I have been riding horses since I was a child on my family’s farm. Horseback riding in nature always gave me a sense of confidence, the ability to look at the world from a high vantage point, observing all of nature before me.

In my work I take photographs of myself, my sisters and my friends—a group of women riding mares, in a single shot. We are lined up, looking directly into the camera, into reality in a sense, expressing our confidence as independent women. Horseback riding and being outdoors provide a sense of freedom and release.

In my video work I turn my gaze to the slow movements and gestures of my mare. A continuous circle of power and energy is formed. I wanted to expressed my feminist perspective and my sense of female power—women riding Arabian mares, elegant and powerful, wearing fashionable feminine clothes.

They are present in the world. I oppose the Western view, which has influenced Arab society, that riding a horse is detrimental to a woman’s image and might cause her to lose her virginity. We are stronger and more beautiful when we become one with the mares and with nature.

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