Safari Adventures

About a month ago, I was asked to travel to Lusaka, Zambia to conduct a laboratory assessment and provide training to the national syphilis reference laboratory to support efforts to scale up syphilis screening in the country. I spent the latter half of August and the beginning of September frantically putting together training materials, presentations, and packing lab supplies, and I finally had a moment to breathe when I stepped on the plane for my 10 hour flight to Amsterdam. This would be my second trip to Africa, and I was extremely excited and extremely anxious to do a great job. I'm happy to report that while exhausting, the trip went very well, and the laboratory learned quite a bit from us and vice versa. This will definitely be a wonderful partnership going forward. Unfortunately, due to the government shutdown, I am on furlough (more on furlough adventures later) until Congress passes a spending bill. I hate to lose the momentum from this trip, but what can you do?! Hopefully Congress can get their act together before this whole situation becomes even more of a debacle.

 Anyway, while the trip was extremely busy (like 14+ hour days busy) my colleague and I did manage to do some sightseeing on the day of our departure. We decided to visit Chaminuka Lodge, a private wildlife reserve about an hour outside of Lusaka. It was absolutely incredible! For about $80, you received two game drives, a delicious buffet lunch, and access to the lodge's activities (boating, fishing, horseback riding, hiking) and amenities (pool, amazing collection of African artwork). We made it in time for the morning game drive, and I'm so glad we did! It seemed like all of the animals were out and about enjoying the beautiful Zambian weather (nowhere near as hot as Atlanta). I saw plenty of gazelle and antelope, zebras (including a baby!!), wildabeests, buffalo, elephants, and giraffes (my personal favorite- they are so graceful!). Our guide took us by the lions' 20 acre enclosure, and we were able to spot a lion and lioness lounging in the shade. They were absolutely magnificent! Last but certainly not least, we drove by the Cheetah enclosure, and the guide invited us to reach out and pet them through the fence. I cannot even explain how cool it was to scratch a cheetah behind the ears. They are beautiful, awe-inspiring animals!

Osterich running away from the car

Chaminuka Lodge

The logde has an impressive collection of African artwork. This is just one wall from the gameroom.

Ready for the game drive!

Elephants

Gazelle

Zebra

Wildabeest

Sleepy buffalo

Sable Antelope

Giraffes!

Lions!

Cheetah

My cheetah friends

Squeeeeee!

After the game drive, I went for a ride in the bush! You heard me- I went for a horseback ride in the bush! It was the most incredible experience! The atmosphere was alive with the sounds of birds and cicadas, and we passed elephants and sable antelope as gazelle leaped in the distance. Edward, the steady little horse I rode, was born and raised at Chaminuka, and he knew his way around the reserve like the back of his hand (hoof). It was the perfect way to explore this amazing reserve. I spent the remainder of the afternoon eating a delicious lunch on the deck overlooking the lake and sipping a Mosi while perusing the lodge's art collection. Chaminuka was certainly an experience I will never forget!

Don't forget! Lauren's contest over at SheMovedToTexas to win a Horze winter jacket ends tomorrow!

I wanted to take sweet Edward home with me!

Life After Rolex

It was so much fun following Rolex this past weekend! There were some great rides and some disappointments, but I guess that's why this sport is so exciting. It was back to the grind in the office yesterday, and I tried to be especially productive. My boss definitely caught me streaming some dressage rides at my desk on Friday- whoopsie!

Kwik had his first training ride with A on Friday, and she said he was really good! They did some flat work in the arena, focusing on a spiral in and out exercise. She also took him on a little trail ride and did some work with him in the field- mostly walking and a little trotting. She said he was very nervous, but he went wherever she asked. Not too shabby for his first time working in the field alone! 

Saturday threatened to pour rain all day long, and it rained all day on Sunday so I didn't make it out to see Kwikster until this afternoon. My plan was to longe, do a little bit of work in the arena, and go on a short trail ride. P was headed out on Annie and asked if I wanted to come along. Sure, what the heck! I warmed Kwik up in the arena while P tacked up, and he was great! We're still having some problems picking up the correct leads, but I think this will improve with more fitness, balance, and rhythm. I'm also riding much better now, and I can set him up for a better depart which will help too. I'm guessing we were out on the trails for about an hour, and Kwik was great! He was relaxed and attentive, and I'm doing a much better job of sitting deep in my seat and relaxing as well. It's amazing how good conversation calms my nerves! We're scheduled to go out again with J and Sierra on Sunday.  We'll just keep at it- hopefully we'll be trail rockstars by the end of the summer!

Last but certainly not least, don't forget to enter Hillary's awesome Rolex contest! I've been on a roll with these contests lately so watch out ;)

More from our Riding Ninja Photo Shoot

Skye and Kwik- happy horsey butts

Exciting Stuff

First things first: I can't believe it, but somehow I managed to win SB's Riding Ninja giveaway! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it :-D Thanks to SB for having such great contests! I can't wait to see the 'Tis the Season entries!

The birthday boy was pretty darn good yesterday. I put him on the lunge line in the arena, and we did a quick walk-trot warm-up on both sides. There was no running around like an idiot and no bucking. He was borderline lazy and responded well to my voice cues. Win! Since things seemed to be going pretty well, I decided to clip on the side reins Ann left for me to try out. After he figured them out at the walk, I asked for a little trot. It took him a few laps to relax into the contact, and after a couple of good laps, I decided to hop on for a bit. He was great at the walk- relaxed, responsive to my leg- good stuff overall. I knew I needed to try a little trot, but let's be honest, I'm a little hesitant these days since "Hey, let's do a little trotting" sometimes turns into "Okay, but how about a mad gallop instead?" He still had a case of the zoomies, but he didn't break into a canter, there was no bucking, and he came back to a walk when I asked. Honestly, at this point I think it's just me anticipating an incident, tensing up, tipping forward, and pretty much doing all of the things I'm not supposed to do. I need to put my big girl pants on, take a deep breath, SIT BACK, and ride like I know I can. Hah- easier said than done!

Next up- insurance. In all honesty, I really didn't know insurance for horses was something people bought until about a year ago. Oops. Once I learned such a thing existed, I asked around at my barn to get recommendations and opinions. No one really bought policies for their horses and seemed to think putting away a fixed amount every month in the event of an emergency was a better use of their money. At my new barn, everyone has insurance and will never be without it. After doing some serious thinking, I decided I didn't ever want to have to make a hard decision regarding my horse because I didn't have the money for treatment and I hadn't purchased insurance. So I did a little bit of research and decided to use some of my tax return to purchase a policy. Of course Kwik ended up needing emergency care before I made the purchase, but it is what it is. I'm definitely buying coverage now. My question is: my horse probably isn't worth all that much right now (he's priceless to me!).  Many of the policies I've researched have a coverage limit ($7,500 or $10,000 for example), but the actual coverage amount is not to exceed the value of your horse. Now my horse's value is nowhere near either of those figures, and from my recent experience, procedures at the veterinary hospital involving general anesthesia and the like can reach $6,000 +. If something like this was necessary (thank goodness it wasn't), a policy like this wouldn't help me out a whole lot. His value will go up over time with training and experience, but I want to make sure he's protected in the meantime. So what are the best options for owners of horses on the lower end of the price spectrum? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Lovin All These Contests

I'm sure ya'll have seen SprinklerBandits' new contest. Who doesn't love Riding Ninjas?!? It's hard to pick a favorite, but I'm really loving the half-zip hooded pullover. I love anything baby blue and pink, and it would be perfect for chilly early spring trail rides!

EventingNation is also hosting a new monthly contest that sends you on a scavenger hunt through SmartPak's website to identify a mystery product. EN gives a new clue each week, and the first reader to ID the mystery product wins that product! March's Mystery Product was the Sunshield Long Sleeve Shirt by SmartPak. Who knows what April's will be, but I'm going to be all over that like a Riding Ninja! Happy Contesting!