“My heart will never forget it.” That’s what accomplished rider Simon Blake says when he looks back on a recent bucket list horseback safari to Kenya, where he was in the saddle for up to seven hours a day, watched a pride of lions play just metres from his horse and sank into deep sleeps under canvas every night.
He said: “We watched lions within metres, crossed the river with hippos, cantered by zebras and giraffes. It was utterly breath-taking. I only wish everyone had the chance to experience it. Nothing beats Africa!”
Simon (51), originally from Cornwall who lives in Clapham, London, with husband Jonny and their beloved Staffordshire bull terrier, Dolly, has loved all things equestrian ever since being a child. Recently finding a photo of the first time he sat on a pony (below), he remembers never wanting to get off.
Chief executive of the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, he explained: “When I was a child we begged, borrowed (and never actually stole) ponies to ride. I was lucky; I was brave (and possibly stupid) and the pony club mums used to put me on the unruly ponies. It was the early ‘80s and we were much less risk-conscious then.”
Horses are Simon’s passion and has had significant success competing at grassroots level. He explained: “I absolutely love horses and competing – particularly eventing, but showjumping too. I am ridiculously lucky to now have two horses – Boris (below), a warmblood, and Obi, an Irish sport horse – and am hoping to do an international class either this year or next.
“Boris and I had a mixed year last year but finished the 2024 season winning our last event of the year, winning our last showjumping class and our last Arena Eventing qualifier for the BE championships. Obi became part of the Blake family on 1st January 2025 – we have done a couple of 105cm and will be doing our first event in March.”
Simon explored some of the world in his 20s and 30s and absolutely loved it. Over the last 15 years, he and Jonny have got into a rhythm of spending a lot of time in Cornwall, where Simon’s family are, in Wiltshire with horsey friends and going to a health retreat on Koh Samui, Thailand.
He said: “Jonny and I have been together 20 plus years and we know what we like to do. When you work hard, time is a premium and going to places we know and enjoy really works for us.”
Simon had always wanted to go on a horseback safari and put it on his travel bucket list on his 40th birthday, to do by the time he was 50. His recent trip was with taken with fellow equestrian pals who are members of the Lucinda Green Cross Country Academy – an online cross country riding platform.
Lucinda Green herself (with Simon, above) is regarded by many as equestrian world royalty and is one of the best cross country riders of all time. She’s the world and double European champion, an Olympic silver medallist and dual Burghley and six-time Badminton horse trials winner – so he was in awe-inspiring company.
Simon explained:
I had gone on a riding safari in 2023 in South Africa, on a private park, going back to the same camp each night. It was great but I wanted to experience moving from one place to another and had a feeling for how amazing a moving safari could be.
Lucinda has been riding with Offbeat Riding Safaris for many years and we went as an academy group. There were 14 of us, from the UK, Australia and the USA, all connected to Lucinda or the academy. Some of us had met in real life and some online. We really enjoyed the company of one another. I just need to go to Melbourne, Australia, and Maryland in the USA now to visit them!
Flying to Nairobi, we overnighted in the Kenyan capital before boarding a smaller plane and flying to the Maasai Mara National Park next day, to start the safari. Then again on the return leg, when I got the date of my return flight wrong and ended up having another, unplanned night in Nairobi!
Spending so long in the saddle every day, you definitely had to know how to ride. We were asked in advance whether we preferred a slower or sharper horse (I preferred the latter), so the organisers had an idea of our capability and what would make us happy. We had a test ride on the first day and then, assuming we matched, we got on with it.
My horse for the trip, Wurley (above), was about 16.2, dark bay with a little star and the most perfect personality. I am not sure of his exact breeding but he had played polo previously. He was sure-footed, didn’t mess around and he was an absolute dude!
He looked after me. One day, for example, I thought we were goners as one of his back legs slipped down a ditch, but he pulled us back to safety. I adored him.
We rode for between four and seven hours a day. Riding gear (helmets, boots, etc) were not provided and we took our own. There was plenty of speed and also terrain where you had to go slowly and let the horse pick their way through. The countryside was stunning – miles and miles of Africa. My heart will never forget it.
We saw elephants, lions, hyenas, zebra, warthog, wildebeest, giraffe, buffalo and we got really close. We sat and watched lions play for 45 minutes about 100 metres away.
On day one, we had a briefing from the team about the importance of looking, listening and following instructions. Nothing is 100% guaranteed, of course – we signed a disclaimer – but the team did everything to make sure we were safe and the horses were so sure-footed.
I wasn’t nervous at any point because I trusted the guides (and I have been accused of having a little too much courage/stupidity). My heart did skip a beat when an elephant started chasing us. The guide Simon’s voice went up a few octaves, so I knew it was serious, but even then, I was excited for the getaway.
What I took away from the briefing was this: be kind to your horse; look and listen to the guide; do as you are told; don’t get cocky and ask for help if you need it.
During the safari, we stayed at four different sites, each of which site had a tent, toilet facility for each, shower between two tents and a mess tent for delicious food and fun evenings of sharing food, reflecting on the days experience and swapping tales.
I had my own tent as I was the only man on the trip travelling on his own. The food was stunning and we ate wonderfully – chicken, steak, pasta, salad and veggies – actually more delicious food than you could shake a stick at!
Every night, we had a communal supper and a few drinks. I don’t recall chatting after 10.30pm. It was that beautiful tiredness, the kind that, when you put your head on the pillow, you quickly sank into the most perfect sleep.
Offbeat Riding Safaris put on a trip like no other. I cannot praise the food, the wine and the ‘safari knowledge’ of the team highly enough. All of that provided the amazing backdrop for riding across the terrain for hours a day with the most spectacular views, the enormous expanse, the abundance of animals you can only experience in Africa, the feeling of being out in the open, the partnership with your horse and the sunsets.
Offbeat made the magic happen time and time again. I said more than once to fellow travellers: “Every time you think it cannot get better, it just gets better and better and better.”
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