Vanessa and I safely returned from our Indian safari in mid-November 2008. We got back to Canandaigua, New York, in good health and spirit, glad that we made the trip. Overall, the riding was fantastic, the cultural experience an eye opener, and the Marwari horse won our hearts.
Here's how our trail ride unfolded.
On October 30, after a 14-hour direct flight from New York, we wearily arrived in New Delhi. With our helmets and half chaps in our packs, we were anxious to ride. However, our eight-day safari didn't begin until November 4. We spent two days sightseeing and learning about the history of India. We also appreciated the time to absorb the distinctively different culture and food.
On November 1, we flew into Udaipur and soon found ourselves at a remote accommodation in the Tiger Mountains, appropriately named Silence. There, we were introduced to our fellow riders by our hosts, Ute and her husband, Viru.
An Initial Concern
Besides Vanessa and me, there was a 50-something married couple from Germany, Renate and Detlef; a man and a woman from Italy, Sandro and Godele, and two 60-something women from England: Margaret - who was only traveling with the safari by Jeep - and her cousin by marriage, Rae. There was also a 25-year-old Indian man from London, Paresh, who conveniently spoke both Hindi and English.
It was an interesting group of horsemen, to say the least.
As we started talking, it became quickly apparent that Paresh had never ridden a horse before. A general concern rose among the riders for his welfare during the journey. He was a likable fellow, though, and willing to learn, so Vanessa and Rae agreed to take him under their collective wing.
The situation was perplexing. Why would this man who was unfamiliar with riding want to join a multiday horse safari in India? And why did our hosts, knowing his riding skills, encourage him to join the safari?
Over the evening campfire, we learned that Paresh was asking some of the same life questions as the rest of us. Going on this safari was his way of forgetting about life for a while. The financial motives of our hosts became evident as the days passed.
Horse Problems
On November 3, we piled our gear in three vehicles and left the peaceful ambiance of Silence. We drove 2½ hours through several villages in a marble-mining region and arrived at our base camp in Kherda in the late afternoon.
As we expected, our home on the trail was a bivouac of tents that would be moved each day to our next location. Our waiting mounts, all mares, were ground-tied at the head and foot. Most of them were Marwaris or Marwari crosses.
Vanessa and I checked out the horses, their tack, and their shoeing. The tack was old and worn, and the shoeing on several of the horses was marginal. We mentioned these observations to Ute. She reassured us that there was "no problem" and that the horses would be sound. It didn't calm our concerns.
Ute introduced the horses to the group for selection. At Vanessa's suggestion, I chose a quiet black Marwari mare named Sunder. She was 14.2 hands high, had white markings, and was obviously on her first set of shoes. Vanessa chose Poonam, a Marwari pinto wearing a hackamore. From looking at her feet, she'd seen many shoe resets. Godele and Sandro, friends of Ute, had the nicest horses on the string.
Just before sunset, the group mounted up and took a one-hour test ride. The initial trek was challenging. For the most part, the horses didn't get along. Renate's horse was a persistent kicker, and her husband's mount was three-legged lame. Rae's horse was a buckskin pinto that behaved like one of those dancing horses you see on YouTube. The Italians seemed to be above it all. They rode off by themselves, out of sight, but within earshot.
Our novice rider, Paresh, was assigned Naughty, the saddest, most pitiful horse in the group. When we saw this animal, we all shook our heads. She was thin, had proud flesh (granulated tissue) on her left hind pastern, was poorly shod, and was galled (swollen) at the withers. Despite the horse's condition and inclination to be a runaway, Paresh, with help from Vanessa and Rae, was able to control and direct the horse. Not bad for his first ride. Vanessa told him he was a natural.
Why would a horse in this condition be sent on an eight-day safari through mountains and desert? Vanessa thought that our hosts, knowing the animal's condition, might've assigned Naughty to Paresh, thinking that he'd quickly drop out of the safari. (Princess Trails has a no-refund policy.) Paresh's tenacity would prove them wrong.
