‘I wouldn’t have made history if it wasn’t for the women I met’

First Qatari woman dressage rider Wejdan Majed al-Malki

From dreaming of ponies as a girl, to becoming the first Qatari dressage rider in the sport’s history – and the first Arab female to compete in the dressage category at an international five-star Grand Prix competition – Wejdan Majed al-Malki spent decades of devotion, persistence, and sweat chasing her dream.Raised by a father who shared her passion for horses and believed in her potential from an early age, al-Malki was determined to challenge herself, and dream big. “At the time when horseback riding for women was thought of as a taboo in the society, my father looked at it differently,” said al-Malki. “He knew riding horses would teach me a lot of things in life that nothing else would. “Handling such a majestic creature as a horse requires patience, self-control, compassion, and discipline – especially in dressage, where the rider and their horse become one. It is like ballet for horse riders.” Dressage is one of the three Olympic equestrian sports, alongside eventing and showjumping. It involves demonstrating a horse’s training by performing a set of prescribed movements in front of a panel of judges. “And then there is the fitness you acquire from horseback riding. No other sport could make you that fit. It is not until you ride three or four horses a day that you will have the fitness you need to be able to stay competitively active at the Grand Prix level.” Having two passions in life – the sea and horses – al-Malki studied marine biology and spent part of her career life working at Qatar Foundation member Al Shaqab as the equestrian centre’s riding academy manager and then its deputy director, and working in the oil and gas industry prior to and thereafter her time at Al Shaqab, at QatarEnergy and Qatar Shell respectively. “Aside from the social challenges I faced when I decided to pursue horseback riding, following an accident in 2004 I was advised by doctors I should stop riding and jumping due to a knee injury,” she says. “I didn’t even consider that as an option. That’s when my journey with dressage started. “In 2018, when I decided to take a sabbatical, I crossed paths with two women at different stages of my journey to Grand Prix dressage who believed in me and my passion as a rider, and saw the potential of my raw talent. They encouraged me to pursue a competitive career in this field and supported me in their own way until I successfully qualified for and competed in the recent five-star CHI Al SHAQAB Presented by Longines 2022 competition. “One of these women is Sam Francis, who was the previous owner of my horse Mango Jacaro. She felt a unique connection between me and Jacaro from our very first ride and literally donated her stallion to my cause as she believed we would make it to the Olympics. The other is my current trainer, the Irish Equestrian Olympian Judy Reynolds, who has a profound respect and compassion for these elite sports horses, which is incredibly hard to find at this highly competitive dressage level. “Judy’s training went beyond the physical in terms of not just training me to ride my horses better, but also how to clear my mind and have better control of my nerves in the arena. Horses at this level are super-sensitive and respond to the slightest tension from the rider’s body and breathing, so having control over your nerves definitely contributes towards a more successful performance, and achieving better results. “What these women have in common is their sincerity and faith in another fellow woman who believes the sky is the limit. They provided me with a much-needed leg-up into the international GP dressage scene and helped achieve history for Qatar with this unprecedented entry at this prestigious five-star event.” With the support of the Qatar Equestrian Federation and the Qatar Olympic Committee, al-Malki now aims to compete in the 2022 ECCO FEI World Equestrian Games in August, which will be held in Denmark, the Asian Games which will be held in China in September, and is also aiming for the 2024 Olympic Games in France. Looking back at her journey and remembering all the voices that whispered that a Qatari woman would never make it to five-star Grand Prix dressage event, al-Malki celebrates the International Women’s Day this year with pride. “If you are a woman and have a dream of becoming a swimmer, or a tennis champion, or even an astronaut, your dream is sound,” she said. “You will face many challenges; you will be on your own most of the times; you may even have to sacrifice many relationships that are trying to hold you back. But be more excited about your chances of success than your fear of failure. “All you need is persistence and strength, and you may be lucky enough to find another Sam or Judy, who gave their heart and soul to make another woman reach for the stars and help her dream come true.”