Haitian Horses

Today after we returned from the H-Trip and the school, I was offered the chance to ride Starry's horse. In Haiti, horses are a very common form of transportation. Such as at the market, where the parking lot was made up of a series of posts that people tied their horses and donkeys to. Also when we were hiking, where every so often, a Haitian would pass us leading a horse with saddlebags full of food and other necessities, nearly knocking us off the trail. When we went to Petite Riviere, many men would gallop along the beach on horseback. Driving through Deschapelles and Verettes, many people use it as a means of transportation. For Starry, horseback riding means access to plots of land that are difficult to reach by car is made more efficient. Haitian horses are very different from American horses. They are a lot smaller, about half the size of a normal horse. The Haitians don't have leather saddles like in America. They construct bulky wooden saddles out of whatever they have to use. Starry had a saddle pad for her horse instead of a big saddle. Riding horses is an efficient means of transportation in a country where there are few cars, and the next easiest solution is walking wherever you want to go.

Orevwa!

-Lily