Got back last night from my trip to Egypt, and have only just skim read the forum. Sounds like you have all suffered at the hands of the weather yet again and am sorry to hear some of you have also had falls. Hugs and healing vibes to all the people and horses that have aches and pains. x
Well I said I intended to try riding an Arab horse across the desert...and I did it. However, although I'm glad I did because it's another thing ticked off the 'Bucket List', it's not something I'm keen to do again! Think I'll stick to riding in the UK...
So, we did a lot of research about what sort of riding facilities were available. We'd seen pics on the web of very, very skinny sad looking horses being ridden in the mid day sun and being kept in poor conditions. So we managed to find a place that had well cared for horses and booked a two hour hack into 'A Beautiful National Park and Along the Beach'.
As many of you will know, I am THE biggest wuss in the history of riding. My friend has ridden all her life and has no fear but doesn't ride regularly now. Also, neither of us are lightweights but she is a good three stone heavier than me.
We told the woman what our experience was, and I said how I was ok to W,T & C but I needed to be clear when we were going to make a transition and would only be happy doing short burst of very gentle canter on a horse I don't know. I can only assume she didn't pass this info on to the young man who took us off on our steeds...
We were given hats (very unusual for Egypt) but the guide chap didn't have anything on his head. We all rode lovely Arabs, and he was on the most beautiful horse I have ever laid eyes on, a black Arab stallion who looked like something from a child's picture book, with amazing carriage, a very long wavy black mane and tail, and flaring nostrils which were bright red on the inside.
So off we go. Now, for those who have never ridden an Arab before, and who like me, are more used to having a nice meaty cob between their legs, it is very akin to riding a cardboard cut out horse. They also seem to have a very up and down gait in walk and trot and boy can you feel those seat bones! :help:. We get up onto the road and I'm thinking it odd that the (rather arrogant) guide hasn't once looked back to see how we are doing or spoken to us. We break into a trot, which was extremely uncomfortable and very difficult to balance to. It became apparent immediately that my mates horse was lame, so she called out to the guide and told him. He got on his mobile and another chap came galloping up with a new horse for her. Now, as I say, she is a fairly big girl and watching her trying to mount the new horse from the ground was both quite funny and distressing because it wasn't much fun for the horse.
So off we go again....
Around the corner there are some apartments, and someone obviously decides to shoot a rat or something. I have to say, the horses didn't spook too much but did break into a trot again. The stallion and my mates horse were a bit faster in trot so my mare goes into a gentle canter to keep up, which was more comfortable than a trot, to that was ok. Then, without looking back, the guide and my pal suddenly decide to canter - meaning my girl was going faster and faster to keep up. At speed I was really uncomfortable and unbalanced and decided to slow her down. But she just stopped dead, with me nearly shooting over her head! The guide still hasn't look around, and I see him and my pal disappearing over the horizon.
My horse will not go forward. I have gentle contact (worried that she might bolt) but she started walking backwards, weaving, and then slowly spinning.
Guide finally realises and comes galloping back down the hill. 'You are a bad rider' he tells me. 'You ride like she is English horse. Arab horse does not need reins. You always ride like this' he says, showing me his reigns, held on the buckle.
Well I know my confidence is poor, and in that moment I thought I can either burst into tears (I came close) or man up and tell him what I actually thought. I did give him an earful, told him that he should have been paying attention and that as he knew I was English why the bl**dy hell didn't he explain the differences in riding style before it all went wrong? That seemed to flatten his arrogance down a bit and he said ok ok, no problem and we set off again. I rode up next to my mate who said the reason they had disappeared over the horizon was that her horse was like a coiled spring and had bolted, and that the guide was trying to sort that out.
My horse then decides to stop again, starts weaving and walking backwards. He shouts at me about the reigns so I showed him that I had her on a very long reign. 'That's because she knows you can't ride' he said. (Bast*rd!) 'I will put you on lead rope for a couple of minutes so she knows she has to go forward.' He rides up along side me, and then it all happened in slow motion...I watched as the stallion flared its nostrils and swung around, kicking both me and my mare side on. My girl naturally retaliated and my pal said afterwards that she doesn't know how I managed to stay on. I swore very very loudly using a very universally understood word.
So on we go....
My bum is getting more and more bruised and I am waiting to get to the 'Beautiful' bit of the ride. So far we have just gone across a grubby bit of desert with various bits of old building material strewn around. My horse gets the idea that she has to carry on so guide gives me back the lead rope.
In the distance, we hear a dog bark. Then another, then another and many more. They get louder and louder. We are now being chased across the desert by a pack of wild dogs. Oh joy.
So he suddenly leaves us, to go galloping off at top speed back where the dogs are, screeching at them. Mate and I are just looking at each other thinking our horses are likely to go off after him but thank goodness they didn't. He came tearing back on the black, and thirty seconds later the pack of dogs came back anyway....we finally left their territory and they left us alone.
So we spent the remainder of the ride in the same sort of surroundings, never saw a beach or anything 'Beautiful' in my opinion, and for the last half an hour the guide decides to talk to us about his religious and political views which were quite different from ours, but we felt vulnerable so we didn't dare disagree or challenge him, and just said 'mmmmm, yes,' a lot.
The last ten minutes was agony as my bum cheeks by now were on fire and every step was killing me.
We got back to the stables and said thanks, got on the bus, hovered a couple of centimetres above the seats then went back to the hotel and had quite an impressive amount of vodka. But hey, I said I was going to do it, and I did it. Never again though. Never, never again.
Well I said I intended to try riding an Arab horse across the desert...and I did it. However, although I'm glad I did because it's another thing ticked off the 'Bucket List', it's not something I'm keen to do again! Think I'll stick to riding in the UK...
So, we did a lot of research about what sort of riding facilities were available. We'd seen pics on the web of very, very skinny sad looking horses being ridden in the mid day sun and being kept in poor conditions. So we managed to find a place that had well cared for horses and booked a two hour hack into 'A Beautiful National Park and Along the Beach'.
As many of you will know, I am THE biggest wuss in the history of riding. My friend has ridden all her life and has no fear but doesn't ride regularly now. Also, neither of us are lightweights but she is a good three stone heavier than me.
We told the woman what our experience was, and I said how I was ok to W,T & C but I needed to be clear when we were going to make a transition and would only be happy doing short burst of very gentle canter on a horse I don't know. I can only assume she didn't pass this info on to the young man who took us off on our steeds...
We were given hats (very unusual for Egypt) but the guide chap didn't have anything on his head. We all rode lovely Arabs, and he was on the most beautiful horse I have ever laid eyes on, a black Arab stallion who looked like something from a child's picture book, with amazing carriage, a very long wavy black mane and tail, and flaring nostrils which were bright red on the inside.
So off we go. Now, for those who have never ridden an Arab before, and who like me, are more used to having a nice meaty cob between their legs, it is very akin to riding a cardboard cut out horse. They also seem to have a very up and down gait in walk and trot and boy can you feel those seat bones! :help:. We get up onto the road and I'm thinking it odd that the (rather arrogant) guide hasn't once looked back to see how we are doing or spoken to us. We break into a trot, which was extremely uncomfortable and very difficult to balance to. It became apparent immediately that my mates horse was lame, so she called out to the guide and told him. He got on his mobile and another chap came galloping up with a new horse for her. Now, as I say, she is a fairly big girl and watching her trying to mount the new horse from the ground was both quite funny and distressing because it wasn't much fun for the horse.
So off we go again....
Around the corner there are some apartments, and someone obviously decides to shoot a rat or something. I have to say, the horses didn't spook too much but did break into a trot again. The stallion and my mates horse were a bit faster in trot so my mare goes into a gentle canter to keep up, which was more comfortable than a trot, to that was ok. Then, without looking back, the guide and my pal suddenly decide to canter - meaning my girl was going faster and faster to keep up. At speed I was really uncomfortable and unbalanced and decided to slow her down. But she just stopped dead, with me nearly shooting over her head! The guide still hasn't look around, and I see him and my pal disappearing over the horizon.
My horse will not go forward. I have gentle contact (worried that she might bolt) but she started walking backwards, weaving, and then slowly spinning.
Guide finally realises and comes galloping back down the hill. 'You are a bad rider' he tells me. 'You ride like she is English horse. Arab horse does not need reins. You always ride like this' he says, showing me his reigns, held on the buckle.
Well I know my confidence is poor, and in that moment I thought I can either burst into tears (I came close) or man up and tell him what I actually thought. I did give him an earful, told him that he should have been paying attention and that as he knew I was English why the bl**dy hell didn't he explain the differences in riding style before it all went wrong? That seemed to flatten his arrogance down a bit and he said ok ok, no problem and we set off again. I rode up next to my mate who said the reason they had disappeared over the horizon was that her horse was like a coiled spring and had bolted, and that the guide was trying to sort that out.
My horse then decides to stop again, starts weaving and walking backwards. He shouts at me about the reigns so I showed him that I had her on a very long reign. 'That's because she knows you can't ride' he said. (Bast*rd!) 'I will put you on lead rope for a couple of minutes so she knows she has to go forward.' He rides up along side me, and then it all happened in slow motion...I watched as the stallion flared its nostrils and swung around, kicking both me and my mare side on. My girl naturally retaliated and my pal said afterwards that she doesn't know how I managed to stay on. I swore very very loudly using a very universally understood word.
So on we go....
My bum is getting more and more bruised and I am waiting to get to the 'Beautiful' bit of the ride. So far we have just gone across a grubby bit of desert with various bits of old building material strewn around. My horse gets the idea that she has to carry on so guide gives me back the lead rope.
In the distance, we hear a dog bark. Then another, then another and many more. They get louder and louder. We are now being chased across the desert by a pack of wild dogs. Oh joy.
So he suddenly leaves us, to go galloping off at top speed back where the dogs are, screeching at them. Mate and I are just looking at each other thinking our horses are likely to go off after him but thank goodness they didn't. He came tearing back on the black, and thirty seconds later the pack of dogs came back anyway....we finally left their territory and they left us alone.
So we spent the remainder of the ride in the same sort of surroundings, never saw a beach or anything 'Beautiful' in my opinion, and for the last half an hour the guide decides to talk to us about his religious and political views which were quite different from ours, but we felt vulnerable so we didn't dare disagree or challenge him, and just said 'mmmmm, yes,' a lot.
The last ten minutes was agony as my bum cheeks by now were on fire and every step was killing me.
We got back to the stables and said thanks, got on the bus, hovered a couple of centimetres above the seats then went back to the hotel and had quite an impressive amount of vodka. But hey, I said I was going to do it, and I did it. Never again though. Never, never again.
