The Philippine equestrian team didn’t take too long in forging an intimate partnership with their mount for a spectacular showing.
Paola Lorenzo, Lara Zobel and Alex Ynares-Villalon emerged victorious in their respective categories to spearhead the country’s overall triumph in the recent Malaysian Riders Tour at Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort.Aside from Lorenzo (1.20-meter category), Zobel (1.10 m) and Ynares-Villalon (0.80 m), credit also went to Nicole Camcam (1.00 m), Mohamed el Akkad (0.90 m) and Minxie Romualdez (0.70 m) for their valuable contribution to frustrate a pair of home teams.
“Competing as a team internationally requires an entirely different mindset from competing locally as individual riders,’’ said Equestrian Philippines president Carissa Coscolluela.
In a format that tested the riders’ ability and adaptability, all riders were given 30 minutes to familiarize themselves with the horses provided by the host country plus a five-minute test round a day before the tournament. INQ