Sky is the limit

PROFILE

Defying the old tradition of chadar and char-divari, young Alishba Mohsin entered her name in the annals of sport when she became the first woman apprentice rider while riding bay mare Ubbi at the Lahore Race Course (LRC) on Oct 10.

Contrary to other countries of the world, horseracing is considered as men’s domain in Pakistan. For an 18-year-old girl, it’s an incredible mark to make her debut and attaining sixth position in a field of 11 horses. The remaining 10 horses were partnered by men.

“Horseracing is my passion and it’s like a dream come true,” Alishba told Us in an exclusive interview.

When Covid-19 pandemic had taken the world into its grip, including Pakistan, Alishba got enough time to train under a mentor Tahir Abbas, who is an experienced jockey of LRC, to fulfil her dream.

“I used to watch horseracing and one day I decided to go for it,” Alishba, who is an A-Level student at Lahore Grammar School, added when asked how she has entered in the field. “I was elated when the LRC chairman, stewards and people gave me standing ovation after my feat. They all showered rich praise on me and described how brave I am as I overcame a lot of challenges and set a precedent for other girls that nothing is difficult in life.”

When there’s a will, there’s a way. Women’s participation in men-dominated society is considered taboo, and to achieve the herculean task, they have to go extra miles. Though there are women horseracing honours like Begum Abida Sultana, women riders were lacking but now Alishba has crossed that barrier.

For achieving this task, she has got enough support from her family which is evident from the fact that her mother and sister were present at the LRC to greet Alishba on her success.

Talking about her future plans, she expressed it is her desire to make her mark as a rider in international events in the days to come and for that she train six days a week to improve her skills.