ainsoofiyah

Joining a competition was never part of my plans for 2025. I honestly had no intention of competing at all this year. The only thing on my horseriding bucket list was to go for an outride, and I already did that back in May, which I shared in this post. 

Honestly, looking back, I still don't understand why my coach asked me to participate in this competition. My riding is still unstable; my core and legs are not strong enough. I have good riding days and bad riding days, but I can't predict them. Most of the time, the bad days outnumber the good, often depending on my physical condition. Working the night shift certainly doesn't help my body feel better. There had been a few dressage competitions before this, but I never felt like joining. Then, when STCEC's annual horse show came around, my coach asked me to join again, and this time I felt tempted. Maybe it was because many of my stablemates were competing, or maybe it was curiosity. Perhaps I just wanted to see how much I had improved after showing up for lessons every week. I wanted proper feedback from actual judges, not just from my coach, so I signed up. 

Four weeks straight focusing solely on the dressage course. No cantering, which is what I usually practice. Just nonstop dressage work with Thessa, the horse I would be competing with. 

The event lasted three days, and my ride was scheduled for the first morning. It was my first time at Selangor Turf Club, and honestly, it felt like stepping into a whole new world. The first thing I saw was horse racing, with skyscrapers in the background. The blue skies and green grass made the whole scene feel enchanting. The horses were huge and majestic, mostly imported warmbloods and thoroughbreds. Many of the riders do this professionally, and you could really see the pride they carried. 

Watching riders from other stables perform was both inspiring and a little intimidating. Winning against such experienced riders was never my goal, my real fear was getting disqualified. Just imagine putting in all that time, energy, and money on proper gear, especially as a first-timer, only to be eliminated halfway through your round. 

Before entering the main arena, there was a warm-up arena next to it. I spent 30 minutes there polishing whatever I could while waiting for my turn. I probably overdid it, because halfway through my test, I was already exhausted. My legs didn’t have enough strength to give proper aids, so I had to rely on voice cues to keep Thessa moving. 

Did I ride gracefully or flawlessly? Not at all. My legs were too weak to give impulsion. My corners weren’t neat. My 20 meter circle did not look like a proper circle. My practices were so much better than what I did in the arena. But I still completed the entire course without hearing the bell for disqualification, and that alone made me feel like my effort wasn’t wasted. 

I didn’t win, and I was a little disappointed with my placing. But my coach and stablemates reassured me that it was actually a good effort for a first timer. Now that I’ve experienced competing with riders from other stables and now that I have the judges’ feedback, I can finally see clearly what to improve. I even made new friends from my own stable since our class times usually don’t overlap. 

Will I compete again? I think I will. This whole experience opened my eyes, and now that I have proper gear and proper feedback, I’m motivated to come back stronger next time.

Hey there. Here’s the continuation of my France–Swiss trip. If you missed the earlier parts, you can check them out here, here and here. 

We stopped by the pier in Iseltwald where Crash Landing on You was filmed, and Lake Brienz was unbelievably beautiful. People who live here are truly blessed to wake up to this view every day. Since the drama became so popular, the pier now charges CHF 5 per person if you want to go in and take photos. Honestly, you don’t even need to pay because the areas around the pier are already stunning. The lake stole the spotlight for me anyway. 

The next day, we headed up to Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe. Honestly, I was a little disappointed about not getting to ski, but finally being up there felt like a milestone. Not everyone gets the chance to stand that high above the Alps. The weather was brutally cold, around –10°C, and I had to layer four tops just to survive. I couldn’t stay outside for more than ten minutes before running back indoors. Still, it was worth it. I experienced proper snowfall for the first time, and it felt surreal. Allah’s creation is always humbling. How can tiny, delicate flakes cover entire mountains so effortlessly? And you know what irritated me the most? The camera just couldn’t do justice to the view in front of me.  

Luzern had its own kind of charm. We walked through Chapel Bridge, the Lion Monument, Rathaus Town Hall, Spreuer Bridge, and Lake Lucerne. The city’s beauty really comes from the Reuss River cutting between old buildings, with Chapel Bridge stretching gracefully across it. My tiny regret is buying most of my souvenirs in Interlaken West because I thought I wouldn’t have time later. Turns out Lucerne had nicer and cheaper options. I should’ve bought chocolates for my colleagues instead of a fridge magnet, and that cute lunch bag instead of the totes and fridge magnets I picked up. And there was a Jowissa watch for only 60 bucks. But I hesitated too long and ended up skipping it. I really need to make decisions faster. 

We reached Zurich in the evening, so we didn’t have much time. We strolled around Bahnhofstrasse, Urania Observatory, Lindenhof Square, and Grossmünster before heading back to our apartment to pack for the flight home. I hope it is enough to wrap up the trip before finally returning to Malaysia. 

Writing this while looking back at drafts and old photos honestly makes me want to book another flight there.