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Text and photographs
© Marie-Emmanuelle Tugler
and Marc Witz
All rights reserved
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Portraits
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Marie-Emmanuelle Tugler
Marie, 27, is a DESS certificated. Head
of international marketing at Strasbourg.
"In my saddlebags I am putting a real
passion for horses going back for 15 years (jumping competitions
and dressage for six years and as an Equestrian Touring coach),
one year spent in Spain, six months in England and one year
in the American Rockies to study and travel. Add to that several
visits to countries with different cultures such as Indonesia,
Mexico, Morocco and Japan.
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Marc Witz
Marc, 30, commercial engineer at Strasbourg.
"In my saddlebags I bring the same passion
for the horse (horse-ball and trail riding), an extraordinary
expedition in the United States going from east to west climbing
the highest mountains, one year of study and discovery in
Quebec, and several short expeditions backpacking in Morocco
and the East."
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Max
Max is a little cocker spaniel weighing
10 kg who is already a seasoned trail rider. He will not lose
his sense of humor or his liveliness!
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The work of a tightly-knit team.
4 volunteers will play their part in the
success of the Saga project: Candice Deparday for communications,
Yvan Schavandascht will manage the accounts, Marie-Caroline
Martin the legal affairs, and Fanny Guédon the administration.
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Saga - On Horseback across South
America
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Aims
- To ride across the Argentine,
Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru with the same team and
without any back-up.
- To prove the quality of Criollo
horses by completing a long and successful expedition.
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Characteristics of the expedition
- Team: 1 couple, 1 dog, 2 saddle horses,
2 pack-horses.
- Itinerary: Argentine to Peru, via Brazil,
Paraguay and Bolivia.
- Length of expedition: February 2000-2008
to March 2003.
- Mileage anticipated: 5000 miles.
- Speed: 30 kilometers (19 miles) a day
on the plains and 15 kilometers (9 miles) a day high in
the mountains.
- Estimated budget: 200,000 French francs
(US$30,000).
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Saga
is above all a source of discovery and learning : different
cultures, new natural environments, but also to adapt ourselves,
our horses, and our dog to situations which will vary along
our route.
In
testing ourselves in this way, we must show physical and psychological
strength when we meet difficulties, exhaustion, and intemperate
weather.
It
is also a question of confidence, of personality and of will,
in the course of which the horses will be our mirror.
Finally,
it will be a year of emotions, of sharing and of being at
one with nature, with legends and with the people.
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Approach
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Sporting : The
ever-present Argentinian Pampa, with hills as varied as they
are extreme (from 0 to 15,000 feet), a relatively gentle climate
(from -3o to 30o C - 24o to 85o F) and a large production
of cereals (for feeding the horses) make up an excellent terrain
for horseback travel.
Cutural : Riding
to meet Gauchos, following in the footsteps of the Jesuit
missionaries, listening to the Indian legends to the sound
of traditional music, and discovering the extraordinary atmosphere
of the Inca cities. This itinerary will enable us to get the
most out of the rich cultural inheritance of the major part
of South America.
Ecological: In
this earthly paradise, we expect to meet a wealth of animal
species (Lamas, condors, sloths, toucans, pink flamingos.)
and surrealistic areas (Pampas, The Andes, The Iguazo Falls,
Lake Titicaca) which we will be able to admire from atop our
mounts.
Social : Close
to horses, excellent musicians and enthusiastic dancers, the
Latin people are also close to the sky and to legends. On
this journey we will have thousands of meetings, starting
with children who are even more curious than their parents.
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Marie-Emmanuelle and Marc are at the moment
busy preparing for their expedition, so please do not hesitate
to get in touch with them :
e-mail
address
(33) 03 88 84 60 12
(33) 06 12 78 26 90
Visit
the official site
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Previsional timetable
The dates below are a guide only
- they will depend on the weather and any difficulties we may encounter.
February 2000-2008 : Leave Buenos
Aires for the stud where we will choose our horses. We will start
training the four horses.
 March
2000-2008 : Leave the Pampas in northern Argentina in Mesopotamia.
At a low altitude, it is crisscrossed by a large number of watercourses.
This fertile region where bogs and hills alternate used to be the
kingdom of the legendary Gauchos. Today it is still a region where
horses and cattle are bred. Northern cape of the Misiones province.
Luxuriant subtropical forest will lead us to one of the wonders
of the world : the Iguazo Falls which in some places are over 80
meters (240 feet) high.
April 2000-2008 : Our first border
- into Paraguay. Crossing the Chaco, which means hunting country
in the local dialect. There is a wide variety of fauna in the jungle
and the Savanna.
May 2000-2008 : Second border
crossing to explore a small part of the Brazilian Pantanal, paradise
for the horses.
June 2000-2008 : Entry into Bolivia
by Corumba. Following the railway as far as Santa Cruz. This region,
with an ecosystem between the plains and the Amazon Basin, was chosen
by the Jesuits to raise the Republics of God.
July 2000-2008 : From Stanta
Cruz we start the most strenuous part of our expedition : progressively
climbing the Andes.
September 2000-2008 : We will
reach the surroundings of La Paz in the Andes (4000 meters - 12000
feet - high).
October 2000-2008 : La Paz/Cuzco
(Peru) - 500 kilometers on the Altiplano, a flat plain 4000 meters
above sea-level. Go around Lake Titicaca on its eastern side and
cross into the Peru. This is the largest navigable lake, which is
175 kilometers (110 miles) long. On our way we will see the Temple
of Viracoccha and Machupicchu, symbolic sites of the Empire of the
Sun.
November 2000-2008 : Our return
journey starts on the western side of Lake Titicaca and we will
enter Bolivia at Desaguadero.
December 2000-2008 : The Epicurean
Valley. Sucre (the restful town or white city), capital of Bolivia.
Then on to the wine-growing region of Tarija.
January 2003 :A change of
scenery as we go to the province of Jujuy, the arid zone of north-west
Argentina. The Guayatayuc Lagoon will be our oasis.
February 2003 : Crossing
the southern Chaco to return to our point of departure.
March 2003 : Return to Buenos
Aires.
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IDDN certification