SEARCHING FOR FREEDOM? SADDLE UP

Thereʼs only one rule for riding out in the lawless wastelands of the Skeleton Coast: stay on your horse. And it was being tested as 15 riders and two loose horses galloped in a ragged bunch, dirt powering from hooves and tears of exhilaration streaming from ridersʼ eyes, and wild whooping filling the air. Our horses felt the energy in the wacky race, had sensed it from the moment Andrewʼs hand waved that slow, lazy circle and dropped, like a flag on a race track, and then it was every rider for themselves in the quest to see who was the fastest. Pounding hooves and outstretched necks yielded to an easier lope as one by one the horses gradually pulled away, slowing down, and a winner was revealed: young Jac on his homebred Arabian, a dainty grey mare with arched neck and soft eyes. Jac beamed. At 14 years old he is a skilled equestrian, with numerous competitive endurance riding kilometres under his belt. This win, sans trophy held aloft and spectators as witnesses, meant no less to him.

For as with any taxing, long-distance journey, you