Salaam,
I first met Christine at Sleepy Hollow Horse Riding Stables in Cape
Town. She did not like me at all when we first met but was forced to hold
horses for me while I worked, and make me tea as well... :) She went off
to England to work for the Olympic gold medallist Matt Ryan, but returned to her
mothers bedside after the cancer she had been fighting flared up. So, Christine was back holding
horses at Sleepy Hollow for me (and making me tea)! Although Christine did not
know it at the time, my father too was dying of cancer, so I could understand
her emotional state. I listened and obviously gave lots of advice...and that
was the start of our friendship which along the way took a serious turn and
then a fanciful horseback expedition across Africa...
Sleepy
Hollow Horse Riding Stables (disabled riding and trails as well) not only
brought us together but were/are an important part in Noordhoek's social
fabric. Many children over the years have passed through their hands learning
to ride, have fun and socialise outdoors etc. After hours, weekends,
holidays, rainy days, scorching days the place was full of children who did not
have riding lessons but just came to hang out. They would muck out stables,
groom horses, clean tack, be bossed around by older "salted" kids...
I cannot quote Winston Churchill perfectly but he said something like
"There is something about the outside of a horse which is good for the
inside of a man" (My father would do flick-flaks in his grave if he
knew I couldn't quote properly...)
Khartoum
International Community School's (KICS) riding stable was a big challenge for
Christine. The owner of the school has a property adjacent to the
Blue Nile where he keeps his racehorses. He built 6 stables and a classroom,
sand arena with round pens and bought 6 ponies for the riding school. 2 ladies,
at different intervals, had tried to start up the riding school
for KICS but it was not sustainable. Christine committed herself
wholeheartedly to these stables for 3 years and is still on the upward curve. If
it weren't for the fact that I would like to finish our expedition she would
not leave... She approached each facet of the riding school with an open yet
determined mind and made some interesting decisions... horses living out in 50
degree plus heat, unconventional training methods, unconventional teaching
methods, unconventional fitness training...etc
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| The KICS Stables |
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| Back of stables, arena with round pen and lane. |
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| The Blue Nile is flooding the farm... |
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| Grass paddocks in front of stables... |
So we're
on the road again on 08/10/2010. Taking a route through Southern Sudan (Kosti,
Kadugli, Bentiu, Rumbek, Juba) to Nimule on the Ugandan border. Churchill
(again!) said Uganda was "bicycle country" and so I'm quite looking
forward to it. You know if it weren't for the last minute nothing would ever
get done, so I'm waiting for just then to finish all the little
tasks...stitching new saddle bags together, replenish medical kit, Ugandan
import permits...
The
"boys" Chami and Nali are looking fit and frivolous. I strapped my
old blue saddle bags together with my red bedroll to see the fit on the new
saddle...WELL, you should have seen Nali's face when approached with this rig
he knew all too well... He belongs to a South African and by international
horse law that makes him one as well...so he has to cheer the Bokke and dip his
toes into the cold Atlantic Ocean at Cape Agulhas...without whimpering!!! I
think Christine will post a video of Nali jumping a course without a bridle on Facebook...then
you can see my boy shine! Oh, and Chami is cute too...
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| Cute Chami |
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| Shiny Nali! |
We have
made great friends in Sudan and it makes us sad to leave.
William
and Christine
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