Safari Horse Training - African Horse Safaris - written by Steven Rufus (who operates our Songimvelo Wilderness Safari

• "Boot, saddle to horse and away!
• Rescue my castle, before the heat of day." R. Browning

For us to use horses in the African bush we need to have a good understanding of animal behavior. Natural Horsemanship. is the modern day catch phrase that has horse owners spending thousands of Euro's on special 'gimics' in order to make them work better / harder / faster. As a staunch proponent of this I have spent my whole life watching and studying horse's behavior to better understand how we can work together. I am able to say the word 'gimic' knowing that my father and his father before him worked in this manner long before any special training aids were bought to the market place. Please don't misunderstand, I am in huge favour of all 'natural' learning techniques, it just needs to be kept in mind that training naturally means your own body, voice and knowledge rather than shop bought aids. Also remember all these aids are great if you have only one horse to work, but not so practical when you have a yard of 30 to work. Always remember "horses work as they aim to please."

A horse is no different to any other species of wild mammal, even though we have domesticated him over the years they still have natural instincts to react to certain situations and if you were to spend time watching the domesticated horse in a field with a herd you would see similarities to a herd of Zebra on the plains of Africa. Horses have evolved from a forest dweller called Condylarth to the modern Equus and the attributes that kept them alive all these years are still endemic to the horse today, namely their natural Behaviour to a perceived threat:

• 1) Flight; Long legs to gallop, endurance, Large lungs to oxygenate
• 2) Biting; powerful jaws, that can crush bones., and canines that can inflict a nasty wound.
• 3) Rearing; Strong hindleg ,This is to intimidate, front legs to strike
• 4) Kicking; This is the main weapon during flight.
• 5) Bucking; This action coincides with the flight, and a action to rid its self of danger and un wanted passengers. Nervous reaction.

To produce a top class safari horse we have to harness these instincts and make use of their bodies, the cone shaped ears, good eyesight and large sensitive nostrils all of which are used to identify their natural predators and ultimately cause flight. We use this to our advantage in the bush, horses will alert you to the game before you even know it is there and utilizing these natural alert mechanisms is vital to a successful guide in the bush.

The ideal horse to work with Dangerous Game would be a part bred Boerperd that has completed a full season working cattle. Working for a season in this manner allows a horse to become used to moving animals, working over rough ground, 'settled in their heads' in terms of looking after themselves, light on their feet and already used to neck reining (western riding). This also starts the horse to recognize and accept bullwhips which are used to move cattle, this is hugely important as this tool is used in the bush to control game and stop a potentially dangerous problem.

Whilst training I like all my horses to live and work in a herd, this enables all the new, young and excitable horses to be taught by the older horses the way of the world and most importantly manners within the group. In a safe environment when running as a herd the more senior horses teach the others how to cross streams, go down banks, interact with the wild life and learn how to look after themselves naturally without any human contact. This is very important as the older horses will not give way to a herd of Zebra nor conversely do they see them as a threat, the same can be said for Giraffe and all other antelope species and the horses learn that they can be in the same 'space' without fear. This is a really important stage of their training and builds huge amounts of confidence for the next part.

The first goal is to establish myself in the pecking order as a dominant stallion / matriarch would do in the wild. The horse needs to listen to you and obey you as they would another horse telling them to cross that stream or move down that game path. This is done in the same manner as the dominant horse, the newcomers must learn to respect your individual space and not push over you or stop listening. Within a small lunge arena our horses are all free lunged and taught to 'join up' with me. Using my body as a tool I teach the horse to move away from me and come in when I require, changing direction, teaching him to spin on his haunches and change of pace is all done by voice and hand movements. During this time trust must be established as the horse begins to understand you are there to teach new skills - rules and boundaries are important but equally so is patience and understanding.

If you are too rough in establishing your position in the herd then your horse will be scared of you and therefore not trust that you are a 'safe' person to be with. In times of stress - with Big Game - they will not be 100% reliable as they are acting from a fear basis which in turn can prove to be unpredictable. My horses will come to me when they are loose in a field, they know my whistle, they can be wonderfully cheeky sometimes, but most importantly they know when it is time to work and will react accordingly, a horse that cowers or puts his ears back when you pass by has been abused and is then absolutely no good for the safari game or anything else.

As stated our horses need to work as a team. The lead horse is the most important component of this team as the other horses will work off the lead horse's actions and subsequently the lead guide's instructions.

To introduce a horse to close encounters with Elephant / Rhino / Buffalo (note the absence of Lion / Leopard from this list, it is very important to note that no self respecting horse guide would knowingly take you close to Lion on horse back - in terms of Behaviour the lion in your area must learn to recognize YOU as the threat and take flight on sight - more on that later). You will see the inevitable signs on approach to the first elephant - high head carriage, flared nostrils, tight mouth, pounding heart and weight shifting to establish an escape route. All horses on these first encounters are always ridden by me and they have learnt to accept me as a trustworthy and safe figure. This way when I tell them to stand and accept the sighting they are able to curb their natural instinct to listen to their rider who is telling them that they must stay still. There are a couple of other items that are also essential to this outcome:

• 1) Its simple but a lot people do forget, make sure your tack is in good condition. If you ask your horse to stand in front of that elephant and for example a stirrup breaks whilst you are putting pressure on them, this will cause a huge weight shift and consequently break you horses concentration on your aids. Panic followed by running usually ensues.

• 2) Ensure that you have a bit in their mouth that will allow you to control movement. This appears to go against the grain of what I have said earlier about artificial aids, however you have to remember now we are in a unique and potentially life threatening situation with approaching big game. All the support work with the horse will have been completed now and it is very important to understand that having a suitable bit in the horse's mouth for these encounters could in fact save your life. So leave the snaffles for the school and use something more substantial that you know the horse will listen to. Spinning around in this situation is not acceptable the horse must face its fear and you use the trust and training you have already instilled back with a good bit to ensure that they do not start this unacceptable practice.

• 3) Most importantly use that herd instinct again and always take a novice horse out first time with other more experienced horses. As the experienced horses relax in front of the elephant and show no signs of fear, your novice horse will still produce the signs as above but the instinct to flee will be subdued as others around him stay still.

• 4) Always ensure that the first sighting of elephant is a positive encounter and that both sides are relaxed and not threatened. To do this you should encourage your horse to graze in front of the game to produce a more relaxed outline and place the novice behind the more experienced horses but still with a clear view of the animal in front. Its important to remember that relaxed herd space is 50 metres, so on the first encounter do not break this barrier so that the elephant do not feel threatened. Once you have stood for some time you turn your horse - do not allow him to spin away - and move quietly off from the game.

As with all training repetition is the key and as your novice becomes more relaxed you can gradually decrease the distance between you and the game until they have accepted that this is a normal part of their lives. From here and with more training is it possible to position yourself 10 metres from Rhino / Elephant and Buffalo to get fabulous photos with the guests that will provide a lifetime of happy memories.

The safari horse needs to be a well balanced individual, with a large personality, which we aim to match to the client's personality. We aim to produce the ideal safari companion, and the best vehicle to the bush. At the end of a safari you should be plotting how you could get this animal home. Which means we have succeeded with all of our training......its also means you have been bitten by the African bug, See you soon.

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