This one is for you, Anette!

Recognize your horse??

You shouldn't really, considering what she has been eating these past few months...

Ishtar

The 300m racing continued

Today, the fight between the laziest and the most stubborn mare at the race track continued.

Although there was ordinary races as well, our new happening (the 300m distance) attracted quite a little crowd and the mood was festive.

Unfortunately, Sahara had a bad day: being beaten 0-4 by the laziest horse! Now where's the spirit, huh? Can't wait until Arwen gets back and shows the little one how things are done in this place... :-) For like I've told Sofia, you're no better than your horse at the track!

Sofia poses next to Snövit and her owner - in order to pass for a true Nigerien, she should look serious and stare into the camera...

Now, our poor jockey was so cold that we actually borrowed him a sweatshirt. Or we would not have stood a chance!

Only problem was, Sahara was also freezing and maybe that's why she performed so badly today...

Now could it have been Snövit's fat that rendered her such a victory? Hmm, I'll leave it to the readers to debate the issue further... I'll be very interested on Anette's theory in this case!

Ishtar

Introducing 300m races

Today we introduced a new sport at the race track: short-distance races, 300m! The thing was that when Yaronbaba and I went riding in the bush yesterday, he actually managed to get some speed into Snövit, so she obviously wasn't as bad as she made out to be on the track. Sahara on the other had already shown me her gudu (she just won't do it at the track either), so I had come up with a way of making it fun for the mares. So a new distance was introduced today, and boy did we have fun!

You wouldn't believe all the wind there was that day! It certainly took your breath away... But it was quickly "down to business", with professional jockeys on amateur horses: Yaronbaba & Sahara versus Bala & Snövit...

Sofia had a hard time deciding on a favorite between our two contestants... "Who's going to win, you said? I don't know! Either it will be Sahara... or Snövit... or both!"

Because it was such a short distance, we would be able to carry out more races, but because the point was to make the mares like it - not dread it, I decided we would stick to two rounds today and see how it went. You'd be surprised, but they set off like real racing horses and fought equally to the finish line - Sahara winning with a head or so...

The jockeys were happy when they returned and the mood was a combination of anticipation and cheerfulness!

As for the second round, Snövit beat Sahara with good margin. This was where Snövit's racing spirit overtook Sahara's in her quest for fame and glory, while Sahara on the other hand was content doing her own thing. Very unlike Arwen, I must say!

Now, the camera failed in quality but today (maybe it was just too windy...) but even a seemingly ruined (black) photo has potential once you let Photoshop do its trick...

Ishtar

Training Sahara

Since I have decided that Arwen is not to be ridden anymore, I started training Sahara instead. I know she has the "gudu" but not the endurance, so I took her out for a twenty minute ride in the bush - my favorite. As you can tell from the pictures, she was drenched in her own sweat by the time we were back, but I never had to urge her. She just loved it as much as I did and did her very, very best.

During the time we were out, Sofia had taken Arwen to Josef and Renate's garden, where she happily trotted around by herself, until she heard Sahara's galloping footprints approaching... She whinnied and rushed forward to expect her younger flock member, seemingly asking a number of questions which Sahara was too exhausted to answer... However, they were happy and content and spent another half an hour grazing Josef and Renate's delicious and untouched grass...

Now, Tabita also known as "Busmusen" was very interested to see what was going on and where the horses were going. So when you're small and short, you have to be innovating and climbing is a very good skill... In case you didn't know...

Ishtar

Bringing out the mares

This afternoon, Ali came over with Chinada to take both the mares to the race track. Chinadahas not been around much after they moved to their new home. During the weekends, he has been away (there has been racing in both Magaria and Matameye) and during the weekdays, I have not asked him to come. Chinada has not been in my good books since he asked me for a motor cycle, and I think Ali wanted to patch things up a bit - as Chinada is like a second son to him, and Ali knows he has my confidence.

A funny and unexpected thing happened though: Ali galloped for the first time since I don't know when! People were cheering "Ali, Ali" as he spurred Sahara into a cantor just as he passed the crowd. I was thrilled! You see, Ali used to be a jockey in youth, but stopped galloping after he started training them. Don't ask me why, that's the way things are done. I understood that when he refused to run with me in October and I set off alone instead.

Now, Chinada had other horses to run as well, but Ali did a good job keeping the two mares together, even though both of them were full of anticipation.

Now, greetings in Niger are very important and at the race track, there is a unspoken rule that whoever arrives last has to walk around and greet all the people he knows; both his friends and the people that are higher in hierarchy (meaning, those with more money or influence). Being neglected is one of the worst insult here and if you do not get around to greet everyone by the end of the day, they will feel slighted and think that you do not care. Now, I always take care in greeting all my friends, but as you know, I don't always follow the rules. If Ali greet me and takes my one hand with both of his, I will answer by giving him both my hands as well. This is a gesture that shows equality and makes people confused; for in their eyes, I am a "horse-owner" while Ali is simply a "horse trainer". Now, today, I was not the first to arrive, but the three of us (Anette, Sofia and I) started by walking straight to the track. The first ones we greeted were of course Ali and Chinada. After a while, I turned around and walked over to the Snow Man, a friend of mine, whose company I enjoy. The Gold Man however is not among my aquaintances, and I so I never walk up to greet him. Despite this, we have never yet missed out on a greeting - ever - since we started meeting at the race track. No matter how much distance I keep - at the end of the day, he will always have found an occasion to barge in, wherever I am. Having worked hard on his social skills, all my friends are now his aquaintances as well and as soon as I approach them, he follows. Though he will not adress me first (he knows better, because I might just turn him my back and nothing would make him more ashamed than to be slighted publically), he will start talking to whoever I am speaking to. After a minute, he will turn around and greet me as if I am his best friend, but by then he knows that I am waiting for my friend to continue my conversation, and will not leave my friend just like that. Now, on top of it, my jockey is now his jockey as well and my horse-adviser, Ali, has also started doing some small jobs for him. I actually asked the Snow Man which horse he thought Chinada would end up riding if both a horse of a mine and a horse of the Gold Man were to participate in the same race. He answered without the slightest hesitation: "Yours!" Fortunately for the Gold Man that I have only two mares then...

For Sahara, today was her very first offical race, and she proved to be the exact opposite of Arwen last year (when Arwen did her debut), possessing top speed (which Arwen lacked) but having little endurance (which was Arwen's strong point and the reason why she did so well right from the start). Sahara started off well enough and kept pace with the other horses for about half a lap, before starting to lose ground. She came in last (as last as you can be) and I lost €5, but I did not mind because I wanted her to get the experience. Besides, I actually prefer working with an underdog than all the expectations in the world. Believe me, there will come a day when all the other horse owners will refuse to let their stallions race against her, but she is young and does not need to hurry. She's already doing a good job just eating like a horse, developing her social skills and growing in width.

Fortunatly for my honour (if I even care about it), I still had Arwen left and she was very keen to be taken to the race track.

Pregnant or not, my mare wanted to race! Which she did...

She ended up on second place, beaten only by a horse that the Gold Man bought for about fifteen times as much as I bought Arwen... Though Chinada was satisfied with his "revanche", he did not feel that Arwen had her usual "gudu" (speed), so maybe it was little junior helping out.


Ishtar

Training

Following up on our success, Anette and I rode to the race track again. The race horses train every Tuesday and Thursday, and even though Arwen trains endurance out in the bush, I like to take her to the race track so that Chinada can take her for 2600m. Most horses are lucky if they get to run 2000m but considering the time Arwen and I spend galloping in the bush, this is nothing for her!

On her second lap, Arwen got company, but she passed the other horses as well. There has been a lot of talk lately whether Arwen is truly pregnant or not - and even I have been wondering. Her belly is considerable small (but then again, she's loosing weight now that she's back running) but she hasn't been on heat since January and she has milk. More than that, I have no further arguments. I have know nothing about horses and foal-births; I have no experience of how long gestation period this particular horse species (the Berber horse -> subspecies: Nigerian) has. We'll just have to wait and see, but in the meantime, I must admit that few things would be more fun than racing (and winning!) with a pregnant mare in a country where stallions are overestimated and where pregnant mares spend their last six months tied up to a post somewhere.

While Arwen races, Sahara found it hard to stand still. She is still on some sort of trial period in my book even though I have (since the day I bought her) decided to keep her. There's no reason why not actually, even though I find it ridiculous to pay more for a semi-developed horse than I did for Arwen. She's nice, gentle and completely stripped of imagination, meaning that even the most common form of mischief never even enters her mind. She has been feeding incredibly well (she's the Grand Voleur, the big food theif) and I have started to imagine what she will look like in a year or so. She has not been introduced to Arwen's kind of racing but she has developed the typical race-horsish anxiety when she watches other horses rush past her. However, she's not interested in any other horse than Arwen, for in Sahara's mind, the two have become one and must be kept inseparable. It's gone so far as to have earned her the nickname "Arwen's Shadow". What else do you call a horse that has made up her mind to always walk behind Arwen and follow her WHEREVER she goes???

On our way home, we met Piccolo, one of the eight "puppies" that my late Bamse had in 2000. Though I gave him away at five weeks of age, this huge teddy bear has never forgotten where we came from (he moved in right next door, so maybe it wasn't so hard for to keep remembering...). Unfortunately, his owner just died, so I'm unsure what exactly will happen to him. It seems the guard will keep him, but there goes a good dog wasted because there's no way the guard family will have enough food to feed him. Unfortunately, that's life in this country.

Ishtar

Sure, why not?!

Yesterday, Anette and I rode to the race track together. I was a little bit worried that it would be too much of an expedition, but the fun thing with Anette is that she's always on. You name a suggestion, and she goes: "Sure, why not?"

So we ventured out, two women on two female horses, right into the men's world. I wondered how Sahara would deal with all the commotion around but she took it well and kept her cool. Arwen on the other hand was dancing and prancing, but at least she kept all her feet on the ground at the same time. I watched the first race on a moving back before handing her over to Chinada for a solo run. There has been a lot of talk about whether Arwen is actually pregnant or not, and the way she ended her run did not make people more inclined to believe that she was running with any sort of burden. Anyway, 15 min later (after a second race had finally been organised) Arwen begged me for another go. Ali didn't want to follow ("adults" don't play, you know) so I just stood up in the stirrups and gave Arwen free reins.
Another horse had gone off some seconds before us. I heard people calling me to stop and come back (there were other riders who would have gone with us and raced from the start) but the horse being whipped 50m ahead of us was good enough for me. And for Arwen as well, who just worked her way forward. We past them on the second straight, but then I started to feel how tired Arwen was (no surprise though, seeing it was her second lap). I sat down in the saddle and considered letting it go (with a potential baby in Arwen's stomach, why push it?), when I had a look at the other horse next to us, who was totally beat. The rider's whip was hailing but to no avail. Sure enough, Arwen was tired, but she was not ready to give in yet. So I stood up again and gave her as much inspiration as I possibly could, and sure enough, we passed them with a few inches and Arwen was pleased (people were cheering). Anette and I rode home together - two women on their mares with a pack of ten stallions (and their male riders) behind us. We trotted so much though during our way back and forth that for Anette's muscle's sake, I suggested that Chinada take Sahara out today.

He came at four, washed the horses, washed Arwen's millet (she won't eat it if she finds a single stone... talked about being spoiled rotten in this country!) and then rode out with me. Sahara got many compliments for being such a beautiful horse but I'm a little reserved abut her, not entirely having made up my mind. She's a nice little youth, but not my kind of horse. How could she be when I have Arwen? Anyway, I had played with the thought of letting Arwen race again (just for fun) and when Chinada asked me if we couldn't sign her in, I thought like Anette:
"Sure, why not?"

I had not thought that she would win - after all, I knew nothing about her full capacity as I had not watched her perform a full lap at top speed yet. There are always bad nerves involved when you enter your horse in a race, because the greater her reputation, the less you want to make a fool of yourself (or rather, your horse). I could hear her name being called as people placed their bets, and so expectations were high. I was surprised however that the other horse owners accepted to race against her, because in March, they all pulled out. But they hadn't seen her perform a full lap for so long, and besides, most of them still believed that she was pregnant. So in the end, there were five of them who set off at full speed, with Arwen in the lead. But what happened in the first turn? From afar, you could see how one of the jockeys stood up (the jockey stirrups are so short that he might as well have climbed up on top of the horse), pulled back the reins and cockily awaited the others to catch up with him... Yep, that was none other than Chinada on my Arwen... I have seen Chinada strategically slow down Arwen several times before (not with much success though), but I have never seen a jockey psyche the rest in such a cocky manner! I was sure then that the race would be lost and that Arwen at best would finish third, but she held the lead in a tight grip right to the end.

The funny thing was when I talked to Chinada after the race.
I go: "Great race, Chinada, but that stunt could have cost you."
He goes: "But I picked that up from you, Madame!"
I go: "?"
He goes: "Yesterday, when you raced Arwen!"
At first I couldn't understand what he meant, but then I remembered Isa yesterday, pointing his finger at me and saying: "Great race, but I noticed how you held her back towards the end!" He must have meant when I sat down and seriously considered pulling back from the race altogether, only to later spur Arwen with all the energy I possessed. Oh, was that actually me trying to create more excitement, trying to psych my "competitor"? Oh dear... You can't do anything unnoticed in this country.

So sure, Chinada, by all means, go ahead and change the way people race their horses in this country. Want permission to psych your competitors?

Sure, why not!

Ishtar

An afternoon with Chinada

Since Anette had muscle ache today (apart from that, her riding yesterday went very well - she even galopped!), I went out riding with Chinada this afternoon. I had already made up my mind to ride out far today, but since I was with a jockey, I got the furthest I have ever made in during my riding trips in Zinder. There are some beautiful places you can only reach with a four-wheel drive or by horseback in this country, and then you already know by now that I prefer horseback... Arwen was in great shape and so was Sahara, but the latter was under strict orders not to be turned into another racing mare, so that Anette and other people will actually dare to go out with me... Anyway, we galopped for half an hour before I remembered that I actually had a camera on my mobile phone!

A green Zinder is a rare sight for me, as I'm usually in Sweden during this time!

Chinada on Sahara, standing in the of a seasonal lake (tapki)

The sunset over the takpi lake...

Anette however took an ever more beautiful picture of the sunset during her walk in the fields...

Ishtar