Beginner Level, instructor will pay 1 to 1 attention to the student to ensure the student’s safety. The fee for this package range from RM350 to RM450. The number of session range from 5 sessions to 8 sessions – depending on package offered by different riding school. In this level, student will learn

the correct posture to sit on horse
different types of horse movements (walk, trot, canter)
different aids to communicate with horse (leg, hand, sound)
different terms for the gears on the horse (stirrup, rein, etc)

At the end of your Beginner Level, you should be able to comfortably ask your horse to move forward, bend left / right, and stop. If you are a quick learner, you will be able to trot comfortably as well.

Intermediate Level

intermediate

Intermediate Level package is usually longer sessions around 45 minutes each session. In Intermediate Level, the instructor will pay 1 to 1 attention OR the instructor will coach a group of Intermediate Level student together. The fee for this package range from RM450 to RM500. The number of session range from 5 sessions to 8 sessions – depending on package offered by different riding school. In this level, student will practice

consistently displaying correct posture to ride on horses
riding on different horse movements (walk, trot, canter) and the transitions
riding horses using different aids to communicate with horse (leg, hand, sound, whip)

At the end of your Intermediate Level, you should be able to comfortably ride your posing trot and sitting trot. If you are a quick learner, you will be able to canter steadily on different horses. Some student might need to take up more than one Intermediate Level package to be more solid on the riding skills. A good benchmark is when the student can confidently and effortlessly trot and canter on different type of horses.

Instructor

How to spot a good instructor? I have taken up lessons with couple of instructors, some are harsher, some are friendlier and some just don’t really care. For me, a good instructor is someone who gives me constant feedback by telling me what is my problem and how to fix it. A good instructor should also have strict standard on his students. In other words, do expect a good instructor to shout to you across the paddock “YOUR LEG IS TOO INSIDE!”, “LEAN BACK!”, “OPEN YOUR SHOULDER!”. It might get embarrassing at times but this is the cost to being a good rider.

Other matters…

The number of sessions in the packages offered by riding schools could be a little too short for someone totally new. Do not be discouraged that you have finished up all the session yet you are not good with riding. It takes at least 6 months (which is 20-30 sessions) for someone totally new to be fairly comfortable with riding different horses.

Should you ride the same horse all the time or should you ride different horses? Unless you own a horse yourself, generally it is a good idea to ride different horses to learn the different rhythm in horse movement. It help you to develop your adaptability to quickly adjust your tempo for different horses, so that you can ride on any horses in the future.

One thing to take note is while riding ex-racer (horses which are retired from racing). They are often being bought and retrained to be used in riding school. Please be careful while riding an ex-racer. Although they have been retrained, they could still get pretty excited while cantering. If you are new to cantering or you are learning to canter, it is best to avoid ex-racer.