The Malaysian ‘cowboy family’ who left the city for the love of horses

Nek Aryan Mukriz Nek Ahmad Maheer, six, watches lovingly as his older sister, Nek Ariana Balqis, nine, writes some names on her notebook.

“She cried last night,” says the cheerful boy.

Immediately, Nek Ariana Balqis looks up, her face sullen and sad.

“I miss Melody so much. She’s in Kelantan, and here we only have the naughty Prince. We just lost Mr Jerantut Hill and Roading Bear,” says the otherwise bubbly child, referring to her family’s personal horses.

While most children form a bond with small animals like cats, dogs, even hamsters or sugar gliders, these siblings connect to the family’s horses.

And Prince – a Kelantanese Grade A horse – is the only one now left at the family’s vegetable farm in Bukit Tinggi in Bentong, Pahang. Unlike other farms in the area, it has a stable and paddock that once housed four horses.

Nek Aryan and his sister are the third generation of a family that has not only embraced greener pastures in place of city life, but lived a cowboy lifestyle at their family ranch, next to the hillside farm at the foothills of Bukit Tinggi.

Nek Ariana Balqis doting on Prince.

For these two siblings and their youngest sister, Nek Armel Medina, four, horses and dressing up like cowboys and cowgirls are a natural part of life and growing up.

Their mother, Nora Shahida Mohd Fauzi, 35, says the day she was allowed to leave the house after her postpartum confinement, she brought her newborn here to meet the horses.

“All three of them shared that same ritual,” she says.

“We want to start them young, just like their father, who was casually introduced to horse riding when he was six,” she adds.

When their father, Nek Ahmad Maheer Nek Abdul Rahman was 11, his father enrolled him in a structured, police-style horse riding class, courtesy of the Royal Malaysian Police Mounted Unit, a programme which was open for family members.

Nek Abdul Rahman and Norhayati moved from the city to Bentong so they could embrace the cowboy lifestyle.

For Nora Shahida, who was Maheer’s classmate in secondary school, her passion for horses and horse riding sparked from after-school sneak-outs to follow him to his riding classes in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

Their horse riding outings continued at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (Maeps) in Selangor, where Maheer’s family ran a horse-related services and consultancy business, offering riding lessons and stable management services.

Gradually Nora Shahida, who holds a Diploma in Landscape Architecture, mastered the skill and, like her now-husband, who holds a Diploma in Business Management with Multimedia, began teaching basic horse riding classes.

Nek Abdul Rahman and his personal horse, Prince.

The Malaysian cowboy

Just like their children’s love for horses, the couple’s equine passion and their cowboy lifestyle didn’t start with them.

It began with Maheer’s 68-year-old father, Datuk Nek Abdul Rahman Saleh, who was a former Assistant Superintendent of Police.

Known as Nek Man by his peers in the equestrian world, Nek Abdul Rahman says his passion for everything cowboy didn’t emerge in his early years growing up in Kelantan.

It happened only 30 years ago, after a chance meeting with an Indonesian who shared information about the properties of wild horse’s milk. Fascinated by this new knowledge, Nek Man began his own research into horse milk, with the goal of starting a business.

He even returned to university to study medical law, project management and later pursued an equine business programme in Britain.

“All of this was for the benefit of my business and interest. The more I learned, the more I fell in love with the equine world – and the more of a cowboy I became,” says Nek Man.

He eventually became a prominent figure in the equine community in Malaysia and began representing the country on a global stage. One notable event was the Turkmen Horse Festival in Turkmenistan in 2013.

“That’s when I was given the title Malaysian Cowboy by fellow participants from the United States,” says Nek Man.

“Since then, wherever I go, I’m introduced as the Malaysian Cowboy,” he adds.

Nek Abdul Rahman says the family enjoys their ranch-like lifestyle at Bukit Tinggi.

In a more formal capacity, Nek Abdul Rahman serves as the president of the Asean Horse Society, the patron of Persatuan Aktiviti Kuda Kelantan, an advisor to the Thailand-American Cowboy Association, and a committee member of the Indonesian Thoroughbred Association.

All in the family

Naturally, Nek Man’s strong passion for horses and the cowboy lifestyle spread to his small family, going beyond Maheer’s horse riding classes.

“When we go out, we do as a cowboy family, wearing complete cowboy attire with hats, boots and Western shirts over jeans,” says his wife, Datin Norhayati A. Rahim, 66.

“But cowboys don’t just wear faded jeans and spurs all the time. There’s always something for every occasion – formal, casual or outdoor,” Nek Man interjects.

Nek Aryan describes Prince as a naughty horse.

Now, Norhayati prefers to wear what’s comfortable: “These days, I wear simple jeans and a loose top, sometimes with a hat.”

She says it’s important for her to support her husband’s interest and passion. But Norhayati’s role goes beyond being a supportive wife.

When Nek Abdul Rahman started his business, he was still in the police force, and to avoid a conflict of interest, Norhayati rose to the challenge and managed the business.

Not only did she have to learn the trade – including dabbling in accounts and marketing – but she also had to learn about horses – riding them, caring for them, understanding their diet, providing a conducive living space and managing their accessories.

The cowboy family at their family farm.

When her husband opted to retire from the police force in 2011, Norhayati took the opportunity to retire from the business, so she handed it over to him.

“When he expressed his desire to move to Bukit Tinggi, I was over the moon,” she says. “If this is what you call a cowboy lifestyle, then I think the move is the ultimate one we can do,” she adds.

“This place is peaceful and laidback, it’s like going back to nature. Here, we get to teach our grandchildren not to be afraid to play with dirt and puddles, and not to get hooked on gadgets,” Norhayati concludes. The more I learned, the more I fell in love with the equine world – and the more of a cowboy I became. Datuk Nek Abdul Rahman Saleh