In a Class of Her Own
Datin Paduka Tunku Khadijah loves animals. You can see it from the way she happily caresses Wacintha’s neck—he’s fondly called Wally by the family—as he took her gentle ministrations in a calm demeanour. The beloved steed belongs to her granddaughter Natasha, who has ridden Wally at showjumping competitions. Tunku Khadijah’s daughter Datin Sri Sharifah Menyalara Hussein, who took up horse riding at a young age, introduced her own daughters Natasha and Natalya to the sport and they eventually became seasoned equestrians themselves, having won gold and bronze medals at the Sukma and SEA Games.
This shared love for horses is hardly surprising, as it was one that was passed down from Tunku Khadijah’s father, Tunku Abdul Rahman, our nation’s founding father. Lara said that her grandfather was very passionate about horses and used to breed them in Penang and Kuala Lumpur. “He’d put them in air-conditioned stables,” she says.
It was not the only thing that was passed down. Tunku Abdul Rahman is
