Maobi is a powerful horse; a well fed stallion, full of beans. But he has spent his life so far in the rarefied and leafy Circle Hippique in Bamako, and has perhaps never seen or heard a donkey before. The flocks of sheep that pass before him in his new stable are a new discovery, as are the dusty open open spaces which will become his new environment. Under the circumstances he is behaving well, he is not frightened but he is very excited.
Tonight my old friend Haidara the marabout will come for a visit on the splendid Zaloc who is equally high-spirited. Erica has decreed, quite wisely, that Maoby must stay in the stable when he comes. The sight of Zaloc will make him impossible to handle- he is likely to attack and we will not be able to hold him. Later, when he he is used to the environment, when I know him better, then I will ride him at a distance from Zaloc at first. More horse business will follow shortly...