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The Star newspaper (Malaysia) |
27 September 2008
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Stories by Joleen Lunjew |
HORSEBACK MOUNTAIN
Riding through the jungle on horseback, the wind in your hair, not only does wonders for your physique, it’s mentally rewarding too.
Riding through the jungles with Lorraine Bottreau.
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Riding through the jungle trails of Berjaya Hills and feeling the steady and powerful rhythm of the horse in its stride, I felt care-free and liberated.
It’s not easy to find riding centres in Malaysia that offer rides in the open country; mostly you have to make do with the paddock or stable grounds. Berjaya Hills Horse Trails, though, lets you ride like a cowboy.
A lil bit, anyways.
Here, riders – experienced, as well as beginners – get to choose from a number of options, whether it is jungle and mountain trails they fancy, or creeks and mountain streams, or a relaxing ride to a scenic spot for a picnic, or to vantage point for a view of the golf course and surrounding countryside.
I opted for the jungle and mountain trails on the first day because it thought the setting was beautiful.
Having ridden a couple of times, I found it wasn’t too difficult to mount the horse, Sky, and I to get used to each other. Once we understood each other’s temperament, however, the ride was a breeze.
Equestrian manager Lorraine Bottreau, 56, had a pet theory to share with me. She thinks you can tell a lot about a person by the way they interact with a horse.
The stables of Berjaya Hills Horse Trails.
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“We do a lot of riding camps for adults and children and also our corporate team-building packages. The corporate packages are interesting as you can tell a lot about a leader by the way they control their horses. Horses react based on the signals you are sending them through your body language.
“If the horse is calm and steady and listens to your command, you are most likely a calm and firm person in leading your team and good at sending your message across to your staff. But if your horse becomes fidgety and uncontrollable, you could be having the same problem in getting your message through to staff or clients.
“Some may say that their horse is aggressive. It is actually the person who might be a bit aggressive and pushy, maybe even in the way they handle their clients or when making a call. Some horses just do not want to move, and this could be because the person is sending contradicting cues or is too timid. They must learn to focus and take charge.
“These corporate packages are excellent for leaders to discover themselves. We are what we are. We can’t change who we are but we can change our personality.
“I’ve received a lot of feedback from people who have never been with horses about what they’ve learnt about themselves. It’s all about patience, being kind but firm, soft but determined.
“If you apply all these traits to your daily life, you will definitely go very far in life,” explained Bottreau.
I certainly learnt a lot about myself during that first short ride. I got along fantastically with Sky as his temperament matched mine. He was a bit too calm at times, which made me realise that I shouldn’t be too laid-back and ought to be firmer in sending out a command.
Trotting is fun but you must get the hang of the horse’s rhythm or you’ll end up with a very sore bottom from all that bouncing around. It’s not good on the horse’s back either.
There’s a trick to it: You have to rise and sit back down according to the horse’s rhythm. It’s amazing once you get it because the ride becomes so much more enjoyable. Why, I even managed a canter on the second day when Sky charged up a steep hill slope.
Berjaya Hills offers various riding packages that include accommodation at the French-themed resort of Colmar Tropicale. Of course, horseback riding is not the only activity on offer.
Family members who are not keen on horses can relax and rejuvenate at the Tatami Spa, which is set within the beautiful Japanese Village, while the others go riding. The Japanese houses are made entirely of imported materials and are built-without using a single nail.
The children will love Rabbit Park, where they can play with the rabbits. The older kids and young adults are sure to enjoy Paintball Park, where they can engage in mock combat. Meanwhile, golf enthusiasts are likely to be found improving game at the 17-hole Berjaya Hills Golf & Country Club.
By the end of my stay, I was physically exhausted but extremely happy. Not only did the weekend give me peace of mind. It gave me great abs too – and this from just two days of riding.
Berjaya Hills Horse Trails
KM48, Persimpangan Bertingkat Lebuhraya Karak,
Bukit Tinggi, Bentong, Pahang
Tel: +609-288 8888
Email: horsetrails@berjayahills.com
LIVING, BREATHING HORSES
Argentinean Lorraine Bottreau has always been interested in horses ever since she was a little girl and is one of the few lucky ones to have made her hobby and passion into career.
“I competed nationally in show-jumping, dressage, eventing and race riding ever since I was young. To maintain my hobby, I began teaching riding when i was in college. I was myself trained by one of the top coaches in the world,” said Bottreau proudly.
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| Lorraine Bottreau (below) and her 26-year old son Matthias (above) who is a show jumping champion and polo enthusiast. |
Bottreau is a qualified NCAS EFA/MEM International 1.1 coach who has taught many Malaysian riders who are still competing successfully today. Her coach was Monty Mortimer, a member of the Fellowship of the British Horse Society (BHS), the final step on the UK equestrian qualification within the BHS System.
Bottreau moved to Malaysia in 1979 as her parents were living here. She married her French husband and moved to Singapore in 1981 and did a lot of teaching there. The family moved to France in1987 and back to Malaysia in 1988 as she was asked to assist in the setting-up of Country Heights Equestrian Centre.
Bottreau left Country Heights two years later to set up her own Templer Park Equestrian Centre in Selangor which she ran with much success for 10 years.
The centre was closed in2000, which gave her time to concentrate on coaching and judging. Among her responsibilities were as a FEI Show Jumping Candidate Judge, a National EFA / MEM and EAM Dressage judge, Advanced Level and Malaysian International Para-Equestrian Judge.
As a member of the Malaysian Equine Council Coaching Panel, Bottreau helps in the organisation; presentation and assessment of formation courses for those who wish to learn more about horses, become certified grooms or prepare for an instructor’s career.
 Bottreau was approached by FEI’s Endurance Rider of the Year 2002 Datuk Awang Kamaruddin, to set up a riding centre offering trail rides that anybody can enjoy. Berjaya Hills Horse Trails was launched in May 2003.
“It was quite easy to get clientele as I was established in the equestrian scene by then. I had a lot of students from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand and word-of-mouth coupled with my credibility was what i got the centre running,” revealed Bottreau.
Bottreau confided that horse riding was her form of therapy.
“I am actually a very hyper person who can’t keep still and focus only on one thing. I am a different person on a horse as I become more patient. It calms me down.
“My whole family is involved in riding as well. My 26-year old son Matthias was a show jumping champion and now a polo enthusiast. He is very good at retraining and retuning horses. I can put him on the craziest, most difficult horse, and Matthias would be able to ride and train. My 23-year old daughter Deborah is also actively riding as a successful showjumper,” said Bottreau.
Working with horses is a full-time job. There is no such thing as an off day.
“Horses are sensitive, high-maintenance creatures. I have staff living next to the stables in case something happens to the horses at night. Indigestion is common which horses as they have a sensitive digestive system so a stomachache in the middle of the night can be fatal,” explained Bottreau.
“Besides round-the-clock supervision, all Bottreau’s horses are groomed daily, fed seven times a day and exercised two times a day. They have very good temperament and am ready to go on regular trail rides ranging from an hour to three hours.
“People ask me what i do for a living, and I would say that my job is my life. That is how much i love what i do,” smiled Bottreau.
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RIDING BENEFITS
Horseback riding has long been considered an enjoyable and beneficial activity for people of all ages. According to equestrian manager Lorraine Bottreau, riding is a progressive form of therapy.
“The ability to control a horse and your own body inspires self-confident, responsibility and teamwork. It requires balance and good posture so people lacking these areas would be able to work on their balance and posture.
“It’s a great way to exercise as well because the movement of the horse requires good muscle tone and flexibility. Your back, buttocks, legs, ankles, knees and hips would benefit the most.
“Riders with low tone muscle and loose flexibility will work on strengthening and tightening their muscles while riders with very high muscle tone will work on relaxing their muscles and moving with the gait of the horse.
“Riders would be made aware of different muscle groups and make use of muscles they knew they had. It is also good for handicapped and people with special needs,” explained Bottreau.
From a professional point of view, Senior 11 Physiotherapist Lisa McFarlane agrees that horse riding is extremely beneficial to the rider.
“The unique combination of the horse and its movement with the rider produces an extraordinary effort on all the systems of the body. Riding requires a great deal of co-ordination in order to get the desired response from the horse.
“To conclude, horse riding is a wonderful form of exercise that stimulates the cardio-vascular as well as the body systems. Although it is a strenuous exercise, it is perceived as an enjoyment; therefore the rider has increased tolerance and motivation to continue the exercise,” said McFarlane.
Besides the physical benefits, horse riding is also beneficial emotionally, socially and psychologically.
“Riding helps individuals interact and form meaningful relationships with horses and people. Horses help people feel in control of their situations because there is a direct correlation between action and reaction.
“Riding is a very social activity as you must be able to communicate efficiently with the horse and the instructor, but it is not daunting tom people who are uncomfortable in social situations.
“The unpredictable nature of animals and situations creates real-life environment in which students will be able to confront their fears and make adjustments to situations beyong their control,” said Bottreau. |
Courtesy from The Star Online
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