Horseback riding, as both a recreational activity and a competitive sport, is coming into its own in Phnom Penh with the welcome arrival of Genius Resort. The specialist equestrian center has brought exciting new opportunities for experienced riders and complete beginners of all ages since it opened off Northbridge Street in the Sen Sok area in early 2024.

The growing popularity of all things equestrian was fueled a few years back at the Phnom Penh Country Club’s riding school. When the Club discontinued this facility Genius Resort seized the reins, buying up the horses and equipment to kickstart the venture it has since taken from strength to strength.

Genius Resort now boasts over fifty (and counting) excellent horses and ponies, some home-bred and others imported from around the world, along with an expert team of equally international trainers and grooms who ensure young and adult riders alike have an enjoyable, safe and professional experience. Classes are held in Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced categories and both private and group lessons are available. Beginners’ lessons start from age five, while kids from three upwards can ride and learn to bond with the ponies. As horseback riding is known to build youngsters’ fitness, confidence and self-esteem and to encourage a sense of responsibility, it’s a fun and rewarding hobby for them to get into.

I should admit at this point that I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve sat astride a horse. However, friends with whom I visited the center, possessed of way more equine experience than me, were impressed by the clean, well-kept stables and the condition of the horses and facilities.

Genius Resort’s classes cover horse-riding theory and equine knowledge and care, alongside practical riding skills, and lead to a Certificate from the French Equestrian Federation, to which the Cambodian Equestrian Federation is affiliated. More advanced classes take in jumping and dressage and the choice to ride the center’s premium horses.

Though equestrian sports were introduced to Cambodia in the late 1950s, riders have previously lacked a suitable arena to show off their competitive skills. Genius Resort has two; an outdoor plus an indoor arena that is being refurbished at the time of writing. It hosts international standard showjumping and other competitions and events and is the training ground for Cambodia’s international equestrian team.

The comfortable clubhouse, quirkily adorned with equine artefacts and a gallery of colorful original artworks, has panoramic windows that look out over the indoor campus. Whether or not you’re a rider, it’s an ideal spot to relax and enjoy the bar and restaurant and where parents have an elevated view of their kids’ equestrian prowess. Private stabling facilities are also available at the center, which has plans to expand its sporting facilities in the future.

You can become a member of Genius Resort to receive special benefits as well as reduced price classes, for example a package of eight classes costs members $220 instead of $360 for non-members. Membership fees are $190 for adults and $120 for children and students. Individual, hour-long group pony classes cost $30 for members and $42 for non-members, while private classes are $50 and $62 respectively. Classes on a horse cost an additional $12 in each case.

If you fancy getting in the saddle but want to try out the experience first, Genius Resort offers a thirty minute Promenade, a slow-paced, beginner-friendly walk with a guide for $22 on a pony and $33 on a horse. You can book this online, register for any of the center’s courses or request more information at https://geniusresortkh.com