Arrived.....

Chandra is fine but I developed an abscess on my right leg. At first I ignored it mistaking it for the pain I get from the arthritis in my knees but in Raipur it opened up in the shower with lots of puss and the whole leg was red, swollen and throbbing. I tried to ride to Babra, one day from Pushkar but gave up in a village half way where various other dramas occured which I lack the clear-headedness to describe now. The main thing is we managed 300kms in 10 days (one day of which was a rest day) and Chandra suffered no weight loss, no saddle sores, no cuts (save some over-reaching) and his legs are fine and free from windgalls or splints. He is now happy in TOLFA and I'm in a hotel, although I feel like I'm missing a limb and completely lost without him nearby. I'll write up more later.

85kms in

I am now writing from Khelwara, I was one day delayed due to the international problem of farriers being late but what to do? The first day we covered about 45kms to Maruvas by back roads, the last two days I've been taking it easy doing 20kms today and Yesterday. The internet is slow here but I'm just updating that all is going well and Chandra is loving the bitless bridle!

Chandra having a rest during a ride

Chandra having a rest during a ride
Originally uploaded by caitrionaoleary

Relaxing

Relaxing
Originally uploaded by caitrionaoleary

Isn't he the most handsome horse in the world? :)

Chandra in the nurtural bitless bridle

Chandra in the nurtural bitless bridle
Originally uploaded by caitrionaoleary

Chandra and I

Chandra and I
Originally uploaded by caitrionaoleary

Here is the man himself in his bitless bridle!

Back to Basics

For those readers who are not horsey I suggest skipping the first paragraph!

Poor old Chandra picked up some bad habits in the last year, as he is only ridden with the tourist rides he's forgotten how to trot! So if I ask for a step up from walk he thinks gallop. We're making a lot of progress now as I've been doing groundwork with him and lunging him to try get him to bend right rather than go in a straight line all the time. The brushing boots have paid for themselves now with the number of knocks they've protected his legs from, even if there are a few nicks from over-reaching. His bucking is almost under control too now, as before he thought it was a fun way to let out his excess energy but now he's learning that this is only appropriate when mummy is on the ground. If I feel him tensing I do some bends and half-halts which gets his attention back on me. It's so different riding a stallion, I have to be a much more active rider in giving him the reassurance he needs to be able to trust me. If he can trust me he's fine, it's if the rider doesn't give the horse sound leadership they get anxious and troublesome. The bitless bridle works a treat, even when we had a buffalo try to pick a fight with us last week! I'm very very impressed.

Our route is planned now, with some more contacts on the way. I'll be covering much the same route as three years ago, with some detours as the tarmac encroaches on the dirt tracks of Rajasthani villages. My first day will be a ride to a village near Qatar where my old friend Daloo has a farm. I met him on my first trip to India in 2003 when he was one of 5 people working at Animal Aid. He's a fascinating character, from a poor low caste illiterate family he spends his free time reading political philosophy, classic novels and books on communism. Sadly as he can only read hindi his choice is somewhat limited and so I had to explain to him that yes, communism is a lovely idea but Stalin was not a good guy. Not much mention of World War 2 or concentration camps out here I guess. Daloo's wife just recently gave birth to their 3rd daughter-much to his mother's dismay. What kind of woman can't give her husband a male child?! Well Daloo doesn't care and he thinks it's nonsense to think like that so I'm sure his daughters will grow up to be well educated and loved every bit as much as any son would have been.

I've been taking photos on my camera, just need to use up my roll and I'll post them on here next week. For the ride I splashed out on a roll of Professional slide film which will be developed in Delhi in December.