u/misty43810

For those who have done Gamewatchers/Porini- how rough is it? I like their philosophy and the conservancy model, and who doesn’t want an authentic safari experience? But I just don’t know if the bucket shower and communal meals would be a huge downside. After weeks of going back and forth with all the different options, I figured it’s better to ask here-for a first time family safari experience (traveling with a teen), would you recommend Gamewatchers/Porini? Will we regret not choosing something more luxurious? Also looking at Elewana, Mara Plains, etc. Ruled out JW Marriott because it’s not in a conservancy.

Just came back from Peru. Glad to say that D’Candela is pretty close to authentic pollo à la brasa we tried in Peru. Now I’m curious where I can find cuy in Chicagoland. Any tips?

Non horse person here so please bear with me-We are in the US(Midwest)

My 13 yo daughter has been riding for about 4 years. Finally started with a “serious” trainer 9 months ago. My daughter loves this trainer. He is very experienced and she is making great progress.

Her trainer sent me this text message last month-

“Starting this month, I will be offering a few options for saddle use for xx’s riding.

I have provided as a priority courtesy to xx my personal custom Voltaire saddle for her preferred use .

The 3 saddle options that I can make available to A are the following:
Option #1
- Switching back to a School saddle
Monthly use-no charge

Option#2
- Continue to use my custom Voltaire Saddle at a monthly rental rate - $200

Option #3
-Begin a search of shopping for xx her own personal custom fitted saddle . I would be happy to assist in looking at pricing of new or used custom models and setting up trial use period. “

I know nothing about saddles. Since we don’t have a horse, buying a saddle doesn’t make sense, so I went with option 2 and paid the $200 for the first month. (Daughter currently rides one specific lesson horse 90% of the time)

I asked around and a few of my equestrian acquaintances told me I should just do the school saddle instead of paying $200/mon. Obviously it is costly to lease the saddle each month and I would like to avoid it if possible. I doubt the trainer is intentionally ripping us off. I’m just not sure how to handle this situation. Is this a common scenario in the horse world? If the trainer thinks his custom saddle is best for the horse my daughter rides, would my daughter’s progress be impeded if we switch to a schools saddle? Would that offend the trainer?

I would appreciate any advice on how to handle this. Thanks