Post by SarahW on Dec 21, 2009 17:59:02 GMT 1
I'm so cold at the moment that I have been trying to cast my mind and body back to our trip to Kenya and Tanzania last July. This article (and some of the pictures) appeared in the latest Listening Post and is a good example of the kind of articles that you will find in there. If you are not already a member then 2010 is the year to join!
Kenya, Kenya and Tanzania too
Life is pretty perfect when you spend your mornings working with horses and your afternoons watching zebra, giraffe, rhinos and hippos. In fact, I am not sure life will ever be the same again as I wander about the New Forest thinking that nothing is quite stripey enough!
I was invited to work in Kenya by a lovely lady, a talented artist, called Debbie Oulton. Our plan for two weeks quickly extended to four and my husband David crossed himself out on the holiday chart and told his boss he was going whether she liked it or not.
We stayed at Debbie’s on our first night and met her rescue donkey, Dorian. Like many donkeys in Kenya he has been abused – half his right ear had been cut off and he had been branded on the face; he is also partially blind. Understandably, he hasn’t been too keen to be touched and Debbie hadn’t been able to get near him for the seven months she has owned him. When she went into his stable he hyper-ventilated and tried to climb the walls. We used good old advance and retreat (what I call “touch-and-move-away”) with a feather duster and very quickly we were able to touch him with our hands. Day one and our trip had already been justified. (Dorian now walks up to Debbie in the garden and asks to be touched.)
Next it was off to Loisaba, some four hours north up a crazy unmade road. In return for working with 21 assorted horses, we were staying in the luxury lodge in the centre of a private wildlife reserve which included one night in the star beds. What a privilege. On the way to the farm each morning we would meet elephants or zebra and enjoy a full game drive on the way back for lunch. We also went riding for three hours and mingled with the wildlife – I did wonder how my horse might react to the cheetah!
Most of the horses in East Africa come from two main sources – the racing and polo industry or semi-feral ponies from Ethiopia or Somalia. The first tend to be easy going, been there, done that, and nothing worries them much and the second tend to be nervous and wary of humans. Sadly both often come with a history of hard work or hard times; the polo and racehorses often have back damage from poorly fitted saddles along with hidden bone problems and the semi-feral ponies often carry injuries from cruel or ignorant treatment. Thus, my initial training needed to focus on the physical and how this can be a barrier to fitness and performance and any hope of asking a horse to give up any behavioural problems. As you can imagine, there are very few horse physiotherapists or chiropractors there and even a good horse vet is hard to find.
Getting decent saddles, having them fitted properly and checked frequently is a real problem. There is 100% duty to be paid on any saddle coming in to the country and of course, horses change shape rapidly. The temptation is to fit to what you have got but that gives the damaged horse no hope of recovery and can exacerbate muscle wastage; typically saddles are fitted too far forward. Second hand saddles go on for ever without ever being reflocked or checked to make sure they are not broken. Pony saddles are very difficult to get hold of and frequently the saddles that are used go beyond the last rib.
At Loisaba we had a quite big group of people to work with and it was great to work with the syces. Their gentle way of working had a really calming effect on the horses. In fact there were very few groundwork issues with the horses I met in Africa, the syces’ natural leadership, the dry heat and a reasonable amount of exercise meant that most of the horses were happy to just stand quietly when they got the opportunity. Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun with the spook-busting clinic, some of the horses being less worried about real predators than an umbrella – well, it hasn’t rained for three years at Loisaba!
After a week covering everything I know, it was time to move down to Naivasha where I had a series of clients dotted around the edge of the lake – one of them came to fetch us in her aeroplane.
I was very impressed with the Ethiopian wild ponies and how quickly they gave up their fears and relaxed. They seem to know which side their bread is buttered. Naturally spotty, they have a few conformational problems but are rather like New Forest ponies in attitude. Desensitisation work proved really useful as it has been a missing link in the training of some of these ponies. Health and safety is not a high priority and I was amazed at what people were prepared to put their children on! One pony I met was actually terrified of its saddle.
Long reining is likely to become the latest hobby in East Africa as I taught it to almost everyone I met and the horses worked really well. I hope it will prove to be a useful tool in the rehabilitation of racehorses and polo ponies and for confidence building too. These sessions were often coupled with trips to meet people’s rhinos or pet hartebeest and one chap’s orphaned giraffe. These animals are not restricted (except perhaps at night) and come and go as they please. The rhino sanctuary at Chui Lodge lies right below the cliffs of the Rift Valley and overlooks the lake – heaven.
Our final destination was Arusha in Tanzania – a short flight or interminable drive away; we experienced both. Here we were in the thick of the polo world. I was taken aback to find a dead zebra (skin) on my bedroom floor – complete with mane and tail. In between demonstrations for the Pony Club, I worked with some enormous Warmbloods from Namibia – these big horses are little at heart and one of them was really worried about having his legs handled. I also met my first bargey horse, an Appaloosa colt called Bahati that was feeling the effects of too much testosterone. As he waved his front legs at David I thought this could be entertaining. Fortunately good old groundwork did the trick and he was soon co-operating, matching me stride for stride and really engaging with me.
We had a little time to ourselves at the end of our trip and disappeared off to Manyara and Tarangire National parks. It was hard to say goodbye to the people we had met and to be able to thank them enough for their unfailing hospitality. We may have only looked at the tip of the iceberg, nevertheless, everyone we met was quick to see the value of the work we did and to take on board new concepts. In the long term I hope it will make a difference and that people like Debbie (this is a hint if you are reading this!) will come over and get themselves qualified as RA’s for East Africa. Given that it is unlikely that an outsider would be given a work permit to do saddle making or fitting, it would be brilliant if a team of Kenyans/ Tanzanians could get sponsorship to train as saddlers – it should be a lucrative business.
There’s something about Africa but it was still nice to come home to a country that was definitely well rinsed.
Kenya, Kenya and Tanzania too
Life is pretty perfect when you spend your mornings working with horses and your afternoons watching zebra, giraffe, rhinos and hippos. In fact, I am not sure life will ever be the same again as I wander about the New Forest thinking that nothing is quite stripey enough!
I was invited to work in Kenya by a lovely lady, a talented artist, called Debbie Oulton. Our plan for two weeks quickly extended to four and my husband David crossed himself out on the holiday chart and told his boss he was going whether she liked it or not.
We stayed at Debbie’s on our first night and met her rescue donkey, Dorian. Like many donkeys in Kenya he has been abused – half his right ear had been cut off and he had been branded on the face; he is also partially blind. Understandably, he hasn’t been too keen to be touched and Debbie hadn’t been able to get near him for the seven months she has owned him. When she went into his stable he hyper-ventilated and tried to climb the walls. We used good old advance and retreat (what I call “touch-and-move-away”) with a feather duster and very quickly we were able to touch him with our hands. Day one and our trip had already been justified. (Dorian now walks up to Debbie in the garden and asks to be touched.)
Next it was off to Loisaba, some four hours north up a crazy unmade road. In return for working with 21 assorted horses, we were staying in the luxury lodge in the centre of a private wildlife reserve which included one night in the star beds. What a privilege. On the way to the farm each morning we would meet elephants or zebra and enjoy a full game drive on the way back for lunch. We also went riding for three hours and mingled with the wildlife – I did wonder how my horse might react to the cheetah!
Most of the horses in East Africa come from two main sources – the racing and polo industry or semi-feral ponies from Ethiopia or Somalia. The first tend to be easy going, been there, done that, and nothing worries them much and the second tend to be nervous and wary of humans. Sadly both often come with a history of hard work or hard times; the polo and racehorses often have back damage from poorly fitted saddles along with hidden bone problems and the semi-feral ponies often carry injuries from cruel or ignorant treatment. Thus, my initial training needed to focus on the physical and how this can be a barrier to fitness and performance and any hope of asking a horse to give up any behavioural problems. As you can imagine, there are very few horse physiotherapists or chiropractors there and even a good horse vet is hard to find.
Getting decent saddles, having them fitted properly and checked frequently is a real problem. There is 100% duty to be paid on any saddle coming in to the country and of course, horses change shape rapidly. The temptation is to fit to what you have got but that gives the damaged horse no hope of recovery and can exacerbate muscle wastage; typically saddles are fitted too far forward. Second hand saddles go on for ever without ever being reflocked or checked to make sure they are not broken. Pony saddles are very difficult to get hold of and frequently the saddles that are used go beyond the last rib.
At Loisaba we had a quite big group of people to work with and it was great to work with the syces. Their gentle way of working had a really calming effect on the horses. In fact there were very few groundwork issues with the horses I met in Africa, the syces’ natural leadership, the dry heat and a reasonable amount of exercise meant that most of the horses were happy to just stand quietly when they got the opportunity. Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun with the spook-busting clinic, some of the horses being less worried about real predators than an umbrella – well, it hasn’t rained for three years at Loisaba!
After a week covering everything I know, it was time to move down to Naivasha where I had a series of clients dotted around the edge of the lake – one of them came to fetch us in her aeroplane.
I was very impressed with the Ethiopian wild ponies and how quickly they gave up their fears and relaxed. They seem to know which side their bread is buttered. Naturally spotty, they have a few conformational problems but are rather like New Forest ponies in attitude. Desensitisation work proved really useful as it has been a missing link in the training of some of these ponies. Health and safety is not a high priority and I was amazed at what people were prepared to put their children on! One pony I met was actually terrified of its saddle.
Long reining is likely to become the latest hobby in East Africa as I taught it to almost everyone I met and the horses worked really well. I hope it will prove to be a useful tool in the rehabilitation of racehorses and polo ponies and for confidence building too. These sessions were often coupled with trips to meet people’s rhinos or pet hartebeest and one chap’s orphaned giraffe. These animals are not restricted (except perhaps at night) and come and go as they please. The rhino sanctuary at Chui Lodge lies right below the cliffs of the Rift Valley and overlooks the lake – heaven.
Our final destination was Arusha in Tanzania – a short flight or interminable drive away; we experienced both. Here we were in the thick of the polo world. I was taken aback to find a dead zebra (skin) on my bedroom floor – complete with mane and tail. In between demonstrations for the Pony Club, I worked with some enormous Warmbloods from Namibia – these big horses are little at heart and one of them was really worried about having his legs handled. I also met my first bargey horse, an Appaloosa colt called Bahati that was feeling the effects of too much testosterone. As he waved his front legs at David I thought this could be entertaining. Fortunately good old groundwork did the trick and he was soon co-operating, matching me stride for stride and really engaging with me.
We had a little time to ourselves at the end of our trip and disappeared off to Manyara and Tarangire National parks. It was hard to say goodbye to the people we had met and to be able to thank them enough for their unfailing hospitality. We may have only looked at the tip of the iceberg, nevertheless, everyone we met was quick to see the value of the work we did and to take on board new concepts. In the long term I hope it will make a difference and that people like Debbie (this is a hint if you are reading this!) will come over and get themselves qualified as RA’s for East Africa. Given that it is unlikely that an outsider would be given a work permit to do saddle making or fitting, it would be brilliant if a team of Kenyans/ Tanzanians could get sponsorship to train as saddlers – it should be a lucrative business.
There’s something about Africa but it was still nice to come home to a country that was definitely well rinsed.