Le Centaur: Datuk Kamaruddin Abdul Ghani
Friday, May 4th, 2001
He is credited with starting the EAM, Bukit Kiara and some say he was a motivating factor behind the Malaysian Equine Council as well.
Datuk Kamaruddin keeps reinventing himself. Originally a polo player, he was also an amateur flat racer, an international showjumper and dressage rider, and now a world ranked endurance rider.
Fresh from his latest success, having won the Australian Open FEI Championship 2001 - the CEI-A 160km at Yarralumla Equestrian Park, Australia last 22nd of April 2001, this busy 56 year old equestrian gave Equestrian.Com.My an exclusive insight into his personal trials and triumphs.
Equestrian.Com.My's Natasha Mustapha interviews Datuk Kamaruddin:
Equestrian.Com.My : How exactly did you get started in horses?
Datuk Kamaruddin : Well .. I was born in Pekan, Pahang, where there were plenty of horses and with my close relationship with the Pahang Royal family I was able to learn to ride when I was very young. From there I became one of their top riders.
ECM : Was that how you went on to eventually become their stable manager?
DK : I wasn't the stable manager until I actually left Pahang, at that time I was the polo captain and the club secretary. Then when the Sultan of Pahang became the Agung (King), he needed someone to organise his stables so I had to leave my then present job and that's when I became fully employed.
ECM : How long were you there?
DK : For the duration of his agungship .. 5 years, but I was actually traveling between KL and Pekan a lot. I was actually more of a club manager.
ECM : What do you think of the level of polo that is being played nowadays?
DK : We do have good polo players and potential good polo players, but the good players are still Pahang and Johor. Unfortunately in polo you need to have a lot of horses and if you don't have the horses you can't get the best polo.
I mean .. look at other clubs in Malaysia, you get one guy with one or two horses - you will not produce the best polo. You need five to six horses to play good polo and you can't play polo, one chukker and stop then the next chukker and stop. You need to play six chukkers or four chukkers straight, where there is continuity and then you get good polo. Also push yourself to the limit. Instead of taking a rest and starting again, putting more liquid into your body then actually sweating it out.
In Malaysia I still feel that Royal Pahang and Royal Johor are the best although we do have other potentially good players such as Shaik Reismann, the Mazlan children and now Beh's children. If polo is organised as it should be, we would reach a high level of polo.
ECM : Besides polo you were also very involved in equestrian and you have been accredited for having started the EAM and running it in the early years. What were those years like?
DK : It was 1977, and at that time Singapore joined the FEI. Before that we were competing around the region, Manila, Singapore and Hong Kong as clubs on borrowed horses events. When Singapore joined the FEI, Malaysia was not allowed to compete so it came down to me to establish a national equestrian society, which had to be affiliated to the FEI.
So I started Equestrian Association of Malaysia, I stayed there for two terms then I invited the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang to be the President then I became the secretary. It was more effective that way.
ECM : Who else was involved in the EAM at that time?
DK : There was Professor Datuk Roslan, he was one of the founder members, Hildegard Lee, Virginia Wynn-Jones and Lim Kean Chai were the committee members. And Caryn Lim, but she joined in a bit later.
ECM : Are any of these people still involved in equestrian?
DK : No, I don't think so.
ECM : From there you went on to develop Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort. When did you start on the idea and how long has it taken?
DK : Actually it was the Prime Minister's idea to create a national equestrian center. Of course, the government was not able to fund the center so the Prime Minister invited Tan Sri Vincent Tan under the Sports Toto to establish one. It was in 1988, when we came to survey this area and started to think about it and designing it with the help of some professional people. We started operations in 1990, in which you were involved.
ECM : Not many people know about that although I still have the newspaper clippings.
DK : Well we still have the video which we shot in the big sand paddock.
ECM : What other plans or developments have you got for Bukit Kiara?
DK : Well we do have a master plan but we did not build all up at once, in case nobody uses it and it becomes a white elephant so that is why we started in a small way and expanding. The indoor arena was Phase 1a and 1b, the polo field was the second phase. We are ready to have more paddocks and more stables. We want to increase the number of stables to 300 and visiting stables to 200, a hostel for grooms and for incoming riders.
ECM : If you had a chance to do something differently, what would you change in Bukit Kiara?
DK : Well, this is an equestrian center, not like a golf club. When we started we knew the equestrian center could not make money, not then, so we had to build other facilities to support the horse side. With the food outlets and other sport activities more people would come, so yes, initially they supported the equestrian side. Now we have increased the income on the equestrian side with 160 horses so we are now able to support the other side.
ECM :In your opinion how is the standard of equestrian sport in this country?
DK : We have many potentially good riders. Before, I had an idea that we bring up the young ones to a certain level, just like the training of officials but to certain stage it has stopped. My earlier planning when I started this was to train them to a certain level here than to take them overseas. We have saturated our competitive edge in our area so we should go overseas to Europe, America and even Australia to compete. Only Hj. Fathil has sent his children overseas, no one else.
We will reach a plateau if we don't go overseas. We are good between ourselves at that level but at 1.30m or 1.40m or even at dressage say Prix St George we are not able to do so because we do not have that competitive edge, and competitions are very few. Once we have established more competitions, have more riders and horses coming in than we might improve otherwise our riders should go overseas to acquire the knowledge.
ECM : Then you went on to endurance racing. How did you come to start?DK : It was actually a challenge. Malaysia was invited to compete in Dubai in 1998 and we had no riders or horses. Tuan Syed Bakar who was the secretary of the EAM then, asked me if I wanted to take up the challenge of forming the team. I saw an endurance race once before in my life and thought I wanted to ride but never had the opportunity. When this invitation came along it gave me an excuse to get something started, and we started training about 6 - 8 months before the time.
ECM : Did you manage to get a team together?
DK : We only managed to get 5 people instead of 6 but it was more for experience and not to win.
ECM : And how often do you race internationally?
DK : I raced a few times in 1999 and I was ranked 44th in the FEI World Rankings. Then in 2000 I was ranked 15th. This year we start all over again, I came 20th in one race in Dubai and received 41 points for that so I was ranked119th. The second race I could not finish because my horse became lame so now with the third race where I got first .. I'm not quite sure about the points or my ranking.
(Datuk Kamaruddin had just won the Australian Open FEI Championship 2001 - the CEI-A 160km at Yarralumla Equestrian Park, Australia on 22nd of April 200)
I have a programme of 22 races this year but it all depends on sponsorship and the time factor. You see I have work here and also pursue sponsorship and then going away, it is hard as I have to do all of this myself as I do not have a manager to help me. ECM : What kind of costs do you incur when you go overseas to compete?
DK : At this level, it is very expensive. To lease a horse that is in the top 20 or top 10 it could easily cost up to USD 8,000.00 per race. You still have to think of transport, hotels, car rentals and the cost of my crew. It easily costs me RM. 50-60,000 per trip.
ECM : How many in your crew do you usually have?
DK : I have a trainer and coach in Australia but its only honorary meaning I do not pay for their positions. I also have three in France and I only pay them for their time when they come, not monthly.
ECM : In 1983, you won a team bronze medal in equestrian sports at the SEA Games. Will you be riding in the SEA games this year?
DK : I have been asked and am prepared for the SEA games, I do have a horse for it. If all goes well, I am prepared to serve my country.
ECM : What is your ultimate goal in endurance racing?
DK : World Championship. World Highest Ranked Rider.
ECM : How long do you see yourself pursuing your goal?
DK : I have drawn up a five year programme which includes the next ASIAN Games, also two World championships, and a World Cup every year.
ECM : How about the World Equestrian Games in Spain next year?
DK : Yes, and the European Championships every other year. If I'm fit, I may go on especially if there are funds.
ECM : Who do you admire in equestrian sports?
DK : Well there are many people I admire, to mention one would not be fair on others. They are all top people, work hard and champions in their own right. Of course, if you have money you can get what ever you want to get.
ECM : In Malaysia, which riders have impressed you?
DK : There are some riders who can ride well but they are not able to distinguish themselves in the sports. In this sport you have to be self-motivated, self-disciplined and have your own drive. If you don't have that nobody is going to help you.
I see young children, like some 14 or 15 year olds who are good riders. They are the potential future representatives of the country. I'm trying to form a team for the World Young Riders Championship this year in Spain, but it depends on the funding. I do hope I get it the funding so that they can go. We have enough young riders to compete, they may not win but good enough to complete the races. Other aspects such as showjumping, I'm not saying that the older riders have no talent whatsoever but they have other commitments such as work, so they have no time to indulge fully into the sport. It is not a weekend sport. If you want to be a world level rider you have to be doing it regularly, not just doing it on the weekends.
ECM : Well your experiences in equestrian has been varied, you have played top level polo, competed internationally at showjumping and dressage. You have also flat raced and now you are a World Ranked endurance rider. What have you enjoyed of each discipline and which one has given you the most pleasure?
DK : Well .. I went through the ages. I enjoyed polo when I was young and also the competitive edge of showjumping and dressage. And now, I find that I am more relaxed with endurance. Flat-racing was so uptight but endurance is so relaxing. Everybody is in holiday mode, the whole family comes to help and you get to see everybody and have fun. If you notice, in all our other competitions like jumping and dressage everyone gets so uptight that you can't even say 'hello' to anyone.
In endurance you have to be cool, and relaxed and if you're riding for 100 miles I'm sure the person next to you will want to find something to talk about. So you make a lot of friends in endurance.
ECM : Despite the many activities already on hand, you are also sitting on the Selangor Turf Club committee. What exactly is your role there?
DK : I'm assisting Dr Chan in the equestrian sector and the veterinarian sector. I do have some ideas on developing the sport further but as you know I am quite busy at the moment. Once I am able to sit down with Dr Chan and assess the present situation than I am able to formulate a plan.
ECM : Do you have any advise for our Equestrian.Com.My readers?
DK : Well, if people want to excel in their sport especially equestrian - they should come with an open mind. There are many teachers, there are many champions, there are many levels of competitions but we are not the best. There are always others that are better than us so we need to have an open mind, and we have to accept and learn new things and better techniques. Must be disciplined, motivated and work hard. The rest you leave to God.
ECM : Well Datuk, thank you for your time and we do wish you Good Luck in all your future endeavors. We hope to catch up with you soon.
DK : Thank you.
