Balance, inner peace found in horse riding

For most people, it is a leisure activity, but there are people who place horse riding at the center of their lives. Mahir Direnç is one of these people.

Direnç, who works as a trainer, is an example of how horse riding can literally change one’s life. After graduating from Economics at Birmingham University and getting a masters degree in Management, Direnç abandoned his business career and opted to spend his life more in tune with nature, working with horses.

He is now working at Göçmen’s Ranch Horse Riding Facilities, which may be dubbed a hidden paradise in Istanbul. Located behind Kilyos’ 17-kilometer shoreline, where the harsh Black Sea connects with the calm waters of Marmara and situated near Belgrad Forest, an oasis of oxygen amongst the polluted air of this metropolitan. Set on 300,000-square meters of land, the facilities stand among the best places for riding in Istanbul, with its stables of British, Irish, Draught, Pony, Shetland and Arab thoroughbreds. Opened for educational purposes 12 years ago in Sarıyer, Göçmen’s Ranch now boasts 50 horses to its name and is ready to provide riding enthusiasts with a brand new experience.

Inner peace
Direnç happily admits that 30 years after deciding to turn a dream into reality, he owes his inner peace and balanced life to that decision.

Giving hints on how to be a good rider, Direnç emphasizes the importance of making contact with the horse.

"If you love touching another living creature, then you can ride," Direnç explained to Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, "otherwise it’s impossible."

For a beginner, it is normal to be intimidated by the risky nature of the sport but Direnç plays down those risks. "Of course there are risks with riding," explained Direnç. "But there are thousands of risks in our homes, where we feel most comfortable and safe."

There are many protective clothing items to minimize the risk of injury in case of an accident but they do not top the priority-list in riding according to Direnç.

"You may spend thousands of liras to purchase the highest quality riding equipment," he says. "But at the end of the day, what matters most in riding is your self confidence."

Confidence matters
Confidence is what Direnç focuses on most.

"We should be able to sit on the back of a horse as confidently as we stand on our feet. If you sit as if sitting on a chair, you’ll find yourself on the ground with the first move of the horse."

The trainer believes that the horse can sense the anxieties in its rider.

"You have to feel the balance inside first, because the horse will understand fear or discomfort," said Direnç, before telling a story.

"There were these parents who brought their son to ride and I thought an old, calm horse would be fine for the child," he recalled. "But the boy picked a young, strong, crazy horse. Technically, that horse picked the kid, and I let him ride. There is no simple formula in that, you may ride a horse or not."

Aside from his job at the Göçmen Ranch, Direnç is working on a project titled "the Evliya Çelebi route."

Joined by a couple of Turkish and foreign academics, Direnç will ride all the way to the central Anatolian city of Kütahya from Istanbul. The route will cover the exact path of Evliya Çelebi, the famous Ottoman traveler who lived in the 17th century. The journey will be completed over 50 days.