LUISA AND JANINE HEAD OUT ON TRAIL 13th JAN

We head down to the stables to meet the clients for today’s ride, as well as a Father and Daughter who are going on a 3 day trail. Luisa is going to lead the trail with her cousin Janine. I am not impressed at the fact that I have not even been offered to take up on the trail, as a paying client. Nonetheless, life goes on. We tack up and head out. I am riding Apollo. I lead the ride today. Again, it is a beautiful beach and yet again I have not brought my camera. As we come into Morgan Bay, we see a pod of Dolphins swimming the waves. We head for the beach and Cheryl keeps 2 little kids back whilst we try to teach the others to canter. We go back and forth without much success. I suggest we change the order of horses so the two riders on Gunstone and Captain get to canter. Apollo will lead and now Zeus will push them from behind. Away we go and the riders experience their first canter and are in their element. There is such a sense of both accomplishment and satisfaction when you see their faces light up at their experience. It makes this all so worthwhile. Cheryl now wants Zeus to lead the final canter home. I am then told by Cheryl, to take my feet out the stirrups and place my hands out like an aero plane and have a canter like this. I am not keen but will try. And we head off. I am so, so pleased, when Zeus will in fact not canter. Shoo, that’s my bacon saved for the day!
We head back to the stables to untack. We are now apparently going through to the Transkei, a place called Seagulls, where the guys on trail will stay for their first night. We are dropping off their gear and horse feed. We get to Kei Mouth and do a small shop. I buy rump steak for dinner tonight and am questioned as to whether Cheryls food is not good enough! I’m not prepared to go there. We go off to take the Ferry over the river. We cross and head for the hotel. It is situated in a beautiful place on the Transkei Coast and is certainly a place I will consider going on holiday to. I am disgusted at being treated as an outsider when Cheryl meets up with the client. I am not even afforded the courtesy to join them for drinks. I decide to sit outside with the horses. They are unconditional! We get home after 18h30 and cook up steak, egg and chips. It is still a bucket bath tonight. Oops, I find another tick imbedded in me. This time, it is on my left breast. Wonderful. I pray the Tick bite fever will not return.