KUALA LUMPUR: It is a sweltering afternoon at the ARBA Equestrian Archery Academy in Ulu Yam, where a group of teenagers are taking turns to ride their horses along a trail.
As they thunder down the track, the young archers raise their bows, take aim and release arrows. It looks like a scene right out of a fantasy film.
Among the riders is Abdurrahman Ahmad Muaz, 16, who effortlessly hits a target further down the course. Watching on, his mother and coach, Nurul Fathim Ridayu Ramli, smiles proudly.
Abdurrahman is an accomplished horseback archer who has made a name for himself on the international stage.
Most recently, he made headlines after clinching a gold medal in the Open Tower 90 category at the International Horseback Archery Masters 2026, held from Oct 1-4 in Erenhot, Inner Mongolia, China.
“I feel my performance in China wasn’t as good as it usually is back home. It was challenging there because of the freezing temperatures and strong winds. Still, I’m proud of myself that I managed to win,” he told FMT Lifestyle.
Abdurrahman has been involved in horseback archery for about four years. Interestingly, he never originally intended to pursue the sport: in fact, it was his mother who introduced him to it.
According to Nurul Fathim, 41, horseback riding had always been in her bucket list. For her birthday in 2022, she finally gave it a go, bringing her children along for the experience.
Little did she know that her children would love it more than she did. Later, they took a shot at archery and loved that too. It was only natural then that they would combine both these passions into horseback archery.
Today, most of the family remains passionate about the sport, with five of her six children, including Abdurrahman, regularly attending horseback riding or horseback archery lessons.
Nurul Fathim said she was happy about this as horseback riding and archery is widely regarded as sunnah sports, activities associated with Islamic teachings that promote physical fitness, discipline and perseverance.
Abdurrahman regularly trains at the ARBA Equestrian Archery Academy founded by his mother. His daily training regimen includes at least an hour of archery practice and another hour of horseback riding.
His passion has taken him far: Abdurrahman has won numerous accolades in the sport, including a gold medal in the Under-16 category of the International Horseback Archery Alliance (IHAA) World Kids Championship in Indonesia, and a silver at the Asian Junior Horseback Archery Championship in Kazakhstan.
Abdurrahman, however, considers his victory in China his greatest achievement, particularly given the challenges he had to overcome on the road to victory.
As their invitation to the competition had arrived at short notice, he and his mother had to fund the trip to China themselves. And while many of the other competitors were accompanied by full support teams, Abdurrahman only had his mother by his side, leaving him somewhat sad and disheartened.
Nevertheless, he put these feelings aside and focussed on the competition, determined to do Malaysia proud.
His resolve paid off. Despite being considerably younger than many of his opponents, Abdurrahman outperformed some of the world's finest, including seasoned competitors from France and Mongolia, to emerge victorious.
His secret to success? No time for horsing around: horseback archery requires constant and diligent training, and a good bond with your animal. While he trains with several horses, Abdurrahman has a soft spot for his horse Luhaif.
“You should spend time with your horse, and go play or walk with them. Before an event, some people like to leave preparing their horse to others. I like to groom my horse, put on his saddle, make him feel comfortable with me,” Abdurrahman said.
Horseback archery may still be a niche sport in Malaysia, but Abdurrahman hopes it will gain popularity in the future. He dreams of someday owning a riding club “with 20 horses”, and keep winning medals for the country.
“Horseback archery is a great sport, and very good exercise. I hope one day it is included in the Olympics,” concluded Abdurrahman with a smile.