How the Sahara's Youngest Riders Earn Their Place | SLICE | FULL DOCUMENTARY

[00:00:09]At the border of the Sahara Desert is Chad, a harsh and primitive country in the vast dry savanas and scalding deserts where men are successful in preserving their way of life and traditions.

[00:00:23]Here, one seldom finds asphalt roads and the dirt roads are often destroyed by violent sand and rainstorms.

[00:00:30]As far as can be remembered, horses, donkeys, and camels have always been used for moving men and goods, gathering herds, and defending territory.

[00:00:40]In small villages in which time stands still, the children become shepherds at a very young age.

[00:00:51]Despite living a free and independent cowboy existence, the young African riders still have to prove themselves all in order to be accepted in the adult world.

[00:01:04]This is Heni's situation. In less than two weeks, he is going to participate in his first ritual course, the Grand Fantasia, where he represents his village. At 12 years old, Heni is proud of the trust that has been placed on him, but he is also a bit nervous.

[00:01:30]My name is Hini. My father is the head of the village. I live in Kilik. Thanks to my horse, I can keep an eye on my dad's herd.

[00:01:42]We have calves, sheep, and zebus. I am 12 years old.

[00:02:53]These herds of zebas are longhorned African cows that represent the great richness of Sahara inhabitants.

[00:03:02]Heni looks after his father's livestock like the apple of his eye. Every night after a day of herd grazing, he has to return them to the village.

[00:03:12]My horse is 5 years old. His name is Greylight. Being a shepherd and watching the animals takes a lot of time. I don't have time to go to school.

[00:03:29]This year there were very generous amounts of rain. All the ponds around the village are filled up with water and abundant pastures. Only with night approaching for his seni and his fellow shepherds, they have to rapidly walk the zebas out of the water. When the cool air sets in, the livestock are at risk for catching a cold and becoming ill.

[00:04:03]It's a shame if you don't know how to ride a horse around here.

[00:04:06]>> And if you don't have a horse, that's another shame. A good cattle razor needs at least a horse and a pair of dogs.

[00:04:18]This is in case of thieves.

[00:04:21]The dogs will alert you and then the horse will be ready to go after the thief.

[00:04:34]In the last few days, the herds of the nomadic feladas have joined with the killme herds. The fatas are pull descendants. They colonized and introduced Islam to the area and brought with them a lot of Arabic horses. They live in handbraided tents that they bring with them on their slow migrations.

[00:04:52]They are looking for a permanent source of water and pasture for their livestock.

[00:04:56]The feladas feed themselves with curd from their cattle. During difficult times or marriage, they sell a cow or several goats.

[00:05:16]>> We have a donkey in the house. It was on him that I trained myself how to ride when I was 5 years old. The donkey would make me fall and this scared me. But after each fall, I came back up again.

[00:05:28]Afterwards, I rode on a small calf. I trained myself on a small bull and at 6 years old, I started with my first horse. My father was proud of me. Then he gave me his horse named Grreyite. It is me who now feeds him and takes care of him. Since I was small, I saw my dad participate in the Fantasia. Now he is older. It is my turn to take the leash.

[00:05:53]In 15 days, it will be my first race.

[00:06:14]At the village, it has already been weeks that Heni is looking for somebody to give him advice and to train him for the Grand Fantasia.

[00:06:22]But the men have all left for the bush to feed the herds. Others have gone to the market to sell their livestock and crops. Heni decides to change clothes and go to the market.

[00:06:39]>> Thursday is the market day in Masagette.

[00:06:42]Stephanie is a 21-year-old French woman.

[00:06:46]She has come here to buy a horse for the equestrian club that she runs in Jamina, the capital of Chad.

[00:06:53]Abacar, her right-hand man at the equestrian club, accompanies her.

[00:07:05]The cattle and horse market is situated just outside the village where stockreeders and buyers make their way by the dozens every Thursday.

[00:07:34]Heni found his uncle Omar at the market.

[00:07:37]His uncle is a stockreeder.

[00:07:39]He's here to sell one of his best horses.

[00:07:42]Heni hopes to make connections with other riders and maybe find someone to train him.

[00:08:01]>> While Omar has some tea with the other stock breeders, Heni looks after his uncle's horse.

[00:08:27]here. This horse isn't taken care of very well. He's a little dirty.

[00:08:31]>> It is injured.

[00:08:33]>> He's injured on the back and here on the legs. There have been a lot of flies and mosquitoes. The problem is not flies.

[00:08:40]The problem is that the horse has sorons. This horse has a good back that doesn't cause it any pain. But look, what are these? They look like cysts.

[00:08:50]This will bother the horse once we put a saddle on him. It would be better to pick a horse with no problems, but this one will have health problems if it gets hurt.

[00:08:59]>> Okay, let's go find another horse.

[00:09:04]>> Here in Chad, we don't have veterinarians that specialize in horses.

[00:09:07]We don't have X-ray equipment, so it's better to choose a horse in good health instead of a horse that already has problems. It would be too difficult to remedy these problems.

[00:09:27]The horse's origin is not important since people here don't record the parents pedigree. So, you pick a horse more for its physical and mental abilities. If I look for a horse for beginners, I'll try to find one that's small and not easily scared of anything so the beginners could feel confident.

[00:09:45]Now, if it's a horse for more advanced riders, I'll look more for physical qualities. Strong legs, a good back, a good mouth. After that, it depends on what you want to do with the horse. It depends on if I want a horse for dr or jumping or a horse that can do a little of both.

[00:10:06]>> Okay. Please ask him the price.

[00:10:22]To buy a horse, first they'll give you a starting price. Generally, you can bargain down to half that price. Because we're Europeans, they tend to hike up the prices. All this can easily take half an hour. Well, it actually depends on how much time you have and how much money you want to spend.

[00:10:50]In this country, you can buy a good horse starting at €600, but the price can go up to €1,500.

[00:10:59]Most people here see the horse only as a means of transportation, taking you from one point to the next. They don't pay a great deal of attention to them. They don't know that a horse's clogs need to be cut or that a horse's stomach needs to be purged.

[00:11:15]By the same token, people start to ride a horse when it's too young. This is why the horses here tend to be very small and physically deficient. People don't realize this. Then there's a lack of resources. People already have a problem feeding themselves. So, imagine taking proper care of their horses. How could they?

[00:11:39]Heni was given the task of riding his uncle's horse to Stephanie's equestrian club 50 km away.

[00:11:50]>> Is this a good horse?

[00:11:53]Of course.

[00:11:56]>> We were afraid he might fall.

[00:11:59]>> That's impossible.

[00:12:01]>> Did he gallop?

[00:12:02]>> Yes, a little. Look, this is the new horse that Stephanie bought. He's beautiful. I heard he comes from Masagat.

[00:12:10]>> There's a horse market there, I think.

[00:12:12]Oh, I would like to go there to see.

[00:12:14]This is where she bought it.

[00:12:15]>> You think he's beautiful?

[00:12:17]>> Yes, he's beautiful.

[00:12:20]You've seen how husky he is. I hope you will ride him well, even jumping.

[00:12:25]Look at the boy. He brought the horse.

[00:12:27]He rides better than you.

[00:12:30]>> Did he bring the horse?

[00:12:32]>> Yes, he did. Now, you need to take care of the horse. You need to clean and brush him.

[00:12:37]>> Don't worry, we will.

[00:12:38]>> Good. This way, he'll become our best jumping horse.

[00:12:44]>> Estella is French. She is 11 years old.

[00:12:48]She rides at the club regularly.

[00:12:51]Today, she's training for the jumping competition, which takes place in less than two weeks. She'll be the youngest rider in the competition.

[00:13:00]Heni is intrigued by this young blonde girl who is his age and uses such a small saddle to ride horses.

[00:13:08]>> On my 8th birthday, my parents gave me a gift. They enrolled me in an equestrian club.

[00:13:23]>> The difference between riding in France and riding here. In France, the horses do not have the same character as they do here. Here, they're more rambunctious. They're harder to hold.

[00:13:34]But I still prefer the horses here to the horses in France. I don't know why.

[00:13:58]Heni is watching the Dr. and jumping courses with interest. So this is how Europeans learn how to control their horses. They can take them wherever they want with hardly any tension in the rains. Isn't this small girl afraid of falling?

[00:14:17]>> Use your legs.

[00:14:19]>> Yes, I've fallen before. That's for sure. Both in France and here. But no, I'm not afraid of falling.

[00:14:27]When you learn how to ride, I think you learn a lot from falling. Cuz when you fall, you don't make the same mistake again.

[00:14:39]Watch the third one with both hands. Two hands.

[00:14:46]>> Like Zion, for example, he really likes jumping. So, he starts off galloping at any small move I make. I would like a horse that goes a little less fast because he is hard to hold on to. For me personally, jumping is what I like most.

[00:15:04]>> Use your legs.

[00:15:06]When I jump over an obstacle, I feel like I'm flying. So, when there are several jumps, I love it. It's great.

[00:15:15]>> Slow him down to a trotting pace before jumping that last one.

[00:15:27]The French who colonized Chad in 1900 brought with them both purebred and raceh horses. The Chadians already loved horses and so became big fans of horse racing.

[00:15:45]Mousurro in the north of the country is the heart of the stock breeding area for raceh horses.

[00:15:52]Musa is 15 years old. He comes from a family of cattle herders. He works as a stable boy.

[00:16:01]>> My name is Musa Adris. I have been riding horses for six years.

[00:16:09]I have learned with my village friends with whom I used to gallop in the bush.

[00:16:25]>> One day my parents sent me to town to live with my brother. I saw them training with a horse. Then I decided to become the same thing they were to become a jockey.

[00:16:44]I asked my brother Adum to teach me. He said, "Okay, for the moment we participate in races here in Musuro.

[00:16:53]Then we will return to Jamina.

[00:16:56]I can't wait because my brother promised me that he would have me participate in my first race soon.

[00:17:02]What I really want is to race in Jamina.

[00:17:05]I want to become a jockey. Nothing else will please me.

[00:17:34]Tabros, this horse runs very quickly and is very strong.

[00:17:43]But in this moment, I prefer to ride with big man.

[00:17:54]Big man is a stubborn horse who doesn't want to run very fast because he's a little lazy, but I prefer to learn the job with a slower and stubborn horse that forces me to stare it up.

[00:18:06]And then I must hold it back and try not to lose balance.

[00:18:11]The lazy horse. This is a horse that will teach you how to become a good jockey and to think of a good strategy when you are behind the other racers at the best way to pass those in front of you.

[00:18:39]Chili stand.

[00:18:53]Michelle >> Heni invited Stephanie's right-hand man, Abekar, to his village. Abekar learned how to ride with Europeans. He surely has some tricks up his sleeve to teach Heni. In any case, Abekar accepted the task of training Heni for the Grand Fantasia.

[00:19:16]Heni and his older brother saddle up and rehearse for the day of the Grand Fantasia.

[00:19:22]This sheepkin ornament is not very decorative. It protects against horsefly bites that could be deadly for the horse. In this season, horse flies are everywhere.

[00:19:33]The cattle herders keep the horses indoors and make fires to keep the flies away as they do not like the smoke.

[00:19:41]The colorful fabrics and the skins serve to decorate the horse. They add a sense of pride and prestige for the rider.

[00:19:56]>> Adjust your rains. Do the trot a little in a circle.

[00:20:12]Stop and pull the reinss to make the horse go back.

[00:20:21]>> Warm up the horse.

[00:20:26]Easy. Don't pull too strongly on the rains, otherwise he's going to make you fall.

[00:20:46]Abekar and Heni had become friends. So Abekar takes the young rider to train him alongside the Sharie River.

[00:20:58]See, see I am love.

[00:21:41]This is good practice for the Grand Fantasia. When Heni is among the other riders, he will need to stay confident.

[00:21:49]Above all, he will need to control a wild and excited horse and steer it with precision.

[00:21:56]See, see, see.

[00:22:38]Oh yeah.

[00:23:04]This is the first time that the young 12-year-old shepherd has seen such a large river.

[00:23:09]Heni sees the mischievous look in his new friend's eyes. The young boy's adventures are just beginning.

[00:23:38]Heni doesn't know how to swim and he's never bathed in such a big stretch of water before.

[00:23:44]Despite this, he starts to carefully clean his horse.

[00:24:07]Pop it off.

[00:24:48]This The Chadian horses when they're young are a little bit too wild. But we're lucky because the horses have an excellent fighting spirit. They're not afraid of anything and they trust people because they're taken everywhere.

[00:25:04]Above all, they're wellnatured and they're used to seeing a lot of people around, so they stay calm.

[00:25:25]At the club, people are getting ready for the jumping competitions. Estelle is going to ride Zion, a difficult horse for a young girl because he was trained for male riders.

[00:25:42]>> He's a bit of a rascal. When you're not paying attention and he starts galloping, people don't know why.

[00:25:49]It's because he's happy.

[00:25:52]He's happy to live.

[00:25:54]And for me, I prefer to have an active horse than a horse that does not move.

[00:26:00]At least it shows that he's in good health.

[00:26:18]The first few competitors begin the 13 jump competition.

[00:26:52]It's now Estelle's turn to compete. Heni watches the young girl in her first jumping competition.

[00:27:00]In return, Heni has invited Estelle and her parents to come and see him participate in his first Grand Fantasia.

[00:27:38]Estelle got off to a quick start. She passed through all the jumps without falling over any bars, but then her horse stalled in front of the wall.

[00:28:09]The young rider can be proud of herself.

[00:28:12]Estelle finished the competition with an excellent time and with only two points penalty for the refusal to jump.

[00:28:20]Well, I'm happy most of all when I don't make any mistakes, but I always tell myself that I could do better.

[00:28:30]>> Then in third place is Estelle.

[00:28:39]>> Well done, young lady.

[00:28:50]Very few Chadians compete in the obstacle course mainly because they're not familiar with the discipline.

[00:28:57]It's something that's new to us. It's something that we can do and that could be beneficial to us.

[00:29:03]Generally speaking, owning a horse is expensive.

[00:29:11]Having a horse is a luxury that not everyone can afford.

[00:29:15]Feeding a horse costs money.

[00:29:18]>> It would be more worthwhile to feed four women than to feed one horse.

[00:29:28]>> In Chad, riders and jockeyies train their horses in the bush. They usually ride barefoot without a saddle.

[00:29:41]Ataz Polopalos owns a stable of raceh horses. He is Greek and he has lived in Africa for 37 years. He belongs to a club that is looking to improve the Chadian race by breeding them with Sudin or Anglo-Arabic stallions to be bigger and more resilient.

[00:29:59]He is also teaching Adum and his smaller brother Musa to become great jockeyies.

[00:30:04]A little before the race, he gathers all of his team to give them advice for the day. foreign.

[00:30:47]The jockey needs to have a strong will and plenty of courage.

[00:30:52]It's not easy to gallop at 50 to 60 km an hour.

[00:30:56]If a jockey is even slightly scared, he can't be good. He needs to understand horses to have a feel for them.

[00:31:05]He needs to be in tune with the horse.

[00:31:08]Meaning that he needs to know at what speed to go, what moment to start the run, at what moment to pull the horse back and control it.

[00:31:16]Most of the jockeyies here in Chad are the sons of breeders because they're used to living around livestock and horses. As such, they understand horses.

[00:31:26]They understand their mentality and they know how to take care of them.

[00:31:30]They come to us as children and we teach them the more elaborate things so that they can become good jockeyies.

[00:32:01]The month of Ramadan finishes this morning.

[00:32:04]During this holiday, people come from the surrounding areas to pray as well as attend the races in the central square of Mousorro.

[00:32:27]Whether you win or not, it is God who decides >> at the peak of the race season, the temperature climbs up to 45° centigrade.

[00:32:46]This region is very close to the Sahara.

[00:32:50]The Chadian horses are descendants of the Dongala race who have successfully adapted to these extreme conditions.

[00:32:57]They have no problem standing under the blazing sun and racing through such heat.

[00:33:08]Why am I desping >> Musa the stable boy imagines himself doing his first race for the moment? He is happy to help his brother.

[00:33:49]>> Atanaz remembers the golden age of racing in Chad in the 70s before the civil war.

[00:33:55]With peace returning and the discovery of oil in several areas of the country, he dreams of a new golden age where cattle breeders and jockeyies become important again.

[00:34:07]The jockeys here take far more risks and need to have a great sense of balance.

[00:34:13]>> They're all able to ride without saddles.

[00:34:57]We came here from Jamina.

[00:34:59]>> It's a big effort for us to be here.

[00:35:02]It's a 300 km journey for the horses.

[00:35:05]We can't bring them here in vans because the road is too bad. So, we brought our jockeyies with all their racing saddles and other accessories in order to show the people here how things should evolve in the future.

[00:35:34]In the bush, they're used to running at full speed right from the start all the way to the finish line. By the end of the race, the horses are exhausted. So, we're trying to show the people here how to run the race so that their horses make it to the end.

[00:35:54]With neither saddles nor stirrups, the riders weave dangerously between dust and spectators. They all want to be the first off the line, even at the risk of being disqualified or falling.

[00:36:30]Good public.

[00:36:44]>> When they first start and they're young, naturally they don't listen very much.

[00:36:49]They only think about themselves. But as time goes by, a jockey like Adum realizes that the advice we give him, if applied in the right way, will help him rank higher.

[00:36:59]Now he's reached the stage where he really understands how to control his horse in order to win. He knows that there are some horses that you have to hold back, you know, make them start slowly and then let them go at the end, whilst others you have to start quickly.

[00:37:13]He's understood all of that.

[00:37:19]The horse who ran in front was going really fast. We saw it well from here.

[00:37:26]>> The horses who are going to run next are in good shape. And the winners of the previous one, how many are they? Five or six.

[00:37:36]What motivates me is to win a lot of money and to become a star jockey.

[00:37:40]like my brother who everyone knows.

[00:37:43]Everybody talks about him and people know the name of his horse as well.

[00:37:48]Adum is a very good jockey. He conducts his races well and has a good sense of balance.

[00:37:55]To see him with God's help, I tell myself that I can become as good as him.

[00:38:08]Heat up goat.

[00:38:34]Here we go.

[00:39:13]Adum Musa's brother finishes fourth but is ranked second. Two other horses have been disqualified for starting the race before the starter signal.

[00:39:55]At the start of the 60s, we introduced the photo finish. We began to build starting boxes. Television stations were covering the races. It was very advanced.

[00:40:06]In other central or West African countries, none of that existed.

[00:40:10]Then the war came. But now we have hope.

[00:40:14]We want to recreate how it was before and make it even better.

[00:40:27]In Heni's small village, dozens of riders arrive from the surrounding villages. The journey can take up to a full day's ride. They come to participate in the Grand Fantasia that will take place tomorrow. Heni and his father, the head of the village, are responsible for welcoming them.

[00:41:16]So long you say mashallah.

[00:41:26]The festivals and fantas provide opportunities for all the village heads to receive news from each other, settle disputes and to organize marriages.

[00:41:59]Heni's mother and his father's three other wives must feed more than 100 people tonight. Cow is slaughtered for the occasion.

[00:42:12]Before settling in for the night, riders must feed the horses and give them water.

[00:42:37]A horse eats an armful of hay and two big bowls of millet per day. a real fortune in this country.

[00:42:46]Thankfully, this year's generous rainfall has contributed to better harvests and the hailoffs are full.

[00:42:53]The severe drought of the 80s when half of the cattle died is now just a bad memory.

[00:43:31]What was it though?

[00:43:45]Abbar Allahbar. Allahbar.

[00:44:29]Tomorrow morning is the big day for his seni. He has been chosen from among his 17 siblings to represent the village in the GR fantasia.

[00:44:44]The riders fasten a cloth around their waist to protect themselves in case of a fall. The elder, more experienced rider teaches the younger ones. Both riders and horses are adorned with their best clothes and decorations.

[00:45:13]Heni is uncomfortable. All eyes are on him. Is he going to be at his best?

[00:45:20]Be good today. This is your big day. Try to scream loud so people can hear you from far away. Salute the women when you leave.

[00:45:31]Ebikar's advice helps him to overcome his fear and nervousness.

[00:45:59]The Grand Fantasia relive the glorious past of the nomadic riders who conquer the Sahara with their loyal horses.

[00:46:07]The riders take off at full speed, galloping towards the women lined up in front of them. They must pull the horses up suddenly, but often riders fall or women are trampled by a wild horse.

[00:46:28]Hello.

[00:46:39]Anybody?

[00:47:10]Look at that.

[00:47:17]Hallelujah.

[00:47:47]I'm on my Estelle and her parents have come to watch Heni on his big day. At this moment, he is the hero of his village.

[00:48:42]Hallelujah.

[00:48:47]Hey, hey, HEY.

[00:48:57]HEY, How you got my Here, like in all lands south of the Sahara, the horse is not just a status symbol.

[00:50:14]It is the shepherd's best friend, the king of the races, and the faithful steed of the desert.

[00:50:20]For his sanei, as for all the other riders, to ride his horse in the Grand Fantasia is his greatest pride and joy, the sign of a bright future.

[00:50:40]Anastasia no forget forget no more.

[00:51:03]Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech.

[00:51:14]Anastasia forget.