Horse back riding!

Hi All,

On Monday, we officially started our Practicum Period! As I’ve been having some frustrations with getting my project decided, my friend Gayle and I decided to blow off some steam by going horseback riding…along the Nile!!! J We found Nile Horseback Safaris in a travel guide and decided to go for it!

So Monday afternoon, we met up and took a taxi for two hours out to Jinja. Jinja is a really pretty town, almost city, which sits on the Nile! Once we got there, we got a boda-boda (the little motorcycles) and zoomed up 5 km to the stables! We were on this quiet road and riding the boda-boda felt sooo good!

When we got to Nile Horseback Safaris, we were given our helmets (of course I had issues finding one that fit my massive head) and then swept away to meet our horses! Mine was Sydney: a 12 year old gelding who is retired from the show circuit. He was a sweetie and we had a lot of fun together!

So we set off…went along this cliff that overlooked the Nile! Beautiful! Our guides, Francis and Bosco, were so sweet and took pictures of us! Then we looped through the villages and fields and then looped back! During the ride we trotted for a bit and Sydney had a really fun trot! Then Francis asked us if we wanted to canter or gallop and I freaked at the “c-word”! So I stayed back with Bosco and had a nice little trotting session (my favorite!) and then Gayle cantered! So yep…even in Uganda, I’m still a cantering dork.

When we got back, we chatted with PJ, the Australian owner of the establishment. They have been here for 5 years, running horseback safaris for 3.5 years. All of the horses are from Kenya and there are only SEVENTY horses in Uganda!!!! (25 of which are at this place!) So we felt pretty special on our ride!

All in all, a really great day! It was so refreshing to get out of the city and to connect with a horse again! When we left, I just felt five-pounds lighter and had a huge smile on my face—so…totally worth it!!

Okay, hope you’re having a great day!

Love,

CM

Pics BELOW