In Kazakhstan, everyone among horse breeders and riders knows 10-year-old Sanzhar Omekey. The schoolboy has already won many baiga races, and the cars he has won are not few. At the VI World Nomad Games held in Kyrgyzstan, he won two medals at once and became widely known among the people. For this, he also received a letter of gratitude from the president. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.

But all these achievements are the result of tireless work and iron discipline. A Sputnik Kazakhstan correspondent contacted the family of horse breeders to find out how champions are trained.

Brother horse breeders

Sanzhar is the third child in the family. After Sanzhar, another son, Kambar, is growing up. The children's father, Berik Arykbaev, also took part in baiga many times as a child.

"I myself, in Degereс village, from the first grade, raced in baiga on the horse of an elder named Onlasyn. I took part in baiga for about 8 years. In Zhambyl district we have our own small stable. We prepare horses there," says the champion's 43-year-old father.

Berik's younger brother, Murat Arykbaev, also trains horses. On his horse named "Nurshashu," Sanzhar won the baiga among kunans at the VI World Nomad Games and took gold.

"Broke his arm, split his head"

Sanzhar has been by his father's side since he was two years old. And from the age of 3-4 he began riding a horse himself.

"Basically, if the parents are afraid, the child cannot race. Sanzhar fell from a horse at the age of 6 and broke his arm. Now he rides up to 30-45 kilometers a day," said Berik Arykbaev.

Although Sanzhar has not been racing in baiga for long, the cars he has won are not few. Last year, at the "Akbidai" republican rural sports games, he won one gold and one silver. This year he went to the World Nomad Games and returned with one gold and one silver.

How champions are trained

The rider's time is tight. He rides all summer, and there is no time for games either.

"They don't rest in summer like other children. They get on a horse at three or four in the morning, and then come back and get off the horse around 8 in the evening. They clean the horses two or three times, bathe them, and change the bedding several times. In other words, we change the "bed" twice (laughs). A child who doesn't do all this cannot become a champion," Berik Arykbaev emphasized.

During morning training, Sanzhar rides up to 10 kilometers. But before that, the sweat of the trained horse must be dried and its hooves washed. Only then can he go out for the second round.

"I struggled at first. My goal is to make Kazakhstan known to the world. I will work toward that," says Sanzhar himself.

Does baiga interfere with school

Currently, Sanzhar studies at the secondary school named after Seidakhmet Berdikulov in Uzynagash. The family's stable is not far away, located 10-15 kilometers from the village.

"We take him to school, and pick him up immediately after he finishes. Only during competitions is he excused from classes for one or two days. In general, his academic performance is good, he studies with grades of 4 and 5. I myself am strict about his studies too," says Arykbaev.

Is the rider's income large

Previously, Sanzhar won cars in several competitions. And at the World Nomad Games, he was also awarded a certificate for 1 million soms.

"In our money, that's 5.5 million tenge. 10 percent of that money is Sanzhar's earnings," the father concluded.