Horse Volunteering

• Supervised successful care for 25 horse refugees from Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Act

• Led daily community tourism trail rides for up to 30 people, teaching safe and proper riding style to international (French, German, etc.) clientele

• Developed new trail by plotting and then exploring routes by land & sea using GPS devices/software

Vilankulos, MozambiqueVilankulos is a town along the central coastline of Mozambique. A traditional fishing village, it is located 9 hours north of capital, Maputo. It is also five hours east of Chimoio, the Mozambican town along the border of Zimbabwe. While it still has a local vibrant fishing culture, tourism has become the main industry for this gateway town of the Bazaruto Archipelago. It has a population around 25,000 and the main language spoken is Portuguese.

The horses of MHS are some of the best kept and well-groomed horses I have come across. Almost all have been trained by Pat Retzlaff in the Pat Pirelli horsemanship style. Unfortunately, only around 30 of the original 104 horses remain. While some have been homed with other people, plant poisoning killed around 25 horses four months before I arrived. Pat uses mostly Western tack and snaffle bits for the horses.

The Horses of MHS

1. The Duke Endowment for funding this amazing opportunity.2. Minda Brooks, Former Assistant Director to BN Duke, for all

her support and encouragement throughout this experience and my entire Duke career.

3. Mandy and Pat Retzlaff of Mozambique Horse Safari4. Gerald, Evita, and Blakely Wise for being a constant resource

during my travels.

Acknowledgements

Mozambique Horse Safari started in Zimbabwe when President Robert Mugabe enforced the Land Reform Act. Mugabe used this act to take over farms owned by whites in Zimbabwe and give them to native Zimbabweans. While many farmers fled the violence, Mandy & Pat continued to farm, collecting their neighbor’s abandoned horses. When finally forced to leave Zimbabwe for asylum in Mozambique, they left almost all their possessions but took 104 horse refugees. Together Mandy & Pat Retzlaff, below center, have grew MHS from scratch to a healthy eco-tourism company. None of this would have been possible without the hardy character or their love for animals. Through their enterprise they have provided many Mozambicans the opportunity to grow economically while keeping their fishing traditions alive. Eric, a business partner of MHS and local chief, is pictured below on the right.

People of Mozambique Horse Safari

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The most important lesson I learned was patience. The worst insult and biggest mistake to be made in Vilankulos was to lose one’s patience. Despite what would often be best described as chaotic times, I learned to keep my emotions in check, always have an open mind, and in the terms of one of my professors, border cross.

Among other lessons, I took a class with another volunteer that used horsemanship to teach personal leadership. The activity used horses to reveal personal strengths and weaknesses. Through the activity, I was able to see my own leadership style and its effect.

Lessons