Elsezare: Bringing to you the joy of horse riding |24 October 2014

Riding or learning how to ride a horse might be the dream of many and this dream of yours can come true with Elsezare, a Seychellois company managed by Ella S. Rene.

Born in April 1990, Ella always had a natural love for animals which explains her tertiary studies in a Bachelor of Science, double major in Zoology and Environmental Science. She is currently completing an honors in Zoology and Ecology.

“I love all things animal related. Our first project is the riding centre at Barbarons, specifically Elsezare Equine Resort, which is due for completion in December.  It started with my love for horses. I have always been fascinated by them. I learned to ride on La Digue at the age of 5, and since then I've always dreamt of starting a centre so everyone could enjoy the benefits of being around these wonderful creatures,” she said.

After spending some years studying in Australia, Ella returned to her home country to make use of what she had learnt. After some market research she decided to start a business in horse riding.

“Starting a business for a young Seychellois is definitely not easy. It is sometimes hard for others to take you seriously. Business in Seychelles is determined by so many factors and when you are new to everything, it takes a long time to get the hang of how things work. My team and I have been struggling for years to get it set up. At the same time however, I have a great support group – my family, especially my sisters are always helping. I have a great set of friends who do not mind getting dirty every once in a while, feeding horses and raking. But first and foremost I have a great team of employees, and we all want to see this happen,” said Ella.

How did the love of horses change her life?  “It started since I was a little girl. There is just something about animals, especially horses. Here are creatures five times your weight, 10 times as strong, and yet they allow us to touch them, ride them, and play with them. It is just good for your soul, which is why I think they're so successful in therapeutic activities. My love of animals grew from then and intensified when I based my studies on them. I've also founded an animal welfare society, Saws (Seychelles Animal Welfare Society) in the hope of working against animal neglect and cruelty here. The riding centre will work closely with Saws and other similar agencies to bring in an atmosphere of love and kindness to all living things,” she added.

Once work is completed on the riding centre, basic riding lessons will start, with prices ranging from R200 to R300 per session per person dependent on age.
 
“We are also working with some schools with the hope of introducing horse riding in their curricula. Once the facilities are completed we will offer riding lessons, trail rides, and many more activities. The riding centre will also have a few self-catering villas attached to it so that tourists and locals from other islands can stay for a period of time while enjoying our services. Our facilities will be world class, with a riding arena, round yards and clubhouse.

 We are also hoping to be able to breed our own Seychelles race of horses, the ‘Digwa’, which is a whole story on its own, and later on re-introduce them to La Digue where they belong. We currently have nine horses, with one just born on September 1.”
In order to keep in touch with the horse lovers, Elsezare has an active Facebook page.

Currently, Elsezare employs three locals and every now and then recruits casual/temporary workers including youth looking for holiday or part-time jobs. “For sure when the place will be fully operational we will bring in five more local workers,” Ella concluded.

Vidya Gappy