18/ DECEMBER 2012 THE RIDER Lions and Elephants and Horses, oh my! By Glenda Fordham


Rider Entertainment and Lifestyles columnist


After I researched my story on the Mongol Derby in last month’s issue, I realized there were lots of exciting and unique horse-themed adventure vacations around the world that I could share with our readers. As a “pony club brat” in Aus- tralia, I enjoyed frequent pony treks in the bush and often dreamed of taking longer trips, pretending to be one of the pio- neers or explorers and “to go where no man has gone before” (apologies to Capt. Kirk). I recently found one such exciting horseback adventure based in Botswana, where hors- es and riders canter alongside herds of zebras, antelopes and giraffes as well as encountering elephants, hippos and the occa- sional leopard and lion.


African Horseback Safaris offers experienced riders the


Macatoo Camp is based on a 500,000 acre private concession on the western side of the famed Okavango Delta that is populat- ed with over 400 different ani- mals and birds. The camp fea- tures seven twin-bed tents, each with en suite shower and loo, a large mess tent in which guests enjoy gourmet meals cooked over campfires, plus a swim- ming pool. There is also daily laundry service. Talk about roughing it in the bush, eh? They have over 40 horses available, consisting of a wide variety of breeds and origins. Some of the horses are pur- chased locally, and many come from neighbouring South Africa and Namibia. There is a mix of thoroughbreds, warm bloods, Arabs and Arab crosses, Friesian crosses and two very handsome Percheron geldings. The horses are well cared for and receive good quality feed, balanced exercise and a relaxed


nous big game.


“Generally, when horses come into camp for the first time, they are ridden mostly by the staff while they’re still set- tling down. Young horses are taken out with a group of older and experienced horses and they very soon integrate into the established group. The horses are surprisingly at ease with the other game that, in many ways, are much more natural to them than the cars, noise and farm equipment found in other barns. However, it definitely takes the young horses a while to build up the muscle power, fitness and agility required from a safari horse.”


When I asked Riana about the most popular sightings or encounters for guests, she told me about a rather large “house guest” who drops by quite fre- quently. “Hendry, a resident male elephant, hangs around camp and he’s very popular


activity that leaves a far smaller carbon footprint. African Horse- back Safaris has made an impact on the environment by drawing public and media attention to


most celebrated equestrians have taken notice of the work being done by African Horse- back Safaris including champi- on riders Mark Todd, Mary


employs a great team of guides to accompanying guests out into the wild, and as Riana told me, “One of the things that makes Macatoo so special is definitely


opportunity to get up close and personal with Africa’s big game and migrating herds while enjoying small luxuries that include coffee and tea served in bed every morning, top quality horses and delicious meals but without ever losing that authen- tic Hemingway-esque bush camp feel.


Launched in 1995, their


environment. The camp is extremely strict on resting their horses so they’re always in tip- top condition.


Thanks to limited internet connectivity, I was able to e- chat with Riana Fouri, sales and marketing manager for African Horseback Safaris, who explained how the horses are trained to deal with the indige-


with our guests. One of the ulti- mate thrills, though, is cantering with a herd or giraffe or zebra. We have also had some amazing leopard sightings this year, and some of our favorite spots include the hippo lagoon, the big baobab tree or our tree house.”


Riding horses instead of trucks is a more eco-conscious


conservation issues in the Delta, a constant ongoing effort that addresses the eco system as a whole. They work closely with the Elephants Without Borders organization (www.ele- phantswithoutborders.org) through which I originally learned about this unique adven- ture vacation company.


Some of the horse world’s


King, Pippa Funnel and Tina Cook, all of whom have saddled up and enjoyed their time in the Delta. World Champion and British Olympic silver medalist (1984) Lucinda Greene has even led previous treks from Macatoo Camp and is probably in the saddle now, as you read this article!


African Horseback Safaris


the individual personalities and sense of humour of the guides, all of whom have been with the company for years. Our stable manager, Mod, originally start- ed off as a groom and has worked his way up to stable manager. His soft and confident nature and attention to detail


Continued on page 19.


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