Live Learn Love: Horseback safari

Plettenberg Bay Nature Reserve had a brief pre-holiday season special on horseback safaris, which I jumped at! Shirley, Demi and myself booked in for a 10am 2-hour safari around the nature reserve, what an experience! Seeing the reserve on horseback was such a unique experience, the horses are allowed out to graze with the wild animals which are now quite used to their presence, and that of humans, and we were able to get exceptionally close to a wide variety of animals! In preparation for the safari, I made a point to change the batteries in my camera. Inevitably they lasted for only a few photos and they didn’t sell batteries at reception, so before I even got onto the horse my camera was dead! Not a happy chappy! But my cellphone sufficed, and Shirley got some good photos which I stole. The horses on first impression seemed to be boerperde, shaggy brown farm horses, rugged and used to the outdoors. I walked up to the first to say hi, and checked the girth (safety first) and the ill-tempered brute laid his ears back and kicked out; I was not going to ride him so moved on to see the other horses. Our guide, Dean, arrived and dished out the horses; I was on Toby, the ill-tempered brute. When I mentioned as much, I was assured that he was a pleasurable ride and the fastest horse on the reserve, being an ex-racehorse. We were lucky that other people hadn’t booked in for the ride and had a wonderful time chatting and enjoying a beautiful day! We got close to two male White Rhinos, one with a freshly cut horn. We stopped to look at the Nile Crocodiles and wandered quietly past a herd of lazy Wildebeest. The highlight for me was most definitely the hippos! A big male standing out of the water, with a female and her small calf in the water. We were also able to get incredibly close, what a spectacular moment! A fascinating sight was the white springbok. Inbreeding caused a lack of pigmentation resulting in an entirely white springbok, and a semi-pigmented springbok, an unnatural sight! Also on the reserve was a black springbok.. I am now firmly a fan of the original! Toby was indeed a good ride, though he was not much inclined to listen to my directions and was happier to pick his own path and follow along behind. I was quite content with this, to trust he knew the best route and I could just enjoy the surroundings, secure in the saddle. I did have a chance to put him through his paces, and what an amazing feeling to have him stretch out and lengthen his stride and race along a track! Exhilarating! All in all, the three of us got back, a little saddle sore but very happy, though the next morning though the little saddle sore had morphed into a lot saddle sore!