21st June Ant's Hill

Each day started with a tap on your door as they delivered you tea, coffee, hot chocolate etc with a few biscuits – just in case you got hungry during the long fast of the night, at a pre arranged time – depending on the activates you have chosen for the following day.  

After a while spent on the balcony looking at the view it was time to get ready and go down to breakfast.  “No thanks, we will not have the cooked breakfast, just the fruit and toast thanks”.  Lucky, as the light breakfast was not just a fruit platter – a fruit sculpture. As well as every drink you could want, toast and 6 toppings, cheese board, croissants, jam donuts. 

It was then out to the morning activity.  

Today we chose to join the staff on a census of stock on the property. We all mounted up and headed off to ride a grid pattern and record the numbers of any animals we saw – “Two Kudo bulls, Four impala sex unspecified……” After asking for a nicer horse for Sarah they brought one that could have been the twin sister of the first.

Oh Well. No photogenic horse today.

We saw Zebra, Wildebeest, Impala, Bless Buck, Sable, Impala, Kudu and more.

Most of the horses they use were Boarperd or Farmers Horse, a South African breed. They are a big chunky horse and very Welsh cob-ish. Heavy bone, furry feet and short strong backs.  They have an infusion of Australian Walers in them. And these guys were well educated (for trail horses).  They all neck reined and worked off the leg, happy to follow along but could also gallop well.  Many of them were really sweet looking as well.

And they need to be hardy. The ground we rode on was steep and rocky.  Not stony – Rocky. We would ride up hills that were like riding over a truck lad of mossy rocks.

The horses all live out with the wild animals (thus making it easy to get close to animals when riding).  At night they all come into the yards for a feed and to sleep around the smoky fires burning to keep the bugs away.  African Horse Sickness is a fatal bug born disease and every morning all 45 horses have to have their temperature taken. 

One of the massive differences when riding through the bush here…..the plants attack.  When riding in Australia – you can ride up to a branch in your way, anything up to about a 5cm diameter, and  can just ride into and let it softly bend and brush past you. Certainly not here.  Anything thicker than about half a centimeter thick is rock solid, does not bend, probably has thorns ranging in size from one centimeter to 10 centimeters and will try to tear you up. 

And you know what they say about ‘old habits’ …they really are hard to break!!!  We are both scratched. Sarah had some great gouges – with blood. Raina even had one bush try to garrote here with her scarf.

After lunch you got a two hour ‘nana nap’ session (I’m sure you could use this time for something else – but Why we ask?), then down to afternoon tea at 3.pm and off on activity at 3.30pm.

We went out for a game drive – a look around in the vehicle for the afternoon and saw heaps of great stuff including a pack of Jackal.

Of course Sundowners at sunset then home to rest, look at photos and think about yet another three-course meal.

Each night and lunch two staff members are rostered on to sit and have pre dinner drinks with you then join you for dinner. It was fantastic.

We still had our private game farm to ourselves.