SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1980
6
RIDING FOR A ROYAL OCCASION
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FOR WU YUK-HAU, MONDAY (FEBRUARY 11) IS A SPECIAL DAY AND ONE HE IS EAGERLY LOOKING FORWARD TO.
THAT IS THE DAY WHEN THE 25-YEAR-OLD MEMBER OF THE SPORTS ASSOCIATION FOR THE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY OF MEETING HRH PRINCESS ALEXANDRA AND DISPLAY HIS HORSEMANSHIP.
YUK-HAU IS ONE OF FIVE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED RIDING ENTHUSIASTS WHO WILL SHOW OFF THEIR EQUESTRIAN SKILLS BEFORE PRINCESS ALEXANDRA WHEN SHE VISITS THE LADY MACLEHOSE CENTRE'S PUBLIC RIDING SCHOOL AT POKFULAM.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I WILL BE MEETING A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY AND I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT,+ HE SAID.
FOR YUK-HAU, RIDING IS MORE THAN A HOBBY.
+ IT HAS GIVEN ME A NEW INSIGHT OF THE THINGS ONE CAN DO, DESPITE ONE'S PHYSICAL DISABILITY, AND AT THE SAME TIME HAVING A LOT OF FUN,+
APART FROM BOOSTING HIS SELF-CONFIDENCE, RIDING ENABLES YUK-HAU TO STRETCH HIS MUSCLES AND HELPS HIM OVERCOME HIS DISABILITY TO A CERTAIN EXTENT.
SINCE HE PICKED UP RIDING FOUR YEARS AGO, YUK-HAU HAS BECOME QUITE AN EQUESTRIAN.
+1 ONLY FELL OFF A HORSE ONCE, HE SAYS PROUDLY, AND THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO.*
+IT WASN'T REALLY THE HORSE'S FAULT, HE GRINNED.
IN FACT, YUK-HAU HAS DONE SO WELL THAT HE HAS BEEN AWARDED A CERTIFICATE OF MERIT BY THE RIDING FOR DISABLED ASSOCIATION AND A HORSE SHOE LEATHER BELT FOR HIS OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE.
EACH FRIDAY HE TRAVELS FROM HIS TSZ WAN SHAN HOME TO EITHER FANLING, SHA TIN OR POKFULAM FOR A FAST GALLOP OR LEISURELY TROT.
+HORSE RIDING ISN'T DIFFICULT ONCE YOU GET THE HANG OF IT,+ HE SAYS, AND I HOPE TO HAVE ONE OF MY BEST RIDES ON MONDAY FOR PRINCESS ALEXANDRA.-
PRINCESS ALEXANDRA WILL BE ACCOMPANIED TO POKFULAM BY LADY MACLEHOSE, PATRON OF THE HONG KONG PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED AND ABLE-BODIED ASSOCIATION,
/APART FROM