Moroccan magic

Orange dunes, blue skies and forward-going Barb stallions make for an unforgettable trip says Catherine Austen, as she explores the Sahara from the best seat in the house

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AS we descend a stone-strewn path down an outcrop of sharp black rocks, the horses start jig jogging. The little dappled grey stallion I am riding, Ossmane, begins to bounce, his pricked ears flicking in anticipation.

In front of us is a vast, ancient, dried-up lake bed, bleached bone-white by the desert sun. We are new to the route we are taking through the Moroccan part of the Sahara, but the horses are not. Abdel, our tour guide, says we can spread out but that we are not to overtake him. I shorten my reins and link a couple of fingers through the martingale.

We trot for a few strides, then break into canter. Ossmane shoots forward with the explosive power of a sprinter. Within seconds we are going flat out, and I realise I am going faster than I ever have before on a horse, and I include galloping up Warren Hill in Newmarket on a fit Flat horse in that.

There is only one horse ahead and it isn’t Abdel’s. Laurent, a French diplomat, is about three lengths in front on a rangy roan. Ossmane’s little ears are flat back; he is really racing. He is a Barb stallion, and his breed’s genes provided some of the foundations for racehorses the world over. It is thrilling and slightly terrifying, this flat-out charge with blinding sun beating down.

After a while, I become aware of shouting behind us, and use all my strength to slow Ossmane down. He complies; we drop back to a trot, and Abdel catches up with us. He doesn’t look pleased and I slink towards the back of the pack of 10 riders, leaving Laurent to receive the telling-off.

Laurent’s diplomatic skills are proven: he listens for half a minute, and then changes the subject.