|
Oh my. I'm reading
this and feeling awfully happy to be living in the Middle East. I ride alone
lots of times, often at night in the summer, through the countryside and
villages in the area around the Sakkara pyramids. I take my cell phone, but
usually try to ignore it because more than likely it's some stupid business
call. The few times that I've had any problems with my horses (like one deciding
to back into an irrigation canal....Yuck!) I've had farmers and their children
running to help me. I've never been touched, harrassed or insulted despite the
fact that I'm probably the only woman (or man) in the Cairo area to ride alone
in the countryside. If I'm riding alone, I prefer to ride in the
countryside rather than the desert because I know that there will always be help
if I need it, even without a cell phone. In the desert, you have to hope
you fall off on a rise, so that the signal for your phone works. <G> Makes
me appreciate being able to go out without any sort of "protection" at all other
than a polite "salaam aleikum", and if I stopped every time I was invited to
eat, I'd be too fat to get back on my poor horse.
Maryanne Stroud Gabbani
Cairo,
Egypt
maryanne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.ratbusters.net
I have to ride along too. I carry a fanny pack on me with my epipen,
lightstick, shoelaces, poncho duct tape around a pencil, bandanna, chapstick,
a multiuse tool, a folding hoofpick, and a whistle and mace.l The whistle
helps for those who go out "shootin" where I ride and during hunting
season. I have used it 3 times, if there are shots in my area or if I
have to go that way coming home. I did use it without "training" Rascal to it,
but he was ok, just stiffened up some.I also always carry a water bottle, but
it is on horse, although I just got one that fits a resivoir in a fanny pack ,
it works fine, just have to make sure you roll it up right. I used to carry a
cell phone, but must have sat on it once just right as it dialed my husbands
friend and he listened to our trailride talk for 20 min,. Luckily I wasn't
saying anything to be ashamed of.I did get the phone co. to delete it. But I
don't use a phone now as I'm cost cutting, (the one income 4 kids , 5 horses
thing)I am planning on getting my ham license though. But I read that article
on how to use your horse to protect yourself and I never let anyone approach,
I pass a lot of 4 wheelers who are usually polite enough to turn thier
vehicles off, and hunters , shooters, and some teenage partiers, but I figure
I can ride into the woods in areas they can't, and as for the few vehicles, I
can go where they can't.But no one can really protect you from a wacko with a
gun who wants to kill something, except God.So I say my prayer, tell the kids
or leave a note roughly where I am going and about how long. But I
always tell them to add an hour because I might be exploring a trail or
Rascal needs some "schoolin". I also always ride with a helmet and shoes I can
walk in ,If I have too. And I try to leave hoofprints somewhere.
Laurie and Rascal
|
