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Riding Safaris - About us
About Aardvark Safaris
We have been selling safaris for over twelve years and most of us have lived and worked in Africa, so our knowledge of the African continent is excellent.
We ride daily and compete on a regular basis, so we know the importance of well schooled, forward going horses.
We are riding safari specialists as well as Africa and Indian Ocean experts, so we can offer a complete service for any tailored holiday.
We travel to Africa on a regular basis ensuring that we know what we are talking about, giving you honest and unbiased advice.
Aardvark's African riding specialists
Alice owns two horses and rides on a daily basis. She has a great love for hunting and competing, which she tries to fulfil as often as possible. Alice worked for a riding safari operation in Zimbabwe for a year and has ridden in Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania, South Africa and Zambia. She described a recent riding holiday in Kenya’s Masai Mara as ‘trip of a life time’ and regards game viewing from horseback as one of the best ways to experience the African bush.
Jo rides whenever she gets the chance (only the logistics of keeping her horse in Edinburgh prevents her from riding daily) and spent her childhood immersed in the Pony Club and hunting. More recently, she has worked with eventers and race horses. Her African riding experiences include safaris in Kenya, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. Her greatest memories of these trips include galloping with giraffe along grassy plains, swimming through the waters of the Okavango Delta and being mock charged by a white rhino.
Charlie has ridden since he was four, working his way up from a five year old on the lead rein to breaking in young horses in Botswana and playing polo for Scotland. He worked at African Horseback Safaris in Botswana for six months and has also ridden extensively in Kenya, South Africa and Namibia. He describes as his funniest moment one young horse standing its ground to a mock elephant charge, but promptly bolting away from the scary warthogs. Outside of work, his great love of polo means most summer weekends (Scottish weather permitting) are spent playing, while foreign polo trips have seen him play in Argentina, Australia, America, England and Kenya.
Francis has been riding since childhood, and has fallen off all over the world. He rides his wife’s eventer at home as often as work permits, and has ridden around the world in countries including Morocco, Australia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Botswana. He reckons that for exhilaration, fast riding in Africa is hard to beat. Riding is also a superb way to get close to big wildlife, and to see the land from a different angle. One of his favourite memories is of sitting on a horse high on the Nyika Plateau in Malawi surrounded by a herd of roan antelope.
Lucinda grew up in the pony club, hunting and eventing and still rides whenever the chance arises. More recently she has helped bring on some young polo ponies. One of her favourite memories of her recent trip to South Africa was riding with white rhino in the Waterberg. She also believes that having the opportunity to be able to see game from horseback is one of the most wonderful things to do, with a sense of freedom that is hard to beat.
John has also ridden extensively throughout Africa, and although a little rusty on a horse these days, he agrees with Alice that riding is one of the best and most exciting ways of seeing game up close. His areas of riding expertise include South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya and Malawi.
Charlotte also has two horses, one of which she competes at Riding Club level, while the other is a promising youngster ridden by event rider Harry Meade. Charlotte has ridden extensively on holidays throughout South Africa, Kenya and Namibia, often with her children in tow so is a good person to talk to when planning a family riding trip.
We would be delighted to chat through the different, varied rides and requirements that will help to create the perfect holiday.