Showing posts with label Horseriding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Horseriding. Show all posts

Thursday, April 04, 2013

Horsing Around Fez ~ A Photo Essay


Leave the densely packed Moroccan city behind and head for the hills on horseback, suggests Suzanna Clarke 


Horse riding is a leisurely and enjoyable way to take in the vibrant spring growth and spectacular landscapes of the Fez-Boulmane region. Our weekend expedition began on the top of Mt Zalagh - the mountain not far from Fez. On our obliging mounts, we meandered into the valley below, through olive groves and fields of flowers replete with gambolling lambs, kestrels flying overhead and friendly waves from farmers along the way.  


Our small party camped out overnight, and in the morning we were greeted with a sea of cloud below, which made us feel literally on top of the world.


Dinner and breakfast were locally produced fare. There are few things that enhance the appetite more than fresh air, a beautiful view and the prospect of another day's riding.  


Suzanna Clarke's horse riding trip was arranged through the Centre Equestre Ain Amyer. 
It included horse hire and equipment, a guide, food and accommodation and transfers to and from Fez. For more information, phone 06 61 174404 or www.cti-fes.com or contact ctisaida@hotmail.com

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Friday, November 09, 2012

Moroccan Fantasia Horses Run Laminitis Risk


Most of the work at the American Fondouk in Fes is concentrated on the donkeys and mules of the Fez Medina, and `the problems they develop from overwork and underfeeding. However, about twice a week they see horses from the other end of the equine spectrum that have the easily preventable hoof disease laminitis – a painful condition which can lead to founder. Suzanna Clarke reports for The View from Fez



Recently a magnificent Barb stallion arrived at the American Fondouk, referred by a local vet who was not able to provide the intensive 24 hr care the horse needed to survive.

“He is one of the best Fantasia horses in the country,” says Fondouk director Dr Gigi Kay (pictured above). Fantasia is a traditional equestrian performance practiced during cultural festivals in Morocco, and originates from the wartime practices of the Berber and desert tribes. These days it is a cultural art form; intended to show the strong relationship between man and horse. In a spectacular display, a group of riders and their mounts will charge in a line and, stopping suddenly, fire a volley of gunpowder from old-fashioned muskets.

Moroccan Fantasia horses in action

“He came in with laminitis and colitis - a direct result of totally inappropriate feeding practices,” says Dr Kay. “It is horrendously painful, in fact torturous, and lasts for months. This is why he spends all day lying down, as to be on his feet hurts too much.”

Laminitis results from the disruption of blood flow to the laminae of a horse´s hoof. The laminae structure secures the coffin bone (the wedge-shaped bone within the foot) to the hoof wall. Inflammation often permanently weakens the laminae and interferes with the wall/bone bond. In severe cases, the bone and the hoof wall can separate. In these situations, the coffin bone may rotate within the foot, be displaced downward ("sink") and eventually penetrate the sole. Laminitis can affect one or all feet, but it is usually seen in the front feet.

Photo via Alanna Colleen Snyder

Yet it is not from lack of care this situation arises, but from ignorance. The Barb stallion at the Fondouk receives about 10 visitors from his owner´s tribe at least twice a week, concerned about his welfare.

“The laminitis colitis complex is caused by overfeeding barley,” explains Dr Kay. “ A normal safe amount for this size horse is 5 kilograms of barley a day. This horse was receiving 20 kilograms of barley a day. The owners, along with all other Fantasia horse owners, know there is a link between barley and this disease, but they don´t know what the link is. They really don´t know that overfeeding is so dangerous. Most horses with laminitis colitis complex die or have to be euthanized.”

If a horse is given excess grain, it may be unable to digest all of the carbohydrate in the foregut. This excess then moves on and ferments, causing a proliferation of lactic acid bacteria and an increase in acidity. Endotoxins and exotoxins may then be absorbed into the bloodstream, and the result is body-wide inflammation – particularly in the laminae of the feet, where swelling tissues have no place to expand. Laminitis can also develop after a serious case of colic, due to the release of endotoxins in the blood stream. Releasing horses into lush pasture after a period inside can have a similar effect.

To assist Moroccan horse owners to understand how to prevent this condition, on November 26 the American Fondouk is holding a conference to explain the link between barley and this disease. Two specialists, one from Glasgow and the other from the United States, have been invited to help pass the message.

“Laminitis is completely and easily preventable - simply don't feed so much barley,” says Dr Kay.

Story: Suzanna Clarke
Fantasia photographs: Abdelmajid Nassih


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Sunday, September 16, 2012

Morocco's Tissa Horse Festival 2012 - A Reminder

A reminder that the Tissa Horse Festival 2012 edition begins on the 19th and runs through until September 23.  Below is all the information you need in order to make the trip - It is a fantastic day out, so don't miss it! 


Getting there
The easiest way to get to Tissa on time for all the action is to catch the bus provided by Plan-it-Fez. The vehicle will depart each day (from the 19th to 23rd September) from Batha (outside Batha Poste) at 7am arriving Tissa at 8am.

For the return journey the bus will be departing Tissa at 3.30pm for arrival in Fez approx 4.30pm.

The price per person is 350 Dirham. Please note: this must be paid in cash. A minimum of five passengers are required for the bus to depart - so make sure you bring your friends!

Most important:   People MUST book 2 days in advance by emailing Plan-it-Fez.    
email: info@plan-it-fez.com



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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Tissa Horse Festival 2012 - Update and Transport Details


Tissa Festival horses - photo Suzanna Clarke
At last we can confirm both dates and transportation details. The festival runs from the 19th of September to the 23rd. The main competition day is the 22nd of September. In addition, on both the 19th and the 23rd there will be souq (market) days in Tissa.
Catch the action - bring your camera! - photo Suzanna Clarke

Getting there

The easiest way to get to Tissa on time for all the action is to catch the bus provided by Plan-it-Fez. The vehicle will depart each day (from the 19th to 23rdSeptember) from Batha (outside Batha Poste) at 7am arriving Tissa at 8am.

For the return journey the bus will be departing Tissa at 3.30pm for arrival in Fez approx 4.30pm.

The price per person is 350 Dirham. Please note: this must be paid in cash. A minimum of five passengers are required for the bus to depart - so make sure you bring your friends!

Most important People MUST book 2 days in advance by emailing Plan-it-Fez.    email: info@plan-it-fez.com

The action is fast, furious and noisy!  - photo Sandy McCutcheon

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Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Morocco's Tissa Horse Festival 2012 - Latest


For sheer excitement nothing beats the Tissa Horse Festival - photo Sandy McCutcheon

The confusion over the dates for the Tissa Horse Festival has been cleared up. The 2012 event will take place in Tissa between the 19th and 23rd of September.

The annual festival which involves a competition between rival teams that battle for supremacy on the field is a major attraction. The Tissa Horse Festival re-lives Morocco's rich and often war-like history. It's still extremely daunting to see a line of warriors dressed in white charging straight towards you on their spirited Arab stallions. Stopping within centimetres of the wooden fence at the finish, they fire muzzle loaded rifles in a deafening volley. On occasion a horse can't be restrained and breaks through.

While the Tissa Horse Festival is held in honour of a local patron saint, a fifteenth century Holy man, called Sidi Muhammad ben Lahcen, the displays of skilled horsemanship are primarily about speed, team work, discipline and manoeuvrability.

Teams are judged by officials who watch from in front and on both sides. The criteria involved includes the neatness of the formation as it charges, the ability to charge right up to the fence at the end of the field and the discharging of the rifles in unison. It was an extraordinary event that thrilled the more than four thousand spectators.

Skill, chaos and mayhem - Tissa has it all   photo Suzanna Clarke

Sadly, the organisers seem unaware of the potential to attract international visitors and very little accurate information is available to the public. The problems probably arise because the competing teams are the main focus for the organisers. That visitors need to book flights to Morocco and make transport arrangements is incidental.

The Tissa Festival is a photographer's delight - photo Suzanna Clarke


Booking transport to Tissa

For visitors wishing to visit the Tissa Horse Festival, day-trip transport is available from Fez, however, it is important to reserve this in advance. Bookings can be made by contacting Michele at Plan-it-Fez or email:  info@plan-it-fez.com

SEE LATEST BOOKING INFO HERE

See our photo essay on the 2012 Tissa Festival here.
Another worthwhile day-trip is to the colourful Khenifra carpet souq in the Atlas mountains.

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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Horse Riding in Fez



Morocco has long held a reputation for extraordinary horses and Fez has its fair share of these. Yesterday Suzanna Clarke visited an equestrian centre on the outskirts of the city

Head groom Bell Aziz with his favourite horse, Mezziana

Riding through olive groves on the outskirts of Fez, on a stallion with a spring in its step has to be one of the best ways to experience the countryside.

We were following guide and head groom, Bell Aziz, mounted on his magnificent grey mare.
Aziz told us later that he had spent 26 years in the Garde Royale; the mounted division of the police, and had been twice the Moroccan show jumping champion in the 1980s.

He said he had grown up around horses all his life. He finds horses sympathetic, because, "they really like people; they want to please."

Centre Equestre Ain Amyer has 20 horses in its stables and many of them are the famed Moroccan Barb species. Developed on the North African Barbary Coast, the Barb horse is a desert breed with hardiness and stamina, renowned for its fiery temperament. However, the horses that we rode were well trained and mannered. "But they are not boring," said fellow rider, Saffron Kay.

Saffron Kay enjoys riding through the olive groves near the Centre

We only had a small amount of time, so our ride was limited to the nearby olive groves and some of the new housing developments mushrooming up around the outskirts of Fez. However, it is possible to go for an extended ride of several hours in the forest or deeper into the countryside. You can even take take trips from four to fifteen days, discovering aspects of other Moroccan regions which are hidden to those who choose mechanised forms of transport.

For those who would like to improve their riding technique, private classes are also available in the dressage ring at the Centre.

Owner of the Centre Equestre Ain Amyer, Azzeddine Msefer 

The owner of Centre Equestre Ain Amyer, Azzeddine Msefer, is also the president of the National Association for Owners and Breeders of Barb and Arab Horses in Morocco.  "I began this venture in 1986," he said. "My first commercial venture was a 120 kilometre guided ride from Fez to Tissa."

After your ride, you may like to dive into the refreshing and very large swimming pool at the Centre. It also offers bed and breakfast accommodation with five rooms and even a night club.



Centre Equestre Ain Amyer can be found 2.5 kilometres along Route d'Immouzer (turn right at the L'ESIG building). For more information, phone 06 61 174404 or contact - 
email: azzmsefer@yahoo.fr        www.marocrandocheval.com


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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Horse Riding in Morocco - a Hair-raising Experience?


We couldn't resist this story even though its connection with Morocco is tenuous, to say the least.  In what can only be described as "the luck of the Irish" an insurance broker went bald and lost his eyebrows and eyelashes after allegedly suffering trauma in a riding accident while on holiday in Morocco.

David Jameson (50), of York Road, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, told the Irish High Court his hair fell out in clumps eight weeks after the accident in Morocco, when he was thrown off a stallion.

This delayed action hair-loss prompted Mr Jameson to sue tour operator Sunway Travel Ltd, Marina House, Clarence Street, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin as a result of the accident. The wheels of justice in Ireland move slowly and only now has the court heard the sad hair-loss story that occurred after the accident way back in April 2006.

David Jameson claimed he suffered neck, shoulder and lower back injuries in the fall, he also said that eight weeks after the accident his hair fell out and later his eyebrows and eyelashes.

alopecia - "I bought a book on alopecia but the pages all fell out"

The court heard he may be suffering from alopecia. (hair loss, - not to be confused with "Appalachian" which is a place in America with very hairy people).

An Appalachian - note the hair

Sunway had denied the claims and had claimed contributory negligence on the part of Mr Jameson for engaging in an activity with inherent dangers which he ought to have known about. Fair enough, as most people are aware that falling off a horse will send you bald.

When the case resumed this week, Mr Jameson's counsel, Declan Doyle, told Ms Justice Mary Irvine the case had been settled. Earlier, Mr Jameson told the court he and his wife Maria and two children had gone on a family holiday to Morocco.

They were given information on excursions and picked horse riding at a nearby ranch.

On the way to the ranch the family were offered helmets and Mr Jameson said he wore his for the ride out.

He said he had been reluctant to go horse riding as he had no experience but had been cajoled into doing so by his daughters.

He said everybody in the group was mounted up and there was no horse for him. What looked like a thoroughbred stallion, which was highly strung, was brought out for him.

"I said I am not going to get on that horse but the man had broken English and he motioned that it was fine," he said. His two children told him to come on and he said he did not "want to spoil the party."

He said he felt as the horse was being led out by another person he would be safe enough. A teenager who he said was leading the horse brought him about 200m ahead of the group.

"The horse was kicking and hopping and frothing and rearing at the back," he said.

He said the horse reared after a Shetland pony appeared on the path.  The appearance of Shetland ponies is not a common event in Morocco.

A terrifyingly hairy and scary Shetland pony

The teenager let go of the reins and the horse reared again, throwing Mr Jameson back on to the road.

"The helmet was tightly strapped, if it had come off I would have been killed. After that near-death experience I did not want to get back on the horse. I flagged down a car," he said. "I was in very severe pain. I could hardly sit down for weeks afterwards."

Before the accident he said he ran marathons and about 100 miles a week.

After the accident, he said he had to stop after 16 miles when running the Dublin City marathon. David Jameson settled his High Court action for damages. Hopefully he earned enough for a hair transplant and a set of new eyebrows and eyelashes.

To aid his recovery, The View from Fez resident herbalist suggests:  For curing the Alopecia disease,  soak the fenugreek seeds in a pot filled with water and leave it, for a whole night.

fenugreek seeds

In the morning, take out the liquid from filled water pot and apply as a massage on your scalp. For spreading the liquid around head, you will require a cloth. On the regular basis, the alopecia patients should use the liquid so that could be got effective end of all kind of hair fall. Including it, for curing the alopecia disease, the alopecia patients can use raw egg’s yolk because it is also effective in getting the hair growth back, the procedure of using is just like message on the scalp, keep for some while and wash after an hour. Along with, the henna is also useful and uses it by just mixing in some water with little powder and makes the paste.

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Friday, May 25, 2012

Morocco's Equestrian Week 2012




The twenty-seventh edition of the equestrian week is been scheduled to take place in Rabat from May 28th to June 24th.



The 27 edition of the equestrian week has been scheduled to take place in Rabat from May 28 to June 24. The competition is organized under the auspices of HM King Mohammed VI and the Moroccan equestrian sports federation (FRMSE).

The programme includes the Hassan II trophy of traditional equestrian arts to take place from May 28 to June 10

For more details visit: FRMSE

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Saturday, October 01, 2011

High Drama at Tissa Horse Festival


The View from Fez team arrived in Tissa in the early morning. Festivities and competition was not due to start until around 9.30 am, so we spent time chatting with locals and checking out the magnificent horses as they were prepared for the big event - the Fantasia.


In the hours before the competition began, the contestants and their mounts were extremely busy. Every last detail of equipment was checked, saddles made ready and the rifles, that play such a dramatic part in the event, were loaded and discharged.

There was also a fair bit of horse-trading, with good horses selling for between 4000 and 9000 Euro.






The Tissa Horse Festival re-lives Morocco's rich and often war-like history. It's still extremely daunting to see a line of warriors dressed in white charging straight towards you on their spirited Arab stallions. Stopping within centimetres of the wooden fence at the finish, they fire muzzle loaded rifles in a deafening volley. On occasion a horse can't be restrained and breaks through.

While the Tissa Horse Festival is held in honour of a local patron saint, a fifteenth century Holy man, called Sidi Muhammad ben Lahcen, the displays of skilled horsemanship are primarily about speed, team work, discipline and manoeuvrability.


Teams are judged by officials who watch from in front and on both sides. The criteria involved includes the neatness of the formation as it charges, the ability to charge right up to the fence at the end of the field and the discharging of the rifles in unison.  It was an extraordinary event that thrilled the more than four thousand spectators.



There is no doubting the skills involved in this "sport" - and no way of avoiding the fact that is also dangerous. There were several minor spills, cuts and bruises during the morning events, but, thankfully, only one serious incident in which a horse fell and crushed the rider beneath him. What was so impressive was the speed in which first aid was available. It was no more than five seconds after the accident before the ambulance officer sprinted assist. The injured man was transported to hospital and his condition was not serious.


By the middle of the day, the competition was over and the teams paraded in front of the official tents. It was good news for the local team, who took out the first prize, closely followed by the horsemen of Fez.





Photographs by Suzanna Clarke and Sandy McCutcheon


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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Tissa Horse Festival ~ Sneak Preview


Tomorrow (Friday) sees the start of the Tissa Horse Festival. Thanks to our colleague, the photographer Gerard Chemit, we are able to bring you a preview of the preparations in Tissa.

All Photos; Gerard Chemit 


The View from Fez still has a couple of seats available to go from Fez to the festival on Saturday, leaving at around 7 and returning after 5pm.. Please email us at theviewfromfez@gmail.com if you would like a ride to Tissa and back.

SEE OUR FULL COVERAGE OF THE TISSA HORSE FESTIVAL HERE


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Join The View from Fez at the Tissa Horse Festival !


This Saturday, The View from Fez team are heading to the Tissa Horse Festival. We have four places available, leaving at 7am from Fez, spending the day in Tissa and returning from Tissa around 5 pm.

If you would like to join us, please email: theviewfromfez@gmail.com for all the details.


Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Tissa Horse Festival - Latest Update


The View from Fez team are in debt to Michele of the travel company Yomikha Morocco who sent someone to Tissa to check. The latest news is that the first day of the festival is this Friday - September 30th. The festival (we are told) is now only two days and Saturday October 1 is the final day.

Photo: Gerard Chemit
 While this gives people in the local area plenty of time to make new plans, it is less good news for those coming from America, Europe, India and Australia. The View from Fez has had a flood of emails from both tourists and travel writers who have bookings for flights, internal transport and hotels or riads, based on the original dates.

While not everyone is happy with this disruption, at least one traveller who can not change flights quipped, "Well, I suppose I will just have to have a long weekend in Fez, and that can't be bad."

The View from Fez will attend the horse festival this Saturday, and report back for those unable to make it.

Our thanks to Michele for the update.