It’s about more than equality

I am happy to celebrate International Women’s Day — although in my opinion every day should be celebrated as International Women’s Day. There are so many incredible women around the world forging paths, working to better societies, inspiring us all to make greater strides toward a brighter future.

Two of my favorite female role models are close to my heart. My mother is my inspiration and teacher. She taught me everything I know about equestrian sport, and life. She was one of the first to explore the sport at a time when it barely even existed in Saudi Arabia. From her, I learned perseverance and dedication.

Another woman who has greatly influenced me is my grandmother. She is probably the classiest person I’ve met —inside and out; the definition of a true lady. She has taught me many important values in life such as patience, real strength, unconditional love, and kindness.

While I am honored to be the first woman to represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympics and the World Equestrian Games, and to be a source of inspiration for young Arab girls and women, I feel the fight should not only be about equality. 

As a professional show jumper, I compete in a sport where men and women of many different ages and nationalities ride against one another on an equal playing field. As competitors, women are as tough as men; talent in this sport is not defined by your sex. In my riding, I was never satisfied by being the best female rider. I’ve always aspired to be one of the top riders. 

Men and women all have our own personal strengths and weaknesses. For example, although I strive to learn from everyone, I never accepted it when some people said I was too small to compete at the top level. They would say:“She must weigh 50kg, she’s not strong enough.” But I believed in myself — there is always a way, and I have used weighing 50kg to my advantage. My main competition horse, Toscanini, wouldn’t work with someone who is too strong on him, and we competed at the world championships. Nor, I believe, would my new horse, Impero, who —with work, discipline and trust—will fight for me more than for someone who uses brute force.

I believe men and women were created to complement each other; there was no Adam without Eve, or Eve without Adam. The concepts of feminine and masculine are strong in their own ways. A woman should not just strive to be the equal of a man; she should aspire to be the best version of the woman she is.

So, in my opinion, it’s not simply about equality. What’s important is respecting each other for our own strengths. I want to see men and women helping each other to reach their own goals and embrace the process it takes to do so. Intuition, emotional focus, patience, networking and love of beauty are all qualities we can all easily be equal in.

• Dalma Malhas is a Saudi show jumper and national team member, a Youth Olympics bronze medalist, winner of a Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Creative Sports Award, and an athletes’ representative on the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee.