The first equestrian club in Idlib is an outlet to escape war and bombing

Mohammed al-Asmar-Idlib

Between the olive trees and on the eastern outskirts of the city of Idlib in an area called "Deir al-Zoghb", the young Abdul Rahim al-Zaim found suitable land for the establishment of the first equestrian club in the north of Syria.

Work to level the floor and clean it of gravel and stones and brush it with fine dust and sand before starting any work, in order to maintain the safety of horses and cavalry.

On an area of ​​about one hectare, the "leader" built a large stable for horse breeding, offset by the southern end of a training ground divided into two sections separated by a high iron fence prevents horses from crossing.

The inner section is allocated an area of ​​approximately one square kilometer to train beginners to ride horses, where the small area contributes to the size of the horse and prevent him from the enemy quickly to maintain the safety of trainees.

The outer section is surrounded by the first arena, called the "track", and is entered by the most skilled cavalry.

At the northern end of the training ground, Ewan is built with poetic Arabic horses. It is equipped with Arabic brushes that simulate the traditional atmosphere of the Arab heritage and is used to welcome guests and those who want to watch daily exercises.

Horseback riding is available to everyone
But the absence of such projects from the liberated north constituted an appropriate incentive to think about the establishment of the club, especially as it touched a desire to ride horses and learn equestrian among many who met during his daily tours of his horse. According to the "leader" who stressed that "the goal of the establishment of the club was not material as much as we want to bring this sport to mind, and make the possibility of horse riding available to everyone."

The trainee receives three training sessions per week, in a three-month course that ends with a race between the trainees, the winner of which will participate in the general race arranged at the level of northern Syria.

Harmony between the Persians and the trainee
In the training arena, Samer focuses on his horse to urge her to move faster, hoping to catch up with his predecessors on the track.However, Samer's attempts failed.

"The mare is smart and knows if she has a knight or a trainee on her back," says the coach in charge of the training.

The coach Ahmed Sumac depends on several steps to reach the appropriate harmony between the horse and the trainee, where many young people who have not had any experiences with the horse, resorted to breaking the barrier of fear because the fear of the rider will reflect on his horse and make him in a bad mood difficult Deal with it.

Before riding
The training steps begin to approach the horses and touch and feed them and walk beside them for a period of time until the trainee composed and composed, to move the trainee to the stage of riding.

In the training ground, coach Sumak stands by the trainees in front of the trainees to explain to them some of the horses' natures and signs before making any movement.``Knowing the reaction of the horses and anticipating their prior movements enables the rider to maintain his balance and ensure his stability on her back, '' he says.

The riding stage begins with walking within the training arena for a period of time, and after the trainee reaches a good state of communication with the horse moves to the stage of the enemy, which gradually rises as a result of the harmony of the horse with its rider.

Horse inherits courage
"Most of those who came to the club and tried horseback riding for the first time, got stuck in it and came back to the club again. The horse inherits courage and leaves a good impact in the same knight," he said.

Dozens of young people visit the club every day and spend long hours in front of the track to enjoy watching the horse running in the field, or to practice horse riding that is now available to them.

Abu Omar, 38, has never rode horses before, but the presence of this club enabled him to practice the sport that prompted him to love his Arabian horse, and confirms that one month of training gave him the necessary experience to ride the horse and the enemy in a way he had not expected before.

Zaher, 11, believes that this place has fulfilled some of his dreams.``The equestrian clips that I saw on YouTube became a reality for me, and I was able to make them myself, '' he said, and encouraging his father and his insistence on training could make him a special knight.

In this place, you find a suitable outlet to escape the news of war and the shelling that has hit many areas of Idlib in the past period, to stay away from the follow-up of this news and watch the horses and foals running in the field, steal the scenes from his daily life and move him to an atmosphere full of love and enthusiasm.