After a week of long hours at the office, I took out the horses three times during the weekend, spending all together about six hours of my time on horseback. It was wonderful! On Saturday morning, I rode out with my sister-in-law, and then in the afternoon, I rode out to the track with my neighbour and another expat. On Sunday, the weather was great (for riding) as it was cloudy and not all that hot, so Jmackie and her friend Alice and I saddled the horses, brought the camera with us, went to collect Maya and then headed for the track. It was awesome!

Arwen, my favourite horse in the world… So happy to be able to ride her again after her January injury!

Checking their naked hoofs for sand, gravel and other unwanted things…

Saddling a horse with European tack takes waaaay longer than with Nigerien tack, but it’s sooo worth it (for comfort and safety reasons)!

Jmackie poses by Sahara, who’s almost ready to go! Hey, look at those muscles in the front - they’re starting to appear!

Jmackie on Sahara and Alice on Maya - although this combination didn’t last very long due to Maya wanting to do things her own way…

Final destination: the Zinder race track! Here I am on 2 year old Maya, who is growing just fine, with Arwen in the background being checked by the trainer of another horse owner. This year, no one is doubting her pregnancy, as her belly just keeps getting bigger and bigger in the middle of the dry season (when both people and animals in Niger lose weight).

That’s it for the preparations: now stay tuned for pictures from the races!