No foal!

This week, the two Nigerien vets Dr Madougou and Dr Hamzy conducted a rectal palpation on Arwen (their first ever on a mare!) and I finally got the answer to one of many questions concerning my little mare: Arwen is not in foal! Not much of a surprise really, but she did have us fooled there for a while, while her belly growing and all the signs of impending birth... She must have resorbed very early on (when it's easy to miss), but I'm just happy that there was nothing seriously wrong with her (like having a dead foal stuck somewhere). They did not find any cysts or anything else that seemed to be the matter, and the only thing I am waiting for now is for my mare to return to her normal cycle and not be so sensitive all the time. But that seems to be taking its time and right now, she seems to be in some sort of mourning! ...Which my jockey is taking more seriously than I! But then again, I have my own hormones to tend to regularly so maybe that's why I'm not so alarmed... :-D I'll let you know when Arwen falls in love again! It might be a few years though before I actually allow her to mate again. Not while she's still in training, that's for sure!

Ishtar

Hasty journey to the field station

Today, I went on "mission" to Dalli (Tanout) to get some footage of the environmental changes that have occurred at the field station, since the project's arrival in 1987. It was a fun job but a challenge because how do you capture live footage of something that isn't moving? I'll let you know in some time if the footage was used for its intended purpose!

The field station has certainly changed over the years! It used to be a barren field.

Just looking at the contrast between the field station and its neighboring fields, and you get a sense of what the field station looked like from the start (though much worse). Trees are important, but establishing them is no hasty business.

The greatest challenge however was keeping my balance on the roof top of the car. You wouldn't believe how strong the winds are! However, after three hours I had acquired about one hour of footage and was satisfied. After two hours in a warm car, we came home to no water (this was the second day), but I walked over to my cousins to have a shower and a cup of coffee (I needed that after all that exhausting heat!) before taking Thomas out for a riding lesson. A full day, in other words!

Isthar

Reaching mutual intelligibility

"Kahin Sahara batansonba gudu, amma yanzu Sahara tanaso gudu."

I am learning, I am learning! I do not care that it is slow progress – I feel like a bird learning to fly! I will not vouch that the above sentence (“Before, Sahara did not like speed, but now she likes it”) is 100% grammatically correct, but it is indeed mutually intelligible! The world is opening up: a number of options are unfolding in front of me and I am only inspired to learn more… A year ago, I knew hardly any Hausa apart from the obligatory greeting sentences (Ina wuni? Lahiya low) that made people believe that I spoke a lot more than I did. However, riding with Nigeriens who do no speak any of the four languages that I master so well has made me aware of how much I am missing out on by not understanding their language, and this inspired me to pick up words. Now it's time to attack the grammar and to start piecing all the words together, but it's tricky business and Elisabeth suggested a good tutor. Previous years, I would just have smiled at the idea (me? time to take Hausa classes?) but today, it feels overdue... I long to speak the language, to able to express myself and to understand the full scope of what people around me are saying. I guess I've been spoiled to spend so many years surrounded by people who speak (more or less) French, but now it's time to leave the body language behind and reach mutual intelligibility through the words I use. Not that it'll be done by tomorrow, but at least the ambition has been established!

Ishtar

Free to act...?

Today, YB and I rode to the race track, but it was a marvelous Sunday afternoon as there were in fact no races!
"Ah, Zinder has problems!" YB said as we approached track that seemed deserted apart from a handful horses and their riders. And still, he chose to come back from Dogo (where all the people were today) and come here!

We had a rendez-vous though, because I had said we would be racing 2600m. It's a long distance, too long if you ask the men of the race track, but I love it because no one else does. It's a favorite of Arwen's but then again, any gudu that goes on for an eternity is a favorite of hers.
I knew YB and Sahara would be up for a challenge but I made no illusion of this.
"If we race the 1300m," I told YB on Friday, "you have a good chance of winning and I don't like to loose!" We laughed together - neither of us takes it very seriously, it's a lot of fun developing Sahara from "race horse donkey" to "Arwen wannabee". They (the race track community) are already calling her "Ishtar's little one" and soon they will have a hard time differentiating between my two mares, as Sahara has started to understood the love of gudu!

We did race, and of course Arwen won (despite the weight difference between her rider and Sahara's jockey...), but for the first lap, Sahara remained side by side with Arwen, working full speed without enticement. She did really well! Of course the second lap was too much for her, but I don't mind. I'd rather train her for the longer distances right from the start because I've never liked those 1000m races anyway.

In fact, Sahara did so well that I considered racing another lap after giving them some time to recuperate, but Ali would hear none of it. He did not even want us to go into the bush.
"Listen. All this work kills a horse."
"It might kill a Nigerien horse Ali, but look at Arwen. She's ready to go!"
He still did not want us to go, and being responsible as he is, he followed us with his horse, knowing that we could not ride away from him and yet we would not be able to make him gallop either. Still, he tried to explain to me that it would be best if I stuck to the traditional [boring] Nigerien race horse training.
Finally I said: "Ali, listen. I am 26 years old. I have two horses. I fell in love with horses but I did not fall in love with racing. I do not enjoy the slow-slow walk to the race track which goes on for an eternity, nor do I enjoy trotting. I love one thing and one thing only, and that is galloping in the bush!"
At this, YB said (almost soothingly): "It's ok, let us go."
And Ali smiled, shook his head and said "Sure, go!"
Off we went, and forty minutes later, I was smiling, Arwen was satisfied and YB was in shock because Sahara had kept full gudu for 1min40 seconds at the airfield stretch, which convinced him once and for all that our bush training does indeed work!
"Next time, let's drop the race track and head straight for the bush!" he said.
Ah... now I'm listening!

Ishtar

Winter

Though it looked for a while as if we would have a mild sunny winter in Niger, the past weeks have been cold, dusty and windy... I long for the sunshine, but I know that once it arrives, it will be accompanied by warmers degrees, inevitably growing from comfortable warmth to a sincerely uncomfortable heat... So right now, I'm just enjoyed the cool (sometimes cold) weather and the fact that I am actually wearing socks in the evenings; amazed by the fact that I can wear up to three layers of clothing just to keep warm in the early mornings! This picture was taken at noon though, when you can leave your jacket behind...

Ishtar

The Nigerien outback

This past week, I picked up an old passion of mine again, namely galloping in the bush! There is nothing as calming in the entire world as being about to let go of all thoughts and just race along a sandy line that keeps going for eternity. I love speed and so does my mares; the work in the outback is purely built on inspiration, which suits me just fine!

For some reason however, this season has mostly been centered around the race track and for the past few weeks, I have started to feel an urgency to get away from it all. Though the race track is full of development opportunities, it is a time-consuming business and there are too many conflicts involved. I guess when you start brining more problems home than you left behind, you're in the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn't fall in love with horseback riding at the races, nor did I fall in love with racing. I fell in love with gudu (speed) and galloping in the bush and that's what makes me happy.

In the bush, I can gallop for an hour, intensive time. I do not look at my watch a single time. I do not worry about anything in the world, nor do I bring any problems along. It's just me, nature, teamwork with my horse and God. It's a simple world - a time-out from everything else - some times a treat, some times a need. I come home satisfied and smiling. Now, after all this waiting for Arwen's foal to pop out, I finally found back to my old passion this week. For three times now, Yaronbaba and I have been out on long sessions galloping in the bush. I took the vets' advice and started riding Arwen again; and for the first time since before my accident, I let her have free reins. Needless to say, after a lot of hard work Arwen was in the end satisfied; Yaronbaba was in shock because the horses worked so hard out of pure enjoyment and Sahara was happy but exhausted, having given a 110% - willingly - doing her best to keep pace with Arwen. And as for myself, I was just like Arwen; thoroughly satisfied and with a smile lasting all evening and longer...

Surprisingly, even though it's my time-out, I'm a social person and prefer going out with company rather than alone... As tomorrow is training day at the races and YB has other horses to tend to (and I prefer to stay away from the social spotlight for a while), I came up with a solution that fits us all; both YB, me and the horses. He'll come by and pick up Arwen at normal training time, and two hours later I will meet him at the track when all the work there is done and the owners are on their way back again. We will then dash into the bush for about half an hour of intensive riding. He gets to please everyone, I get to leave all my thoughts behind and the horses get to enjoy their work! Now what could be better?

Ishtar

367 days

It's been 367 days now and the foal has still not come out. I started getting worried this weekend that something would go wrong with Arwen, and the question popped up from different directions: is there indeed a foal? Ah, who knows? So many contradictory signs... Madougou came with backup today, a very nice Omar, who at first look said "No way, she's not in foal, you can mate her again."
"But she hasn't been on heat for a year. And she hasn't aborted either."

After going through all the contradictory details, including foal movement throughout December, the two vets set about examining her. I had been hoping they would do a rectal palpation but they did not feel comfortable about doing on a horse, so I still don't know for sure. However, having poked around for some time and provoked Arwen's anger, they were both convinced that there is indeed a foreign body in her belly. So the diagnosis remains: Arwen is in foal. However, we cannot say anything about the nature of that foal or when she plans to pop it out. The record for horses is 390 days and we are approaching it at a rapid pace. The good news however is that Arwen is doing just great - which rules out the possibility of her carrying a dead foal, as I have previously been afraid of. She is either carrying a stubborn little foal in her tiny-but-oh-so-very-round football-like stomach or she has no foal at all and in either case, she's not in danger.

For belly comparison, look here:


Isthar

This one is for you, Sofia

Remember the jeans that you wore out and left behind? Well, I gave them to Ringo, who fixed them up, and they are proudly being worn the one by who rides my horses... :-) Just thought you would like to know! Ps, now we finally know what size jockeys in Niger have! At least approximately... Arwen says hi: still no sign of "Dunderklumpen"... Not even a kick this last week!

Ishtar

Arwen gets to visit the race track

Today, I brought Arwen with me to the race track. I rode out with both horses yesterday, and since that was a hit, I thought why not today. I wasn't planning on going to the track, but eventually ended up going there anyway... Everybody was pleased to see Arwen again (her ex jockey would not stop hugging her) and she seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself so at first it seemed like a very good two-in-one idea.

I was so impressed with her composure (even as the stallions raced right next to her), that I thought I would be able to do this over and over (seeing this foal does not seem to be coming out soon!). However, Arwen was only patient until it was time to go home, and once she realized that she had been brought to the race track and was not going to be allowed to run, she threw a fit. She launched a good kick at Sahara and although I intervened between the two mares, Arwen remaining furious all the way home... Sahara was no better, because as soon as she realized that I was protecting her, she too started to act up and I had to ride home with two very cross creatures and having to keep a watchful eye on all of their internal insults. As soon as we got back to our street however, the fight was over as quickly as it had started (don't ask me why!) and Arwen trotted sweetly by Sahara's side - just making sure that the latter showed proper respect and kept half a head behind. I for one cannot understand how a problem so huge (at least it seemed so!) can settle so quickly, just by crossing from one street to another... But then again, I'm not a horse!

Let's just hope this foal pops out some day so that Arwen can resume the greatest love of her life, because I doubt I will be bringing her on any excursions to the race track again until she is ready to have her own rider. But then again, you never know, because I'm such a softy when it comes to my precious little mare and when she let's me know that she does not appreciate to be stuffed away in her little garden, I'm not the one who will exclude her from the outside world...

Ishtar

Yaronbaba

The week, Arwen and Sahara have been enjoying the regular company of their new jockey, Yaronbaba. Since Arwen's belly is heavy, he has been taking her out for walks and Sahara has been taken out for rides in the bush (although their pace would hardly be my description of a good outing, but then again, horses are pities when they "have to" work, even when they ask for it themselves...).

As Sofia is leaving soon, we went out to greet him and brought Tabita with us. Tabita loves the horses and this puzzled Yaronbaba, who had probably never seen a girl so young be so fond of such great animals (in general, women in Niger do not ride).

Tabita: "Iiiiiihiiiii!"
Me: "Yes, Tabita, that is a horse! And yes, her name is Arwen!"

Me: "Now that, Tabita, is a DOG."
Tabita: "Ayayayay!"

Me: "Now as you're too small to ride a horse, maybe Baloo will let you ride on his back."
Tabita: "Mmmmm!"

Me: "See? There you go! But let's not get any dog hairs on your nice outfit..."

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

A slow start...

Today, we took the horses over to Josef and Renate's garden, hoping to capture some action on tape. However, the horses were downright lazy and had decided to start off the new year on a very light tone.

At first, Sahara could hardly be bothered in her bed of sand, but eventually agreed to follow behind Arwen in a donkeyish pace.

Sofia and I sat on the veranda catching our two very content horses walk around eating grass, but the only action we got was Sahara trotting a few paces and then going back to the grass. Big deal... But they were satisfied, and we got half an hour in the sun!

Ishtar

Another year gone by

And so it was, the arrival of the last day of a year that I eleven months ago already considered to be the worst year of my life. It is surprising how fast time flies and how little (or much?) you seem to get done! Is it only a feeling or do the years pass quicker the older you get...? Anyway, celebration was due and I had prepared - with good assistance from Sofia - some of our standard Garvi New Year's Eve dishes for the very first time in my life! And guess what? It was all edible!

In true Nigerien style, Sofia and I had done the uniform-thing again, although we had designed our dresses slightly differently... (=the charm of having your own tailor!)

The guests arrived and the food seemed much appreciated. And yes, there was enough for Josef as well, even after Sofia had helped herself...

After dinner, we played Myers will Run like Arrows - a computer game that my brother made for me several years ago and which still tops the chart!

Then it was time for the last snack of the year. Sofia and I retreated to the kitchen to make some glögg à la Niger (made of malva). And voila, our little end-of-the-year-feast!

A good ending to the hardest but also in retrospect the most challenging and developing year I have ever experienced. When midnight arrived, we were on the phone skyping with my parents and my sister in Sweden (my mom was let out of hospital and could celebrate New Year at home). Technology makes distance seem so much smaller, but sometimes you still wish you could just cross the ocean in a click.

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