Somali capital opens first horse riding stable in decades

Yahye Isse, 29, owner of the Yahya Fardoole horse training centre, attends to a horse at his training stable outside the main stadium in Mogadishu, Somalia February 17, 2022. Picture taken February 17, 2022. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

On a tree-lined, unpaved road in Somalia's capital, people duck out of their homes to stare in awe at an unusual sight: two young men atop white horses, racing neck and neck, in training for what would be the city's first horse races in decades.

Slowly improving security has fuelled demand for sports and leisure activities – and horse-riding has proved a hit.