On today’s Meet Series, our friend at Brighton JHS Kota Wisata, Ida Ayu Nara Pramodawardani Dauh, shares her journey to becoming a horse riding athlete at such a young age.
Although her passion has just been recent, Nara’s love for animals and horses begins at three years old. And it all started during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when Nara discovered her new hobby: horseriding. At the beginning of her horse training journey, Nara rented horses from the Indonesia’s mounted police. What started as basic training in horse riding turned into something bigger, as it served as fuel for Nara to enter into competitions.
Unfortunately, her strong determination was met with certain obstacles. Most of the horse riding athletes owned and entered the competition with their own private horses. Such a condition was not something Nara could meet for one reason and the other. But as Michael Jordan once said,
“If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”
And that was precisely what Nara did.
Nara knocked on several doors of every stable horse company in the city and asked whether she could borrow a horse to join for competitions. Some refused, while others lent their horses to her. Despite her minimum training skills and equipment, her fiery spirit allowed Nara to complete her match on the podiums. Yet, even after Nara proved herself with winnings after winnings, most horse riding clubs still do not accept riders without their own private horses.
Nara was met with yet another wall of obstacles. And again, rather than letting them roadblocks run her over, she managed to work around them with generous support from JJ Riding School at Sawangan. The stable agreed to support Nara in her competitions by providing her to compete with their most prized horse, Sienna. Initially, Nara and Sienna trained together once a week, but now they can train twice to three times a week. Such a frequency allowed Nara and Sienna to bond stronger between the rider and the horse. Aside from having sufficient training, having a close bond with a designated horse is essential to an athlete’s chance of winning.
“When there is a will, there is a way” is a quote that best reflects Nara’s journey to becoming a horseriding athlete. Indeed, the road to victory is long and arduous, but with every door knocked, excellent preparation, and the will to win, we can all achieve what we have set our eyes on the prize.