Riding in Iraq

[chris random snaps]

I thought there may be a bit of interest for this, in your foreign section. I was working in the Kurdish region of Federal Iraq recently, and managed to get time to drop in to the Erbil Equestrian Centre. I took a few photographs and will try to post them up here...

What makes this place remarkable is that it exists about an hour from the front line in the war against Islamic State. If anyone finds themselves there I can really recommend a trip. I managed to encourage a colleague to have his first ever riding lesson there, and he was bruised, but not disappointed;

 

[Hanno Verian]

Great facilities---

I remember seeing a young girl hacking around the Green Zone in Baghdad occaisionally in 2009/10 once or twice , never knew who she was or where she came from, usually had a Land Cruiser following her...

 

[chris random snaps]

That's brave... at least Erbil is safe. Off to Baggers fairly soon. Should I pack my jodhpurs? If nothing else it would reinforce a gazillion stereotypes!

 

[skint1]

Interesting! I hope horses and riders stay safe and well for the foreseeable future!

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Thanks for the post, I did not even know there was an overseas forum. Nice pics.

 

[tallyho!]

Nice school!

 

[HashRouge]

That first photo is stunning, I'd be interested to see more if you have any?

 

[twiggy2]

That first photo is stunning, I'd be interested to see more if you have any?

I second that

 

[chris random snaps]

Thanks for the positive feedback - always nice to hear. I have lots of equine photographs and lots of travel photographs, but not many that are both. I had a quick flick and found these from Erbil;

Boxes;

Neil on Lesson 1, day 1;

Saddling up;

I have all sorts of snaps from various travels in Arabia and Asia but most of my horse photographs are nearer to home - feel free to take a browse;

http://randomsnaps.smugmug.com/Equines

This chap is a groom at a desert resort in the UAE. He was had such clear affection for his charges; something that I have seen while traveling just as much as I have seen at home;

 

[Hanno Verian]

That's brave... at least Erbil is safe. Off to Baggers fairly soon. Should I pack my jodhpurs? If nothing else it would reinforce a gazillion stereotypes!

I'm out of that industry now, its been four years since I was there, I'm guessing its only got a lot worse. A lot of my former colleagues are still in place and the reports aren't great.

Still I'd be really interested to see any pics you take, if thats OK, I took very few in my five years there, we were allways very mission orientated and focussed, it didnt make for taking pics. There where some fabulous images begging to be captured, I always remember the Iraqi version of the goddess of justice, blindfold, holding a sword in one hand and the scales in the other, only someone had nicked the scales....The irony kept me amused for a long time.

 

[chris random snaps]

I can imagine! 'The Ministry of Justice' always makes me smile when I walk past it in London. Vaguely Orwellian...

I am still haggling over contracts at the moment. They seem to expect me to turn up in the office and sign a contract before heading to the airport, but my days of doing that are long gone. I am truly ambivalent about it - I would rather be working with the OSCE. In the last 5 years I have worked or played in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Oman, and UAE. Time to get nearer to home. Ukraine has me written all over it. And they have a great tradition with horses.

Who would have thought that you would come to a Horse forum and start talking PSC... Small world!

 

[Hanno Verian]

Small world, it funded my hunting and eventer...

Talking about Orwellian there was a building we referred to as Mings Palace (Flash Gordon) other side of the Tigris over the "14th July Bridge..

Take care and stay safe..

 

[HashRouge]

Gorgeous photos

 

[j1ffy]

Wow, I wouldn't have expected a centre like that out there. The facilities look amazing! Obviously the area has a deep history of horsemanship so maybe it shouldn't be so surprising...

 

[chris random snaps]

The equestrian centre is attached to the race course. If it had not been for Islamic State it would have been open already. The stands are built, the rails out, the sand laid. They have a bunch of small apartments to let as well, between the course and the stables, which will be for holiday homes.

I think this is a JV between the ruling Barzani family and Jordanian (?) investors. The guy teaching in the photograph is Captain Ali, who is a regional eventing champion and all round good bloke. The last time I went they were really busy, with a lot of different lessons taking place in the school, with old people and young.

I can recommend the place when the IS threat goes away, if you want to try something different. Austrian Airlines fly daily via Vienna, tourist visas on arrival. Probably not the best time right now, what with Daesh being just down the road, but one day. The Kurds are, sincerely, the warmest hosts. They must be, when you think that perhaps 1/3rd of the population in the Kurdish region at the moment are refugees from Iraq and Syria. Really great people, I am very fond of the place.

 

[teapot]

Oh wow, always makes me smile to see the best facilities in the most surprising of places all things considered at the moment.

Some wonderful photos on your website, the portrait of the Afghan trader is stunning.

 

[chris random snaps]

Thank you!

I wast trying to post another photo but for some reason I cannot.

Not to worry!