In the words of Helen Thompson Wooley, ‘In riding a horse, we borrow freedom.’ For those who understand the wonder of seeing the world from the saddle of a horse, Abelana Game Reserve offers a very special safari experience with a free-spirited horse safari guide, Tamlyn Whitebread.
Abelana Game Reserve offers a very special safari experience with a free-spirited horse safari guide, Tamlyn Whitebread.
Riders are able to climb onto their horses, hearts thumping in their chests, and explore the African wilderness as though part of nature itself.
When asked how her love of horses began, Tamlyn simply confesses, ‘It’s in my blood’, like a strand of DNA that she has no control over. Growing up with her sister in the Free State, Tamlyn began horse-riding at the age of 7. She competed in show jumping as a young rider and when she was 16 years old, a glossy travel magazine published a story about Big Five horse safaris that caught Tamlyn’s interest. She was sold.
It was years, however, before Tamlyn was able to lead her first real horse safari. The road was long, starting at Btech Nature Conservation school and EcoTraining – Tamlyn soon found herself working as a qualified safari guide at a luxury bush lodge outside of Hoedspruit. From there she roamed between guiding at lodges and running a horse-riding school and even spent time completing further guide training with EcoTraining in different parts of Africa. She was determined to hone her skills as a guide and active conservationist.
Tamlyn admits, ‘I knew nobody in the industry would take me seriously if I didn’t take myself seriously.’ Walking into a male-dominated industry took courage, and she quickly realized that in order to fit in, she had to know more and be more resilient than any of the other guides around her. Tamlyn recounts, with a laugh, how one guide resigned from a lodge, the day he found out they’d hired a female guide. She’s grateful, though, that her other experiences have shown her that most guiding teams are open-minded and even excited to work with her, once her trust and respect has been earned. It reads like a fairytale, but on one of Tamlyn’s jaunts into Kenya, Tamlyn met an Austrian Princess who spoke of wanting to own a horse safari company in Africa.
A business partnership was established, and the two started buying horses for their venue at Croc Ranch, just outside Phalaborwa. This venture was sadly short-lived, and Tamlyn’s path led her to Swaziland for a stint. But having tasted the horse safari life, she could not let it go and started buying horses with what little money she could save and muster. Hearing that Croc Ranch had changed hands and had been re-launched as Abelana Game Reserve, Tamlyn reached out to the new custodian, Ian Beauchamp, and the Abelana Horse Safari was born.
Speaking of Tamlyn’s work, Ian urges competent horse-riders to brave a horseback safari through the magnificent reserve, an opportunity to see Tamlyn’s real talent and passion shine through. When talking of the typical reaction of her riding guests, Tamlyn admits that this is the highlight of her work. Leading visitors into Africa on horseback is both adventurous and emotional for many. Being both vulnerable to and fully accepted by Mother Nature leaves guests awestruck, and often tearful. A deeply immersive wilderness experience led by the tenacious, sensitive, strong and shy guide, Tamlyn Whitebread, a horseback safari at Abelana is a moment of absolute freedom that stays with guests for a lifetime.
The Abelana Horse Safaris leads horse riders to personal wildlife encounters all over the 15 000- hectare private reserve, during three-, four- and seven-night safaris. These packages are available all year round, and riders are accommodated in tented luxury at Abelana Safari Camp in the southern part of the reserve. Leading groups no bigger than eight people, Tamlyn and the Abelana team are able to tailor a deeply personal experience for smaller groups and far exceed guest expectations. Read more about the Abelana Horse Safaris here.
For more information about Abelana and the Abelana Horse Safaris, or to make a booking, please contact reservations at 061 952 4302 / [email protected].
Image credit: Supplied
