It is not news that Mohammad Sheikh Suliman owns one of the strongest stables in the world. Located in Belgium Al Sheikh Stud is home to some of the world's Arabian horse championship winners.
Mohammad Sheikh Suliman extremely is committed for several hours a day and every day of the week to take care of his horses.
Where is all this passion coming from?
Mohammad Sheikh Suliman : In my opinion, there isn't a single pure Arabian who doesn’t love purebred horses.
Horses hold a great value to us as Arabs and as Muslim as well.
The greatness was even depicted and emphasized by Allah SWT where he actually dedicated a Quranic verse Al Adiat: “By the racers, panting, and the producers of sparks when striking” which refers to the horses.
Since we follow the Prophet Muhammad’s path he did mention of horses quite a few times and it was quoted in several Hadith such as “Goodness is tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection”
Omar said “ Teach your children swimming, archery and horse riding.” And as Arabs we have so many stories about horses such as Antar Bin Shadad and his horse Al Adham, The leader Mohammad El Melhem and his horse Al Zarqah, and Khadrat Diab.
This passion for horses comes from an extremely young age and not newly acquired.
Eman: After a full day’s work and the city’s crowd and traffic, you must certainly enjoy coming here.
Mohamad: This is, in fact, the only place where I turn off my work phone.
How is Mohammad Sheikh Suliman able to care for his horses despite being based in Istanbul?
How much food does a horse consume?
Mohamad: So, first and foremost, these are living creatures. No matter where I could be, I am 100% concerned with even the smallest details.
Regarding the horses’ food intake, they eat three to four meals a day. The first meal is usually scheduled at 6am while the last meal of the day is at 11pm. In total, a single horse would consume about 10kg of hay and between 3 to 4kg of horse feed.
How do horses sleep and when? Do they have a certain schedule?
Mohammad Sheikh Suliman : A horse sleeps for a total of 3 hours out of 24 hours. This sleeping period is divided into several 15 to 20 min naps throughout the day. I am not sure if you’re heard of this before but horses do sleep while standing up.
Mohammad Sheikh Suliman : My grandfather used to raise horses. The first time I started riding horses at the age of four or five years old only, and from then, I just grew attached to horses and this is something that has remained imprinted in me until today. It is by far my absolute favorite hobby.
What this place means to Mohammad Sheikh Suliman ?
Mohammad Sheikh Suliman : Each person has a go-to safe place to escape to in order to relax. Some people prefer the sea and others love nature. For me, this is my favorite happy place.