Travel-Stories
STORY - THE MAGICAL ENCOUNTERS OF TWO YOUNG CHILDREN WITH WILD DESERT HORSES
What started as research into a herd of 180 amazing wild horses in the oldest desert on Earth, soon became a succession of 'once-in-a-lifetime' experiences in which these horses choose to interact with 2 young children, Enya and James, in an absolutely extraordinary way...
What started as research into a herd of 180 amazing wild horses in the oldest desert on Earth, soon became a succession of 'once-in-a-lifetime' experiences in which these horses choose to interact with 2 young children, Enya and James, in an absolutely extraordinary way...
Legend has it that many years ago, a cargo steamer ran aground south of Luderitz. It carried thoroughbred horses from Europe and was on its way to Australia. After the wreck, some of these horses made their way through the desert to the Garub plains. But then, another legend tells us how the wife of Baron von Wolf at Duwisib castle opened the farm gates and set free nearly 300 horses who ran off into the desert... also to the Garub plains. And what about the legend that says Germans and Namas bought horses from the south and the interior, to also bring them to ... the Garub plains? The truth is, nobody knows where the wild horses of Aus come from or how they got there.
In fact, there are no more true wild horses in the world. The last ones, Equus przewalski, were last seen in Mongolia at the turn of the last century and captured to live a confined life in zoos, until 12 were released into a remote part of southern France in 1993. The horses, Equus caballus, that are found living in the wild today in North and South America, Australia, and isolated reserves and islands in Europe, were all once domesticated and took to living wild under extreme conditions. They are actually called feral horses and the group living near Aus is the lesser known of them.
When I spoke to Willem, one of the three Swieger brothers who run Klein-Aus Vista Lodge, I knew this was the right place to be. He's a great horse lover who practices natural horsemanship on his farm, and the women in this family are passionate riders too. They each shared their own experiences with me and we were extremely fortunate to be able to spend our days tracking the feral horses and bonding with them. We'd get up before sunrise and return only after the last rays of sunlight had disappeared from the Namib sky.
The Swiegers' farm is part of the 51000 ha Gondwana Sperrgebiet Rand Park in one of the four Desert Biomes in Namibia. To the north it neighbours the Namib Naukluft Park where the feral horses roam freely, and in the south it borders the newly accessible Diamond Sperrgebiet. Granite outcrops and mountains, dry riverbeds scattered with rocks and sweeping desert plains set the scene for my story, but also for the daily routine in these horses' free, but unconventional lives."What a blissful life they have,” I said to Willem looking at the pistachio green plains in which they grazed for hours on end. ”There is plenty of food for the horses this season as the rains were good,” he told me. "But it will not be so good later in the year when the land dries up and food becomes scarce.” Today the horses roam in a core area of 350 km2, but the lack of water restricts them to stay around a waterhole or the troughs at the public viewpoint near the B4.
Spending a few days with the horses made us feel part of the herd, but also allowed us to get an intimate feeling of the land on which they live. One day, Enya, James, and I decided to follow one of the smaller herds. At sunrise, we left the car at the trough and let the horses lead us deeper and deeper into the veld. It was very cold still, probably just a degree or two. After a while, we could no longer see the road and 'Dikke Willem', became our only landmark. About 50 million years old, this 550m high intrusion in the landscape is the largest carbonatite in the Southern hemisphere. We walked and paused. Walked and paused. It was quite a challenge for Enya and James to contain themselves and not dash after the horses. "Look the other way,” I said to them. "Pretend you're not interested in them. Sit and play in the sand. With a bit of luck, they'll be inquisitive enough to want to know who you are.” And, bingo! We got more than we bargained for. There we sat, in absolute silence and surrounded only by sand for as far as we could see. We followed the horses and they followed us. We sat in the shade of a Camelthorn tree when they came to graze near us. It was pure magic to just be with these wild horses and watch them graze, groom, and play – with the odd fight in between.
As the day progressed, the air became warmer. Then was the time to photograph one of the main scenes in the book where Enya and James become one with the wild horses. I asked them to take off their clothes and wear only a cloth draped around their hips. Brown for James, black for Enya with matching face and body paint. A very minimalistic interpretation, I know, of what a horse looks like. Another herd was keeping a watchful eye on us from a safe distance, wondering what we were up to. Enya and James played their favourite game: pretending to be horses walking circles in an imaginary arena. They are very skilled at mimicking horses, especially Enya who’s ankle and wrist movements are spectacularly close to those of a real horse. When Enya and James started trotting and then cantering, the horses stared in awe at these little ‘horsies’. And then, totally unexpectedly, the herd cantered straight towards them! They whinnied and came to a halt only a mere few metres away from the children. My heart skipped a beat! What if they hadn’t stopped, had I become a totally irresponsible mother? We all stayed motionless, horses included, looking at each other in awe, until I sneezed and then all the horses ran away.
After a cold and windy night, Enya, James, and their dad got up an hour before sunrise and got dressed quickly so that they could reach the horses before the sun began to rise. I didn't. I snuggled up under the duvet and couldn't be bothered. I don’t do cold and wind. It was horrendously cold, but it was not just any early morning, it was a unique moment in time when a full moon sets right behind the plains where the wild horses roam. A sight not to be missed and one that I would regret, so I was told! I pulled the duvet over my head. The party arrived right in time, wrapped up in thick jerseys, scarves, gloves and beanies, but to their great dissappointment the moon was veiled by clouds. What a dumper! And where were the horses? To keep warm, and to get a last glimpse of the 180 wild horses that were out somewhere in these plains, Enya and James started walking. And then, just as the sun began to rise and they found large herds, the most bizarre phenomenon took place: all the horses, one by one, knelt down in front of the children. Foals, mares, even stallions laid down as if in reverence of these two little humans. In no time, close to a hundred wild horses had lain down at Enya and James’ feet. The mutual trust and the bonding that took place were deeply moving. For their dad, it was a life-altering experience that brought tears to the eyes. For Enya and James, it was the most natural thing on Earth. They are one with the horses. Children are pure, hence the privilege.
I got up when the first orange rays began to light up the crests of the highest mountains and dunes, ignorant of the magic that was happening a few kilometres away. Soon after, the light spread over the plains. As the sun rose, the yellow rays of light changed the remaining beige fields into golden stretches of land. The wave of gold moved forward and conquered the plains inch by inch. In less than an hour, all was bathed in the glorious sunlight of a new day. The birds started singing and my hands were warming up. For the horses it was probably a day like any other day...
SOMETHING TO PONDER UPON
The Namib horses have roamed the Garub Plains for the past ninety years. Only a few years ago, after many debates, it was decided to let the wild horses continue to live their harsh lives on the plains of the Garub. Drought is nature's necessary way of keeping the population under control in an area where there is not enough food for all. Relocating the horses to domestication isn't any better: almost half of the 104 horses removed in 1992 died within 5 years due to difficulties of adaptation. And it causes stress within the remaining wild population.Today, it's good example of synergy between man and nature. If the local community looks after the horses well so that they can survive in this harsh environment, the horses in turn will remain a major tourist attraction and bring revenue to the community so that they too can survive.
WHERE TO STAY
Klein-Aus Vista Ranch (part of the Gondwana Collection)Tel 063-258116 or email ausvista@namibhorses.comwww.namibhorses.com
THE BOOK
'Enya & James – In The Land Of Magic'can be ordered online via www.KidsofNature.com or info@kidsofnature.com
To order the book, click here.
For information on the wild horses and the Relief Fund, visit www.wild-horses-namibia.com
Author: Petra Vandecasteele, Photography Paul Godard
Source: www.InspirationalWritingByPetra.com
Date: 01 Jun 2012
