It was at her lowest moment that Jacqueline Lai -- the rider representing Hong Kong at the Longines Masters of Hong Kong 2017 -- fully realised she had what it took to be an elite athlete.

One of the very best riders that Hong Kong has ever produced, Lai bounced back remarkably from a career-threatening injury after a fall shattered her pelvis in 2011. It was in those darkest moments, Lai says, that she truly realised what was needed to succeed and to resume her life among the horses she loves, and that she had what it took to do exactly that.

“It was difficult,” says Lai. “It was the first time I had ever really faced a real hardship and an obstacle placed in front of me. There are a lot of people I have to thank – the HKJC, my parents – but you learn at the end of the day that you have to find that will to come back from within yourself, that strength. I think it is a natural thing, and that if anybody has such a hardship, the will comes from inside, and then you can make use of the support you are given.”

“If anyone has an injury in a sport, it’s important that they have that mindset first before they open up to let other people support them, to just come back and be the best they can be again.”

Lai first started riding when she was ten-years old and instantly fell in love with the lifestyle and the challenges presented when working among horses.

“As young kids, we loved animals,” she says. “We loved to learn something new with them every day, and then what really drew me to the competition itself was the adrenaline, the drive, and the opportunity to go out there and compete and want to do better every time.”

“What I love about it most now as a professional is to be able to learn something new every day and be able to train my own horse up to a high level. Be able to start buying them young, start riding them young, green, inexperienced, and be able to communicate with them, educate them. I think that’s the most rewarding feeling, and that’s what’s great about the sport.”

The connection made between the two is also very special, Lai says.

“All horses are different, just like people are different,” says Lai. “They all have their own peculiarities, sensitivities, strengths and weaknesses, which together make riding a very fun thing to do. It’s all about coming together with the horse, and forming a partnership with the horse.”

After joining the junior team in 2009, Lai progressed to the senior HKJC equestrian team in 2011 in recognition of her dedication and outstanding achievements, including becoming Hong Kong’s first national champion rider with an individual gold medal at the 2009 China National Showjumping Championships in Beijing, and being part of the history-making Hong Kong team (alongside Kenneth Cheng, Patrick Lam and Samantha Lam) that took bronze at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, which was a first for the city. In 2013, Lai claimed a silver medal at the 12th National Games in Shenyang. This year, she was back to represent Hong Kong for the third time in the Longines Masters of Hong Kong 2018 against some of the world’s best riders, and then took part in the 2018 Asian Games with her favourite horse, Basta.

“This sport taught me a lot about being hungry to achieve and to do better, but to do these things with a composed mind,” says Lai. “To be able to do it with patience and a broad perspective and to realise it takes time - and that you lose more than you win but that you have to just keep looking ahead.”

Lai says the sport also continues to expand her life experiences.

“There is so much more to manage in the sport than the development of my own physique and skills,” she says. “I have learnt a lot about myself in all those areas. In the process I’ve learnt how to handle stress, expectations and to take responsibility for my own faults and failures. I’ve been growing from, and using the experiences, to benefit my sport and myself as a person.”