Blind Saudi horseman clears jumps to gain recognition

Badr Al-Sharari refused to let his disability curb his passion, and despite being blind, the Saudi rider has now trailblazed his way to official recognition in horse-mad Saudi Arabia. The 35-year-old had to train at least three times a week for nearly two years before finally being admitted this month into the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation as its first blind member. But the data sector worker told AFP that just as important as his journey into the official ranks was the parallel one to self-empowerment.

Clutching the reins and speaking from the saddle of his horse Star, after completing an obstacle course of wooden fences, he described his life before being bitten by the horse riding bug. “I was an introvert, and didn’t leave the house much,” Al-Sharari said from a sandy track flanked by palm trees. “My relationship with horses broke the barrier of introversion.

If I can tame a horse, then I can do anything.” Like his mother and younger brother, Al-Sharari was born blind. He travels 140 kilometers (90 miles) every day from his home in western Riyadh to the Medhal equestrian center east of the city, where he is helped in his training by his Afghan assistant, Nasim. - Sensory skills - He is coached by Abu Mahmoud, an Egyptian, who looked on during an early-morning session as Al-Sharari flawlessly navigated a showjumping course, barely brushing against any of the fences.

“You see how he jumps without touching it? It’s as if he can see,” Abu Mahmoud nodded approvingly. Equestrianism is popular in Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading producer of purebred Arabian horses and home to several clubs. Official data shows that disabled people make up seven percent of the kingdom’s population of 34 million, and of these some