If there’s one thing my lovely niece Tabita is always up to, it’s a riding lesson. Any day and at any hour, if I ask her! And she is certainly not one to beat about the bush. When I asked her last week if she had any plans for the following day, she happily proclaimed: [...]

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Learning to ride in the bush next to the safety of mommy is one thing, but about crossing streets in the city? Well, the equines of Ishtar’s Ark have their own take on that. Herd leader Sahara explains: “Diva, first you make sure you stand between two strong reliant mares, such as myself and your [...]

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“When one of us go, we all go!” /The Equines of Ishtar’s Ark!

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Copyright Eden Foundation For the animals in the bush, the rainy season is the best season fodderwise, as the ground is full of fresh greens. For city animals however, the rainy season does not begin until the bush animals have had their share and the surplus of green grass makes it way to the city [...]

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The Zinder bush is an impressive expanse of land that starts about 15 minutes from our house and ends only when your time has come to head back to society. One of my favourite places to bring visitors to is the Large Kanya Tapki (as opposed to the smaller one which is situated just outside [...]

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Bimbo (2009) Before I left Niger, I mentioned in an earlier post that my ten year old barb mare Arwen had been mated with the sire of our choice. Unlike the the “Hausa way”, I wrote, Arwen’s last mating was very gentle. Arwen & DanMaffia (2007) Blog reader Laurel asked what the difference was. Well, [...]

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On Saturday morning, Ramatu joined Anette and myself for an early ride. This was a big day; not only because Ramatu dared to ride out by herself in the bush (in a country where women generally never ride) but because we got to do something together that both Anette and I love so much. Ramatu [...]

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Having pinned down the need to expand our herd due to work-related reasons, I introduced a teaser to our ladies a few days before the arrival of newcomers Ebony and Ivory, to see which of our two senior mares were in heat. A well behaved stallion arrived to the Ark one Saturday morning, and was [...]

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There’s been a lot of action at Ishtar’s Ark since the arrival of our two bush newcomers, Ebony and Ivory. The four bay ladies of the Ishtar’s Ark Equine Herd Society could not believe their eyes when they saw STRANGERS invading their humans’ space! The petite little dun quickly realised that she needed a protector [...]

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Welcome to the seasonal lake of Dadin Serki, West Africa. Sheba, the Rhodesian ridgeback, has not had much contact with water before but loves it with passion. Any birds that need to be exercised today? Running through water is a wonderful new challenge! When the level becomes too deep, …it’s time to work on some [...]

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Two weeks ago, I was out riding with my father, as we’ve been doing every weekend since getting back to Niger. I wanted to take him to one of my favourite hilltops in the Zinder bush, but was met by the Dadin Serki tapki (seasonal lake), which had eaten up the dirt road. It look [...]

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On Sunday, my father and I enjoyed long bush ride on our hard-working barb mares and Western & Australian saddles! The scenery is beautiful at this time a year. The sky was equally beautiful, holding a promise of a beautiful skywatch! Riding through the millet stalks is like venturing into an endless green labyrinth. Most [...]

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There’s nothing like starting the day with an early morning bush ride with Sheba, even if it means getting up at six (after being awakened by the dogs three times during the night)! We didn’t have much time, but I wanted to try the new Western saddle, which my father bought. The Western style is [...]

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After a few days in Zinder (settling in and adjusting to the heat & humidity), it’s time to look back at that first Saturday morning when we woke up at Ishtar’s Ark for the first time in three months! Sheba was still at the office (I didn’t want to pick her up late at night, [...]

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