With the World Nomad Games fast approaching, hundreds of competitors will battle for medals, many of whom on horseback.
The great horsemen of the nomadic steppe gave rise to many of the traditions that shape modern society, and horses are an integral part of the culture across Central Asia.
Sports involving horses tend to include some of the more rugged, fearsome, not-for-the-light-hearted versions, such as kokpar (goat polo), horseback wrestling, and mounted archery, and anybody who can get to the forthcoming games in Kyrgyzstan will see some of the most talented riders anywhere in the world.
Emerging as a competitive nation in the more mellow, so to speak, equestrian pursuits is Kazakhstan, whose Prestige Horse Club now boasts leading riders in show jumping, not a traditional Kazakhstani sport, but one which it now performs well in at international level.
Proving that handling the reins is not just for kokparshy this week was Kazakhstan’s Raisa Sokolenko, who won a silver medal at the Wierzbna Biały Las 2026 tournament in Poland, reports Qazinform.
Competing in the CSI1* category, Raisa Sololenko was more than equal to the challenge coming from the traditional hotbed of showjumping excellence, the grand stables of Europe, with only Germany’s Silvio Weiss proving superior on the day.
Raisa was riding a horse called Chevalier, and the talented pair cantered to second place after completing both rounds over the 120-cm jumps without penalties and a very slender 0.09 second behind the winner.
Sadly, her team mate and husband, Oleg Sokolenko, picked up a single penalty on his second phase ride meaning that he could only finish 8th, but his time was the fastest of the day.
Going into the Asian Summer Games this summer, held in Japan, Kazakhstani riders are increasingly hopeful of adding to their medal tally, not only on horseback, but in a total of 35 sports.
