#66 Start with The Love of The Horse with Noor Slaoui

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:00:02-00:00:12]
On this episode, we're talking with Noor Slaoui, the first rider to represent Morocco in Olympic eventing, as well as the first person from the Middle East and North Africa to compete in Olympic eventing.

[SPEAKER 1]
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Well, I think it's so important to know your horses inside out, to know everything about them. So you can notice every single change before it becomes an injury or something bad.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Welcome to the Equestrian Connection podcast from Wehorse. My name is Danielle Crowell and I'm your host. Noor Slaoui started riding when she was very young, riding mules to the mountains of Morocco with her family. As a teenager, Noor attended the École Nationale d'Equitation de Saumur in France. It was here that she developed her riding skills as well as trained to be a groom. Noor's success in the saddle could be accredited to her focus outside of the saddle while caring for the horses on a daily basis. She has said that a partnership with a horse doesn't just happen when you ride it. It happens when you're on the floor. We're going to be discussing everything from the lessons she learned from grooming, the connection she has with her horse, her journey to the Olympics, and so much more. So let's dive in. Nora, welcome to the WeHorse podcast. I'm so excited to chat with you today. How's it going?

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:01:19-00:01:36]
Well, thank you for having me. It's such an honor and a pleasure to be here. It's going well. It's going well. End of season for me. So things are getting a bit quieter, which is always a bit nice after being very busy for the last couple of months. So kind of enjoying it, actually.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Yeah, absolutely. I know there's something about this time of year that it kind of feels like a bit of a hibernation.

[SPEAKER 1]
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and I used to not like it and now I don't know if it's that I'm just getting older or what but it's like I'm enjoying this like sense of like hibernation um yeah I don't mind it I don't think my horses mind it either so it's quite nice you know it's good for the soul it's good to just you know take a bit of time to reflect on things and, and move forward for the next, you know, for the next season. So I think it's always really good.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Yeah, absolutely.

[SPEAKER 1]
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I used to hate it too. I want to ride, ride, ride. Yeah. My, my, my focus.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Yeah, absolutely. So you had an interesting start to riding. Um, you were riding up in the mountains of Morocco on mules with your family. Um, and I'd love to hear that story if you could tell us about it.

[SPEAKER 1]
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Yeah, sure. So my parents, you know, they were quite keen on outdoor activities. They loved animals. And so they take us a lot hiking, you know, with mules and then horses up in a bit everywhere in Morocco. So, you know, we'd go to the desert, to the forest, mountains. And I started that from a very young age. So I remember when I was four, I'd spend around eight hours on a mule. And I just loved it. They're very sure-footed. So that's where my love for animals and nature kind of started, I'd say. And at the beginning, I just loved being around them. I never really rode competitively much. I rode in a riding school, but it was more just having fun and being around horses. So I think it's a big strength for me because it's the love of the animal that came first and everything else came second way while later. So yeah, I think it was a good start for me. I really enjoyed it.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Absolutely. I love that it's, you know, I feel like there's so many people that I speak to on here that have a similar sentiment where it's like, I started with the love of it. And I feel like you have to, and then also you have to remember it. So it's like, as you get going along through all of these different things, whether you're competitive riding or you're working with horses in other capacities, whatever it may be, it's always remembering like, how did I get started with this? Like, it's coming back to that love.

[SPEAKER 1]
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Exactly. And I think, you know, when the going gets tough a bit, just allows you to still enjoy what you're doing and still enjoy being with the animals. And for me, that's really important. So, you know, as a kid, I always told my mom, I'm going to live with horses. I didn't really know how. I didn't really know what I was planning on doing. But I always had this idea in my head that I would be where my horses were. And I would have this dream of sleeping as a kid that, you know, I'd look down out my window and I'd see horses. Because where I was in Casablanca, it wasn't very common. You know, I had to drive 45 minutes an hour to get to the yard where I used to ride. So it was really a dream come true. Well, actually, a dream come true now for me to be able to live above the horses, above the stables.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Yeah, absolutely. That's so cool. How did that shift happen where you were riding up in the mountains and you were at a riding school and then you decided to take it further? And I know that you went to France and you took riding a bit more seriously. You also trained as a groom. Can you tell us a little bit about that and how all of that came to be and then what you've learned from it?

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:05:20-00:09:48]
Yeah, of course. So basically, as I said, I rode in Morocco and then I graduated from high school when I was about 18. And I really wanted to learn a bit more about, you know, the professional horse riding world. And there's a very well-known school in France called the Cadre Nord de Saumur, which did like a one-year degree where you'd become a riding instructor. So I thought I had an acceptance here at university, at the University of Warwick here in England. But I thought, let's take a gap year and go there and learn a bit more about it and see if that's something that could interest me. So I went there, you know, very naive, thinking I would be riding my horses and I'd be having so much fun. I actually landed in a military school. So it was a lot tougher than I expected. You know, 18-year-old me, freshly from Morocco, never lived on my own, ended up in a very small French village. not knowing anyone and riding like yeah six seven horses a day wow so at the beginning it definitely some adjusting first couple of months were were quite hard for me but i've learned so much you know especially at such a young age i think it makes you either it makes you or it breaks you you know you either hate it or you end up loving it and for me luckily i loved it And at the end, I didn't really want to go. I wanted to stay there and stay longer. But my parents, you know, they are not horsey. We didn't know anyone that did it professionally in Morocco back then. Although they were, but, you know, I didn't know them personally. So they said, no, no, no, come on. You're going to university. You need a backup plan. And then if you still enjoy it, you see what you want to do with horses. So off I went to work. And whilst I was driving to the university, I would see all these horse shows around me. So badminton, I got very lucky. I landed in the country where they are the most professional riders and big events. So, yeah, I'd see the badmintons. I'd see the blenheims. And I just, like, it caught my attention. And I started, you know, searching about what eventing was all about. You know, I read the rule book. And I had a horse with me that I had brought from France, a show jumper. And I thought, you know, I've been riding a bit in France. Let's give it a go. And so I had a little trailer. Off I went for my first events. And things didn't really go to plan. I kept on getting eliminated because my horse disliked water. so uh yeah that's yeah i i learned it the hard way definitely it was just eliminations at 90 level and uh and i thought okay actually i need to to learn things a bit more properly see how you know they do it how we produce a horse how we how you know professionals go about in their day-to-day lives So I Googled around uni, found a couple of riders, messaged them, offered to work at their yard in exchange of some help with my horse. And that's how it started. So alongside my politics and international relations studies, I would work for event riders for about three years. And that taught me a lot, you know, everything from the ground up. I did a lot of grooming. I learned, you know, that it always starts on the floor and you learn so much about, you know, everything from just, you know, looking and observing. And I think that's where, for me, it kind of shifted everything. And then once I finished uni, I thought that actually that's what I want to do. I want to become a professional event writer. And I based myself with Bill Levitt, who's an Australian writer, for about two years, where I learned a lot. I had a small string, started building my string. And then when I was there, I met my coach and business partner who was nearby, who's called Debra Feluz. And we decided to start our business together and aim for championships. So we started off with three horses, and slowly we built things up to a yard of 15 now of owner's horses that are either for breaking, sales, training, or championships and competitions.

[SPEAKER 2]
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You said something in there, and I remembered it from a FEI article, and you spoke about building the partnership with the horse, I'm going to paraphrase it here, building the partnership with the horse doesn't start in the saddle, it starts on the floor. And I thought, there's so much wisdom in that. And can you speak a little bit more about your experience grooming and the importance of not just showing up and jumping in the saddle? Yeah.

[SPEAKER 1]
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Well, I think it's so important to know your horses inside out, to know everything about them. So you can notice every single change before it becomes an injury or something bad. So I think by being there and doing it, then you just are so much closer to your horses. And I think it's like anything, the more time you spend with them, the more love you give them. the better the partnership at the end you're going to have. So I'm a very big believer on that. Like, for instance, when we go to shows, even when we have three or four horses, most of the time, Debra and I, we do all the grooming just because we want to keep the things the same and know everything about our horses. So that's something we really, really enjoy and that we wouldn't change despite, you know, going... to big shows or up the grades or anything. It's really something that we are quite fond of.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Yeah. I love that.

[SPEAKER 1]
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I think that's also, you know, having the horses out. I love, I love observing how they react to each other with each other. And, you know, it's all about learning, learning and becoming, becoming a better horseman. And also I think, you know, when you groom, you get to see a lot of good riders get lessons and, and, and, you know, find when they have problems, find solutions with their horses. And then I think it's very, very valuable knowledge for when you're, When you're on your own and having to face three issues or having to scratch your head for answers, then you can remember what you learned when you were on the floor.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Yeah, I think it is just so cool that top writers such as yourself have this mindset and are speaking about it to encourage other people. you know, to do the same rather than somebody at the top that's talking about, oh, I just show up to the barn and people have my horses ready. I get on and I ride and I leave for the day because that just teaches other people to do that as well. And it's like when you see riders as successful as yourself and other riders like Ingrid Klimka and, you know, the ones that have the same mindset. Yes. It's so encouraging for younger riders that are, you know, may also have dreams and want to do the same thing, to follow in those same footsteps and really put the horse first.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:12:51-00:13:10]
You can relate a lot more. It's like, you know, when I was learning, and I heard that Isabel Ver travels everywhere with her horses. Like, to go to Tokyo, she was in the plane with her horse. And that's very inspiring because you think, okay, you're right, top riders, they still do that, so... You know, why, why wouldn't everyone?

[SPEAKER 2]
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Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Yeah.

[SPEAKER 1]
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I get that, you know, you're so busy and, and, and it gets very hard to, to just have one-to-one time with the horses. So some, some will find it a bit harder, but I think it's important to, you know, still find a bit of time to do it and, and, and create that connection out of the saddle.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:13:32-00:13:59]
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I'd love to talk a little bit about your horse, Cash Man, or I'm sure as many people know, Cash in Hand, and specifically about that partnership that the two of you have developed together. Can you speak a little bit about how he came into your life and how you went from the six-year-old stallion to the 11-year-old that was competing at the Olympics with you? How did that journey come about?

[SPEAKER 1]
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Yeah, of course. Well, actually, he's not a stallion. He's a gelding. Oh, is he a gelding?

[SPEAKER 2]
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Okay, my apologies. Maybe he wants to be. Maybe he's like, I'm a stud in my mind.

[SPEAKER 1]
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Ash is a sweetheart. It's, you know, I can't find any other adjective for this horse. He just has the biggest, biggest, biggest heart. He was originally a hunter. So he is like Irish drafts across to our bread, very old school hunting slash eventing horses. And we found him at Jody Amos, who's a friend and who has a yard also. And she had him as a she freshly bought him before we got him as a she had him as a five year old. And she said, you have to come and see him. He's very kind hearted. And she didn't like, you know, what we were looking for at that stage was a horse that was going to teach me. you know, teach me stuff without holding a grudge when I make a mistake. It was very important to find the heart above everything else. Because, you know, you can have horses with a lot of talent, a lot of flesh, but that can be a little bit more sensitive. So it's very hard when you learn, I think, to go for those horses. So, you know, we went, tried him, tried him once, and I knew straight away that he'd be a great horse for me. So I called the owner and he followed, you know. what we thought. And at the beginning, at the very early stages, the plan was not to keep him because the owner wanted selling as a six, seven-year-old. And we tried to advertise him and, you know, a young rider came to try him, 12, 13-year-old. And she jumped him and she said, oh, I think he's not good enough. He's not a good enough jumper. So we thought, okay, you know what? Maybe that's a sign. Maybe we need to keep the horse. And so we did. And, you know, it's the best decision we've ever made. We're very lucky that the owner was willing to, you know, bear with us for longer. And then as we went, as we stepped up, he... kept on showing up you know he he doesn't overdo it he does the bare minimum when he needs to but he keeps on giving keeps on giving keeps on giving until you know when he was nine then we he stepped up to four star and then you know our dream of going to the olympics was very much alive then and we thought okay actually it could be a horse that can that can get there and what I love about him is you know as I said he's kind heart and also that we've done everything together so you know it was the blind leading the blind at times but I trust him with my life and I think he trusts me so I think that's our greatest strength and then you can really build on that so cool I love that I love hearing like origin stories very very cool He doesn't have the 10 CSP degree, but he keeps on showing up, and I love that about him.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Absolutely. We have been talking a bit about the past, so your riding past, your journey to get to where you are, and now I want to look at the present. I mean, this is a bit of a loaded question, but what is it like being the first rider to represent Morocco in Olympic eventing? the first person from the Middle East and North Africa to compete in Olympic eventing. That's big. So not just first female, it's first rider in general. That's huge. Congratulations. What's it like?

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:17:40-00:18:50]
Thank you very much. To be fair, it's really an honor for me. It's been such a great journey. It feels a bit weird because I've always done it out of passion. And I never realized I was the first in anything. I just did it because I wanted to. And I wanted to raise my country's flag at an Olympic. And when people started talking about that, I felt like they were talking about someone else. It just always feels a bit weird, but it's a very big honor because now, you know, when you go to Morocco and you talk to people everywhere now about eventing, they know what it's all about. They understand. They've been watching it. And, you know, for me, it's amazing to have been able to bring more inclusivity into the into eventing and, you know, to show that even if you come from a different background and, you know, non-horsey background from a completely new country in the sport, you can still, you know, make it happen at the top level of the sport. So for me, I just hope that it will inspire maybe other people from that region to do the same because I think it's a beautiful sport and I just, yeah, I'm just so passionate about it.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:18:53-00:19:10]
Do you have any advice for anybody listening that may also have big dreams, specifically the people in areas that are underrepresented or the people with the horses that, like you said, maybe don't have the fanciest pedigrees? Do you have any advice for any of them?

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:19:12-00:20:05]
I think it's really important to, well, it's a bit cliche to say that, but to believe in your dreams. And, you know, like you have to have big dreams, but also you need a lot of goals in between to get you there. I think, you know, you need a five year plan, but you also need a goal every year because otherwise you look a bit track of where you want to go and how you're going to get there. So I think that's been really key for me. And also you need to learn from others and surround yourself with people that are going to help you get there. Because, you know, for me, you see me as the first Moroccan, first Arab, etc. But there's such a big team around me that's made this possible. And I think that without them, I wouldn't be here today. So I think it's very important to rely on those people that are going to, you know, bring more experience when maybe you're going to still lack a little bit of it and bring their expertise to get you where you want to go.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:20:06-00:20:06]
Yeah.

[SPEAKER 1]
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When you try and look for horses, look for ones that are going to get you where you want safely. Don't go for the Ferrari straight away. You know, go for horses that will teach you things. And then once you get there and your skill set is there and everything, then it'll be very easy to pilot a super mega horse, you know.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Yeah. Absolutely. That was, I mean, every single one of those were great key points. One of the things that I love though, what you said at the very beginning, it was that have a big dream, have like, you know, your quote five year plan, but break it down into one year plans as well, where it's like, rather than just saying, this is where I want to go. This is, you know, the big one that I want to have. Well, how are you going to get there? So it's like, have like the one year plans at the same time and the one year goals, um, It's such smart advice.

[SPEAKER 1]
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Thank you. I think it's personally, it's really helped me.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Definitely. Yeah. Would you say that the Olympics was like your biggest dream?

[SPEAKER 1]
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No, my biggest dream would be to get a medal at the Olympics.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Okay, I was just going to say, because now it's like, okay, so you got there, so now what? But okay, so now the next one is to get there.

[SPEAKER 1]
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When you get there, you just want to do better there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. For me, the Olympics were such a great experience. I've learned so much. And, you know, being on a stage like that is something I've never experienced before. But it just makes me hungry for more.

[SPEAKER 2]
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Yeah, absolutely.

[SPEAKER 1]
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Very cool. Four or five year goals. And I think that's how you move forward in life. I need goals and I need things to look forward to.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:22:05-00:22:38]
Yeah, same. I think that's just like a human thing. I think everybody, you know, that's how we work. That's how our brains work. I've been asking a lot of our guests this question because there's a lot of changes that have been happening within the horse industry. And I'd love to know from your opinion as not only a competitive rider and a successful competitive rider, but also somebody that is deeply compassionate about the horse themselves. What is your hope for the future of the equestrian industry?

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:22:41-00:24:09]
So I hope for more inclusivity, as I said. I really hope that, you know, there will – because now especially – well, I speak about eventing because that's the thing I know the best, but I feel like it's more often than not is the same countries every time that, you know, challenge and are there. So I really hope that we can motivate more people into the sport because I think it's such a beautiful sport. I really hope for good horse welfare. I think, especially around everything that's happened around Olympic time and all the scandals, it just highlights a lot of abuses, I think, in the industry. So I really hope that we'll be able to Improve on that? I don't think it will go right out, but I think there's a lot of improvement that can be made, a lot more regulations maybe that can be installed. So I think the FEI are working hard at it, and I think it's a change for the better. And I just hope that everyone will play ball and that the horses will be treated, you know, as they should. Speak for everyone, you know, not just professional riders, but even in riding schools and stuff like that, because without them, we're nothing. And as I said, we do it because we love them. So we need to remember that. And everything we do, it needs to be for the horses and in terms of horse welfare.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:24:09-00:24:12]
Absolutely. Beautifully said. Yeah.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:24:13-00:25:16]
we have four rapid fire questions it's like our wee horse questions we ask every guest and it's just like the first thing that pops into your mind the first one is do you have a motto or a favorite saying uh aim for the moon and you'll end up in the stars love it who has been uh the most influential person in your equestrian journey my most influential person I'd say Laura Collett because I've been she's quite local to me I've been following her since I started and I think she's a huge inspiration because she's so hard working and you know she does everything she does truly have a super strong bond with her horses she's produced them and the girl just rides and rides and rides and wants to get better even if she's at the top So for me, it's always someone I really look up to. There are plenty of others, but it's one out of the few I really rate.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:25:16-00:25:25]
Let's put it this way. Very cool. If you could give equestrians one piece of advice, apart from all the advice you've already given, what would it be?

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:25:25-00:25:53]
That's a hard one. Yeah. They need to know why they are riding and do it for the right reasons, not for the fame or for the competitions. But yeah, because I feel like this is very well for a team conversation. I think, yeah, they have to do it for the right reasons if they're in it and they need to remember that.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:25:55-00:26:03]
Absolutely. It goes back to the very beginning when you said like you fell in love with the horse first. Yeah. Absolutely.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:26:04-00:26:08]
That's really important. Not to lose track of that, not to lose sight of that.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:26:11-00:26:16]
And the last one, please complete the sentence. For me, horses are.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:26:16-00:26:18]
My everything.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:26:20-00:26:29]
I love it. Nora, if people wanted to find out more about you and follow your journey and all of the things, where would they go?

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:26:30-00:26:43]
Yeah, they could go on my Instagram, which is North Lawy Eventing, where I try to share as much as possible about, you know, our horses, our training and our journey, you know, in eventing.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:26:43-00:26:49]
All right. We'll put in the show notes and everybody can go follow you and follow the journey.

[SPEAKER 1]
[00:26:50-00:26:53]
Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure.

[SPEAKER 2]
[00:26:53-00:27:32]
It was such a pleasure speaking with you as well. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Equestrian Connection podcast by WeHorse. If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean the world to us if you could leave us a rating and review as well as share us on social media. You can find us on Instagram at WeHorse underscore USA and check out our free seven day trial on WeHorse.com where you can access over 175 courses with top trainers from around the world in a variety of topics and disciplines. Until next time, be kind to yourself, your horses and others.

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