Pwerup-mag.com - Ful StoryByPowerUp
Posted on April 10, 2017
While most of her classmates were probably playing at the age of 6, Manal Fakhrawi was in training already seeing herself at the race course. The International Equestrian, the first and only female Bahraini jockey with lofty ambitions is making history. Her achievements in the Equestrian world were ground-breaking moments not only for racing in the kingdom, but women in sport. She is a role model for a reason and has a story to share that should never be untold.
ROAD TO THE ROYAL ENDURANCE TEAM
Riding race horses is a demanding sport. Jockeys are some of the strongest athletes on earth. One must be physically fit and strong. It requires strong legs, strong core, strong upper body, and great balance. From a young age, Manal was always around horses. She would accompany her elder sisters who took riding lessons and would spend the whole day at the stables. She then took up her first lesson at the age of six. After spending several summers hopping from one stable to another, she finally settled with the one who found determination and potential in her. She was riding on a daily basis after school and it led to one thing- training for competitions! The first competition was when she was at the age of 10. She started as a show jumper and it wasn’t until 1999 that the federation introduced endurance racing. That was when she has built an interest and decided to explore endurance. “I still remember how frightening my first race was, a 13 year old girl competing against hundreds of men. Being the youngest rider in Bahrain, I got a lot of attention and wasn’t long till I was asked to join the Royal Endurance Team of Bahrain,” Manal recalled...
Read more here:
http://powerup-mag.com/flying-without-wings/
