Learning to ride in Cairo - Egypt 1980
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The very first jump in my life
with my favourite horse of all " Raad " ( " Thunder " )
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Learning to jump with sometimes stubborn " Fel-Fel " (" Pepper ")
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The obstacle higher, not always Fel-Fel and I made a team ...
landing on my head didn't spoil the fun - my riding teacher Safi checking up on me... :)
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and the bars yet raised higher ... Learning with " Sultan "
once he got going, there was nothing to stop him - and I was just trying to hang on! ...
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The scare and the thrill !...
and my mouth wide open - surprise, surprise -
Sultan and I made it !
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Beautiful and gentle " Habibi " ( " Darling " )
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Habibi was almost always a handfull to handle but he moved like dancer ...
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My greatest love was Raad, he was always a gentleman
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The great jumper he was, Raad always indicated if he was not ready to take me over the jump ...
always because of my own fault ... sometimes I just had to look at it first ...
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With the help of Raad and Safi, I was getting better ...
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... and it was fun !
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Will he clear it without dropping the bar ? .... He did !
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Riding around the Great Pyramids at Giza and racing through the Sahara desert
is absolutely unforgetable.
Back in Finland
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My first own horse bred in Finland " Mascot "
After riding the Arab horses, he was so big and at times it was like
sitting on a lorry without brakes going down the hill ....!
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My second horse - a mare from Danmark - " Diamant "
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Diamant standing pretty by my teacher Hokku
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My third and last horse came from Sweden " Quine " ( Pasquinel )
After a fall I broke all the 3 ligaments on my knee - but it was nice to ride him again ...
even if from than on - always with knee protectors!
When Quine had to be put to sleep in 1992, I stoped riding.
The love for horses never left us
and there is always the nagging thought to return to it one day ....
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