Horses in Malaysia?

Yes plenty, from racing to dressage to jumpers and endurance there is polo even handicap riding programs!  The country is lush even in the city center.  The riding facilities are primarily in a club setting. Labor is inexpensive in Malaysia thus boarding (relative to our standards is inexpensive, 1350.00 Ringgit or roughly $ 125.US your horse will be groomed, mucked and provided with basic feed. 

The barns we visited at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort were designed for the heat and humidity of south Asia.  High ceilings lots of room for circulation, the days are hot but the stalls seem very comfortable.  The stalls were kept very clean, manure is picked up and bagged for removal. The grooms worked their shed row much like our race tracks.  

There are horses of many breeds in Malaysia and a variety of riding style there. Plenty of European trainers come to teach young and more mature riders. The Asian Classics (show jumping for qualified Asian riders) were held in conjunction with the FEI World Cup Show Jumping At Bukit Jahil Stadium about a half hours drive from the capital, Kuala Lumpur[1] According to the US show jumping team the footing, lighting and accommodations were all be exceptional.  The horses there were housed in large box stalls and the barn, warm up arena and stadium are all air conditioned. Now, back home the thought of air conditioning a stable is a bit unordinary except in some of the very arid parts of the US, but here for this competition it is keeping the horses in a very controlled environment through out the competition. 

On the east coast of the country, along the South China Sea, the Equestrian World Endurance Championships will be held in 2008.  Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu [2] along with five other Malaysian riders will compete at the World Endurance Championship in Germany this August to promote the event in Malaysia.   The Terengganu Pony Club and a state owned Equestrian Club have been erected to rekindle interest in riding in that state.   

The native pony in Terengganu is the Kuda Padi. On the Northeastern shores young Malaysians ride their ponies bareback and barefoot as fast as they can along the beaches and at local events.  There is an annual Kelantan Equestrian Festival (Pesta Sukan Berkuda Kelantan).  The Kelantan bareback riders dress their ponies and themselves in lavish textiles, splashed with wonderful colors and sequences. Truly a sight!

South East Asia is not the first place one would think to look for horses but they have them and it seems a past time many natives enjoy.

[1] Eastern Malaysia in the state of Sleangor

[1] Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy; there is a Sultan for each of the 9 states. Terengganu is a state in Malaysia; these sultans rotate as the supreme king of all of Malaysia for 5 years. The Malaysian legal system is based on English Common law with executive powers vested in a cabinet led by a prime minister.