Travel | TENGOAL


A juice oasis on the dusty trail is a welcome sight for thirsty riders


Our


group


was


escorted


from


London by Holly Anthony of “Far and Ride,” a boutique British travel agency specialising in horse riding holidays worldwide. Having ridden in 26 countries, she vouches for the authentic experiences gained by riding that regular holidays do not deliver. “People love horses” she says. “If you arrive on a coach the locals are not interested, however, arrive by horse and instantly they want to know who you are, where you have come from and what you are doing.” Her sentiments were confirmed


while we lunched in front of a village restaurant. An elderly lady came by with a huge bag of apples for the horses, who were tied up opposite us at a bus stop. Nico Guillo, a tall, slender figure with


an impressive dreadlock ponytail and a deep tan, was our host for the week. He and his partner Hélène have been running horseback trails from Kapadokya Ranch since 2004. Originally from France, Nico learned to ride as a child in the 1980s, but did not complete his first long distance trail until 2001. Based in Afghanistan that year, working on a film-making


We travelled through lush green valleys,


galloped across the loftiest plateaus,


wandered through the famous rock formations and


sampled the wares in working orchards


project, he realised the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York had drawn the wrong kind of attention to the Afghan region and it was time to leave. With border closures and military


activity complicating usual transport routes, an alternative was sought. “There were more horses than Jeeps in Afghanistan at that time,” Nico reflected. “So I decided to ride.” He set off on the one-month journey to his next destination, Islamabad, riding “Quatre


Oreilles,” a horse named for his forked ears, defaced by a strange and unfounded local treatment for illness. Nico’s love of trail riding was born. Kapadokya Ranch has 12 Anatolian


Arabian trail horses, many of whom compete in endurance racing while not on the trail. The handsome chestnut gelding called Cino (pronounced Gino) was to be my mount for the week. He was spirited and cheeky, but willing, obedient


and foot perfect when the


going got serious. Bred and trained on the ranch, he knew his job well, and did not falter on steep mountain paths, rickety footbridge crossings, or slippery village cobblestones. The ride encompassed every facet


of Cappadocia. We travelled through lush green valleys, galloped across the loftiest plateaus, wandered through the famous rock formations and sampled the wares in working orchards. We visited historic villages – where fruits dry on the streets and ladies brew grape molasses in giant cauldrons outside their houses – ancient underground settlements and ruined ghost towns. 


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