Tuesday, February 8, 2011

A morning ride on day two. We start at 6:30 to beat the heat

Okay, the animal photos are going to be impaired by the fact that I am at the back of the group and shooting from horseback. Practice makes perfect, but it at least gives you a thumbnail sketch of the animals. We saw a baby warthog and a baby wildebeest today. They were napping on the road. Galloped by a herd of wildebeest, hung out with a giraffe, saw a herd of impalas with the wildebeest, passed warthogs/jackals, and as we rode into the yard, a kudu was grazing. Lots of bird names to learn. There was a remarkable number of vultures flying overhead. They were attracted to a lion kill from the night before. Philip is a real tracker, so it is fascinating to be a part of the process and watch him school a new lead horse who was trying to spin and bolt while approaching a giraffe. The irony is that this horse has to be obedient for a life or death situation. If he had turned and bolted with a lion present, both rider and horse would have most likely been attacked. Getting back into the swing of wide open gallops down the jeep roads. Good thing I had some of those pieces tucked away from my past.

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