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The Hidden Landscape

ipoh | December 21, 2009 | 0 Comments

There is something marvellous about living in Ipoh. Set in the Kinta valley, surrounded by limestone hills and mining ponds, nature couldn’t be closer. There is jungle trekking, white-water rafting, cave exploring and fresh-water fishing.

However, one outdoor-pursuit remains relatively unknown. It is exhilarating, different and inexpensive. It helps, if you have an affinity with animals and love exercising in the open-air. It leaves you fulfilled and refreshed. ‘It’ is discovering the Ipoh countryside on horseback.

Hacking around Ipoh is an eye-opener. The horses love this exercise and you, seated on a horse, see more, but also cover more ground. Riders follow old timber tracks or well-worn Orang Asli jungle trails.

Unexpected Delights

There is camaraderie built when out riding, whilst relaxing and chatting as you trot along the winding riverbanks, see places normally hidden from view and explore areas off the beaten track. You meet farmers or vegetable growers who are as pleasantly surprised as you; they, to see riders on horseback, and you, to unexpectedly discover thriving garden – and animal-husbandry activities.

Probably, the best greens come from these well-tended vegetable patches. Fruit trees grow in well managed orchards. One orchid farm exported flowers. Disused mining pools were teeming with fish and prawns. Colourful birds, wild flowers and ferns are abundant. And, when both horse and rider are tired, we would dismount at the sandy banks of a stream, lie back on a boulder, whilst we feast our eyes on the unspoilt scenery, inhaling fresh unpolluted air.

But, it isn’t all cuddly and nice. An unmistakable stench and squealing noises means that a pig farm is nearby. There are probably snakes, which slither out of sight, but the only one I ever saw, was a lime-green snake, basking in the sun. My horse managed to avoid it. Hacking is relaxing and de-stressing, but it requires being aware, responsible and safety-conscious.

Effortless but skill essential

The best bit is that it is almost effortless. The horse does most of the work. You tell the horse to go at whatever pace you want, where you want.

It is essential that before going on a hack, you know how to ride, and feel confident with a horse. For a novice, it is best to select a quiet, well-mannered pony.

Before I started to ride, I thought, mistakenly, that learning to ride would be expensive. Or, that I needed to own a horse. Like most Malaysians, I was terrified of horses – they towered over me. My closest contact with horses had been a pony ride at the fun-fair.

Meeting ‘Uncle’ Don

All that changed when I met Don Johnson, (no, not of Miami Vice fame), a New Zealander who has made Ipoh his home. He is a familiar sight in and around Ipoh, in his baggy shorts, leather sandals, and baseball cap which shields his head from the sun. He plies the highways, towing his horsebox, transporting horses to and from the various turf clubs on behalf of trainers and horse owners.

‘Uncle’ Don, as many in the horse trade call him, is the best person to whom you entrust your child, or yourself, when learning to ride. Orphanages and schools organising horse-riding attractions will always call upon his services. He is gentle, knowledgeable and kind, but mistreat the horses or ignore his instruction, and his anger is unleashed.

He knows which horses are suitable for you and your temperament. He should know, farming and horses are his life. For five generations, his family have been renowned farmers, horse trainers and jockeys, spread over three continents. Racing and breeding is in his blood. I should know; it came straight from the horse’s mouth.

MARIAM MOKHTAR