Noor Slaoui loves horses. In fact, she also loves mules, donkeys and “anything equine-related”.
So it is little wonder the Moroccan rider is about to make Olympic history in the sport of eventing.
When the 29-year-old mounts her beloved horse Cash In Hand at the Palace of Versailles on 27 July, she will become the first person – male or female – from the Middle East or North Africa to compete in the equestrian discipline.
“I did it out of passion so I never really thought about it this way,” she told Sportshour on the BBC World Service.
“But it is a real honour.
“There is a strong horsey tradition in those countries and in Morocco and the Arab world. So I’m very proud to be walking in those footsteps and representing those countries.”
A childhood passion for horses
Slaoui’s love for all things equine started as a child growing up in Casablanca.
“My parents were very big on hiking, so we’d go up in the mountains in the desert with the horses and mules,” she explained.
“That’s what really developed my passion. It was really the love of the animal.
“I find them so interesting, so majestic. And to create a partnership with such an animal for me has always been so special.
“I’ve always been fascinated by horses. It’s the thing that’s always been on my mind since I was four.”
Driven to become a professional rider, Slaoui moved to France at the age of 18 to join a national horse riding school.
“That’s where I stepped into the professional riding world to understand how it worked,” she said.
“It really shaped me as a person. The school was originally a military school and the atmosphere there is very, very military.
“I had to do a lot of learning. Learning to be on time, learning to not cut any corners.
“Physically, I learned to be more precise in what I did. I’m very grateful for that experience.”
Slaoui then embarked on a degree at the University of Warwick in the English Midlands, living in the Cotswolds where she was further motivated by the many eventing opportunities on offer.
“I would drive past these big horse shows like Badminton – the pinnacle of the sport for us in eventing – and I just loved it.”
After graduating, she went into business in the area with her coach, Deborah Fellous, and the pair co-own a yard where Slaoui is still based.
About six years on, the Moroccan is set to break new ground at the 2024 Games in Paris.
A special relationship with Cash In Hand
The sport of eventing is a triathlon of disciplines, comprising of dressage, cross country and show-jumping.
“My favourite? I’d say it’s cross country. That’s what gets my adrenaline up,” says Slaoui.
“That’s what I just love doing. But of course because it’s a triathlon, you need to leave no stone unturned, and you need to work on all three disciplines.”
Helping the Moroccan achieve her dream will be Cash In Hand, who lives at her yard in the Cotswolds.
Slaoui says she and the grey stallion know each other “inside out”.
“We found him for the owner when he was five or six and now he’s 11, so we’ve progressed together,” she added.
“We groom him, we drive him across Europe. I’m very grateful to have such a sweet and kind-hearted horse to do my first Olympics on.”
So, will Slaoui drive Cash In Hand to Paris for the Games?
“I will actually. We have a big HGV [Heavy Goods Vehicle]. So we can take five horses. And there’s a living part in it.
“But we’ll be staying at the Olympic Village this time.”
A mum who shows ‘anything is possible’
Slaoui has no bigger inspiration in helping her create history than her mother Amina, who had a life-changing bicycle accident at the age of 32.
“It left her in a wheelchair, but she didn’t let that determine her life, she made a strength out of it,” she explained.
Noor was born two years after the accident and is the third of four siblings, with the first two born before Amina was injured while on holiday.
Amina also established a disability rehabilitation centre in Casablanca to help others receive treatment for their injuries, equipment and support.
“For me growing up in that environment, to see that truly anything is possible, really helped me,” Noor said.
“It made me the person I am today, because no dream is too big and you can do anything you want.
“It’s the way I was raised and I feel very lucky to have had that with my parents and my family. From the beginning, when I was riding at a low level and getting eliminated, she was saying ‘you’ll go to the Olympics’.”
‘Moroccan women are strong-willed’
Slaoui’s compatriot Yassine Rahmouni will also be at the Games, competing in the dressage in his third Olympics.
But becoming the first person from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to compete in eventing at the Olympics puts the spotlight on Slaoui.
It is a challenge she is relishing.
“There’s a lot of excitement because there have been previous riders in Morocco and they are still with me, like Yassine,” she said.
“I’m very proud to have my name amongst those who are trying to raise the Moroccan and Arab and African inclusivity flags.
“It’s a great honour and I’m hoping that along the way it can inspire others in any other sports to do the same.”
Slaoui also hopes that when people see how involved she is in her sport, and the hard work she has put in, it will show the strength women have in the MENA region.
“We are very strong-willed,” she said.
“That’s something you see in a lot of Arab countries. In Morocco, women are not scared – we are very curious. And once we find something we love, we just go for it.
“I was always raised that way. If you’re lucky enough to find something that you love, then you just have to work because it’s not just going to happen out of the blue, but do it 100%, and you’ll do it well.”
