Pakistani women riders stake their claim in centuries-old tent pegging tradition

CHAKWAL: From sunset until nearly dawn, the thunder of hooves echoed across a dusty field outside Chakwal as riders competed in the annual Padshahan Tent Pegging Competition earlier this month. Among them was Anum Shakoor, who lowered her lance toward a wooden peg while hundreds of spectators cheered beneath the floodlights.

One of just six women competing at the annual Padshahan Tent Pegging Competition in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, Shakoor rode alongside around 70 men's teams, challenging the long-held notion that one of Pakistan's oldest equestrian sports belongs only to men.

Known locally as “neza bazi,” tent pegging traces its origins to cavalry training and remains one of Pakistan's most celebrated rural sports.

Riders must spear and lift small wooden pegs from the ground with a lance while controlling their horses at full gallop, a demanding test of speed, balance and precision. 

While the sport has traditionally been dominated by men, a growing number of women are now entering the arena, hoping to inspire more girls to follow.

Riding her horse, Shehzada, Shakoor is a member of Binte Zara Ladies' Tent Pegging Club of Pakistan, the country's first women's tent pegging club. Having trained professionally for the past year and a half, she says success begins long before a rider enters the track.

"When we go to the start, the horse and the rider, both of their heartbeats get fast," Shakoor told Pakistan TV Digital. "If the rider is nervous, the horse automatically gets nervous. So you have to have really good control at the start."

That connection, she said, is built through patience, trust and countless hours spent together.

Training starts with earning a horse's confidence before gradually increasing speed and introducing the lance. For Shakoor, who balances a full-time job with training, caring for her horse is as important as perfecting her technique.

"There's no age limit in this game," she said. "I, myself, am a working lady, and I take out time from my job. I give a lot of time to my horse."

Competing alongside men, she said, is an achievement in itself.

"The men are really strong. There's no doubt that men are strong, but we're here, we're competing amongst the men. It's an achievement for us in its own way."

Shakoor is among a small but growing group of women determined to make their mark in the sport.

For fellow competitor Maryam Mohsin, the journey began not in the saddle but on canvas. An artist who paints realistic portraits of horses, she started riding three years ago to better understand the animals that had long inspired her work.

"Tent pegging is a Punjabi sport and I'm also Punjabi," she said. "I think it's in my blood."

Although competing against experienced male riders can be intimidating, Mohsin said she has found encouragement rather than resistance.

"They respect us, they welcome us and they don't treat us like we're less," she said.

Yet passion alone is not enough to compete.

Mohsin said buying a horse can cost around Rs400,000 ($1,442) , while monthly feeding expenses range between Rs40,000 ($144) and Rs50,000 ($180), excluding saddles, lances and other equipment, making tent pegging one of the more expensive sports to pursue.

Despite those financial barriers, she has continued training without owning a horse, crediting her instructor for making that possible.

"My teacher has been really supportive. He's been giving me the horses to ride," she said.

She hopes other women will not let financial constraints or fears about acceptance stand in their way.

"My message to the women out there who have passions like these is that you should come out," Mohsin said. "There are many supportive people. If they're thinking people won't be supportive, I think they should come out. Things are different now."

For Shakoor, encouraging the next generation has become just as important as winning competitions.

Between rounds, she introduced Pakistan TV Digital to seven-year-old Ayesha, who watched riders race down the dusty track before eagerly taking her own turns in the saddle.

Dreaming of becoming a professional tent pegger, Ayesha represents the future that competitors like Shakoor and Mohsin hope to build. One in which more girls grow up believing there is a place for them in one of Pakistan's oldest sporting traditions.