Score one for the hayburners! :D http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3278499.stm "...The BBC's Ebrima Sillah in Dakar [Senegal] says a 20-minute journey can take more than an hour during the city's rush hour. Frustrated passengers are now using a new horse and cart taxi service, which is adept at beating the jams.
"The roads are sometimes very busy so we take the shorts cuts to get home faster than the cars," says Alhadj Mbaye a horse taxi operator. The horses are able to use paths leading to the centre of Dakar and unlike minibus taxis are never overloaded... "Sidi Sarr, a businessman, says the horse carts are quicker, cheaper and more reliable than taxis. With the growing numbers of unemployed people, the mode of transport has also become a reliable source of income for many in Dakar..." I hope they are making provisions for watering troughs; when I was in New Orleans in 1997, I was very pleased with the condition of the horses and mules I saw in the cabbie lines - the stand had abundant fresh water, and I didn't see any open sores or underweight animals. With reasonable care, a horse can work for about 12-13 years (I'm allowing for less veterinary care there, but assuming at least some grain supplementation and shoeing - in the West a pleasure horse can be expected to be rideable for at least 20 years), and composted manure (takes about a year to ripen properly without solar tumblers) is excellent for vegetable gardens. Tail hair can be made into ropes, belts and decorative items (hatbands, woven bracelets etc.)...OK, I'll halt there... ;) Born To Trot Maru :) __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
