Pg Mohd Nasir celebrating his birthday with his friends last night

Pg Mohd Nasir with his late minute replacement horse flown from Germany named Federiko in the recent SEA Games 2015 in Singapore

Happy birthday to our dedicated equestrian rider Pg Mohd Nasir and I still owe him a write up on his horse riding journey in the recent SEA Games in Singapore. I happened to catch his final ride in the Jumping finals event a few weeks’ ago and it was also the first time that I saw him live in action. So, guys, just to let you know this is a late post 😀

Though he didn’t win or get a podium finish for his efforts, he did the best he could in the finals given the limited resources. There were many set backs along his SEA Games journey. Just like in all sports, there’s always politics and that sure can play a huge role on your targets as an athlete.

Let’ me sum up what Pg Mohd Nasir shared with me back in Singapore. He couldn’t ride his own horse that he has connection with for many years. So instead he had to settle with a last minute replacement which flew from Germany and the horse’s name is Federiko (love the skin too). Secondly Pg Nasir only sat on his replacement six times coming into the competition. Normally it take years to get the horse used to the environment especially competitive ones. So kudos to Pg Nasir on having that courage to make use of the available resources and compete for the love of the country.

After visiting the stable area for the SEA Games competition, it was kinda of an eye opener. I realised how much investment it takes to be in this sport. I saw all the equipments and the kit for the horse and the rider and that alone is already a hefty investment. The recurring cost will be the food supply for the horses because you will need to feed the horses to make sure they are in good shape for the competition.

The other huge cost will be cargo-ing the horse equipment and also the transporting the horse from A to B especially when it’s international delivery. I saw Pg’s portable cabinet where he stashed his equipments and apparel and he said the whole thing averagely weighs at 150 kg. Now just imagine how much that would costs to transport by air *gulp*

Now I can imagine other regional riders will go through the same ordeal and cost factor will be an issue. So yea, horse riding is not a cheap hobby indeed while joining competition is a whole new level. Most of the athletes from other countries are being funded or sponsored by their respective countries. For Pg Anak Nasir, it was a unique situation. He competed in his own expense but with a huge disadvantage that he couldn’t ride his own personal horse from Belgium due to technically issues.

Pg Mohd Nasir in action. Image courtesy of Samlee

Talking to the Brunei officials of the SEA Games after the competition

Did you know that you can’t many any noise such as cheering or clapping when the riders are in action?

He ran off to the Malaysian team to celebrate on his friend’s gold achievement #priceless

I managed to only catch the final ride. Well done, buddy, on making this far.

Here are some words from Pg Anak Nasir himself.

“I never want to blame the horse (Federiko) for sure even though the final day he let me down. Then again we are new together. We only sat six times. In this technical courses, we get into funny situations and normally the rider know the horse and vice-versa. From there, we will know how to react on situations. If I was riding my personal horse, I wouldn’t have this problem (penalties on his rounds).

Honestly, to come this far and considering all the issues to source for a horse a week before the Games, I’m quite happy to reach this far. My first two rides with zero penalties on the first day was a dream situation. However, with these technical courses, it will boil down to the horse and the rider so bonding is very important. I know I did my best with the given situation and I am doing it for the country 110%. It’s a very challenging situation for me and I will be back next time.”

Nicely way to sum up by Pengiran on his SEA Games experience. One quote that I like though was when he quoted that competing in the Games is like “going to war with a knife” meaning that he has no ammunition. It would have been a different story should his horse made it to Singapore for the Games.

All in all, I truly enjoyed watching the equestrian event and it was also my first experience. I could see all the dedication and passion from the riders. I have high respect to all the riders indeed. Perhaps the highlight for Pengiran Anak Nasir was when his friend from Malaysia Sharmini Ratnasingham who just beat Catherine Yen Yu Chew of Singapore in a split second timing to win gold. I saw Pengiran running from one to another end to celebrate with the Malaysian team.

To finish off my summary, Happy birthday day buddy and let’s catch up with the boys before you fly off to train again. You can follow him on instagram @pg_nasir

With the supporters from Brunei Darussalam

His trusted and most important companions of his horse riding journey – the coach and the groomer.

His wardrobe cabinet is a must where he brings every he rides in the world. This weighs at least 150 kilos. His groomer will take care of his wardrobe.

This is how he keep his riding boots

Pg Mohd Nasir with the Malaysian team

We did good after the competition because we all went for shopping therapy in Singapore. When is round 2? 😀