FOR Morocco’s Noor Slaoui, competing at the Olympic Games in eventing is creating history. She is the first for her nation and the first female from an Arab country to compete at this level in the sport. And she is doing it on the Traditional Irish Sport Horse Cash In Hand.

The 11-year-old grey gelding is by the French thoroughbred Sayarshan out of the Irish Draught mare Toorphelim Lady (Carrabawn View) and was bred by John Gillivan. Cash In Hand was sourced from Dermot Considine in Ireland by Lydia Cope and was then purchased by Jodie Amos, who sold him to Slaoui.

Wondering where the very Irish name comes from, Amos said: “His stable name was Cash, so I called him Cash In Hand! I evented him up to novice level as a five-year-old; Noor came to view him at the beginning of his six-year-old year, having herself only competed to novice level herself and the rest is history.”

Slaoui was in her 20s when she started eventing after leisure riding in Morocco. She moved to France for a year when she was 18 and attended the famous École Nationale d’Équitation de Saumur and is now based near Cirencester in England. “I have a yard with my business partner, Deborah Phyllis, who is also my coach. We go to Ireland very often, we are off to Lisgarvan next,” Slaoui said.

“Cash was so good on the cross-country, he’s a through and through cross-country horse. There’s nothing too fancy about his breeding, but he has a heart of gold. We know each other really well, I think that’s our greatest strength. We’ve had a great run here, I am a bit disappointed with the show jumping, but I think there’s a lot to work on, which excites me for the future. He’s only young and I am only young, so the plan is to come back and do better. I got him when he was five rising six and we did everything from the 100 to the Olympic Games.”

Slaoui said it is “such an honor” to be the first person from Morocco to compete in eventing at an Olympic Games. “I’m hoping it’s not the last time and the plan would be to have more people around me, there’s a lot of interest in eventing now, which I’m very happy and proud about.”