Asyl Akhmetova, known on social media as a horse lover, works as a teacher in the village of Lobanovo in the North Kazakhstan region. She openly shares her life and got married this year. Now, together with her husband, they teach children traditional national games, including archery, Kazinform reports.

— How did you come to social media?

— In 2020, when TikTok was gaining popularity, I started making videos about my household chores. I had videos where I carry hay, water, and tried to show real rural life. Then I posted a video where I ride a horse. This aroused the interest of viewers, and they started writing to me.

— Do you ride well because you are the daughter of a horse herder? When did you first sit on a horse?

— I sat on a horse at the age of 5. My father always took me with him, and I developed a love for horses. At school, I sometimes helped my father herd cattle.

— You shoot a bow, sing, ride a motorcycle — maybe there’s something we don’t know about you?

— I have no secrets from my readers. I share everything I know. As a child, I dreamed of singing on stage, and now it’s become a hobby. I sing at district events.

— Does blogging interfere with your main job? How do students perceive your popularity?

— We need to promote national art, national sports, and arouse children’s interest in all of this. I consider this our mission. Children learn better from what they see than from what they hear. My goal is to be an example for them, to captivate them. When they send invitations to various forums, national events, I have to ask for time off from work.After that, I need to catch up with my children. But I think my popularity helps more than it hinders. Both my colleagues and students always support me.

— You have 68 thousand readers. Who are your main subscribers?

— Most of them are from the northern regions, and also readers from Almaty and Astana. If we talk about age, they are from 18 to 25 years old. They write from abroad, saying, “We want to come to Kazakhstan and see.” We recently met girls from Denmark. Since the Nomad Games began as the “Great Steppe March” from our village, many foreigners came, we met them, introduced them to our culture.

— You suggested holding the Nomad Games in Kazakhstan. Did you like the competitions?

— The idea came up at a forum in Zerenda two years ago. There were questions about whether we would make it before 2024, and in which city to hold them. The choice was between Astana and Turkestan. I liked everything. I was at the opening, everything was in Kazakh. There may have been some shortcomings, because the Games were being held for the first time, but I personally didn’t notice anything. The most important thing is that people from many countries saw Kazakhstan, all the guests liked it.

— You got married. Will you change your lifestyle?

— My husband supports me in this. He also loves horses, plays kokpar. Now we are opening an archery club together. There is support from the state, local authorities, and the school as well. We will teach traditional archery, equestrian wrestling. Our goal is for children not to be idle. My mother-in-law also rides horses, she once participated in kyz kuu. That’s why she always supports me too.Sometimes I don’t want to take part in some event, but she advises me to take part

— Aren’t you afraid to do such dangerous exercises on a horse?

— I’m afraid every time I get on a horse. No matter what they say, this is an animal, it can get scared, so you need to be careful. I have basins and a husky named Moynak. In general, I love animals.

— In one conversation, you said that you want to start your own farm. What else do you dream of?

— Now many are starting their own business. I also want to have my own farm. I want to do national sports, including equestrian sports. I’m thinking about breeding horses, raising students. Now we keep three horses for students. In addition to school, I also work at a college. Children from other regions and provinces study at the college. Many are from the west of Kazakhstan. Everyone has a great interest in Kazakh art. We accept all children who want to learn horse riding, we don’t refuse anyone. We also plan to participate in competitions.

 

Author

 Muratbek Makulbekov