Sparks and Kabul
Journey: Lahore to China
Breed: Kabul (Mazari), Sparks (Afghani crossbreed)
Age: Each around 10 years
A polo player recently looked at both my mares and said "use them and throw them away." It's a level of contempt on the subcontinent that I've often found for horses not born in heaven. Yet every horse has their own characteristics and foibles that make each one an individual, whether good or bad. The same goes for my two.
It was a chilly morning in Peshawar when I bought the troublesome twosome; Kabul from a wizened wily old trader called Dost Mohammad (an old 19 th Century ruler of Afghanistan who was certainly no friend of the British) who had just brought her himself from Mazar-e-Sherif in Northern Afghanistan . And of course Sparks from a cart owner called Fayaz Khan who'd just stopped for chai (tea) outside of the horse market. Both mares are as different as black from white but then the team wouldn't work otherwise.
: As I write this Kabul is eating. And when I finish I guarantee she won't. This short stocky brown mare from Afghanistan eats every minute of the day. She never stops. At first I thought she was fat from overfeeding but I have never seen anything like it. Non-stop, all night, every break and every opportunity this survivalist eats everything. And that's not all.
Kabul was born in the mountains of Northern Afghanistan home to sheep, shepherds and goats. She had never seen a tractor before, let alone a juggarnaught lorry but she's adapted to Pakistan like a duck to water. She never moans, snorts or lets out any sign that she's under duress. As we work harder she eats more. As we travel further she goes slower. It's obviously very annoying but it provides the check and balance to survive this journey. I am continually amazed by how quickly any burns caused by rubbing boxes heal. She hasn't been bothered by the intense traffic of Pakistan 's roads or the ice in the mountains. She's a true mountain horse and a complete contradiction to Sparks .
: Sparks is a character and not an easy one to write about. She's uncertain whilst being a leader. She's willful whilst being affectionate. She always wants to take the lead but often hesitates at the slightest of things. Whenever we set off Sparks will look at me, double check and then rush forwards. I'm just beginning to understand her. There is a history to her current behaviour.
Before I bought her she was a tonga horse used to wearing blinkers and being beaten mercilessly over the rump with large sticks. She is especially sensitive in that area now.
Sparks certainly makes this journey interesting. She will only walk at my side, never behind. She's heroically patient and often puts up with Kabul 's arm wrenching stops to eat and kindness goes a very long way with her.
Both mares are as opposite as the poles, but that seems to work. As the weeks role by I've seen Sparks calm down a lot and Kabul become less obstinate. It's actually impossible now to separate them and if you do the whole neighbourhood knows about it.
With a horse I can't predict the future and that's what makes this journey exciting - not knowing what's going to happen next. Your horse is your friend and your companion. You cannot predict and you can only understand them. It's a time old relationship, which despite the troubles still brings a smile to my face when we are about to set off. Above all we are a team.
