Global Entrepreneurship celebrations |25 November 2020

Students run Turquoise Horse Trail for a day

Damian Dreyer, owner of horse trail business Turquoise Horse Trail, on Saturday welcomed two students from Mont Fleuri and Plaisance schools to run his business situated at Barbarons.

Turquoise Horse Trail offers horse riding tours where clients get to explore and experience the beaches of the west coast. For anyone who enjoys nature, embarking on this adventure can broaden their knowledge about the ecosystem and ecotourism.

The objective of this ‘Global Entrepreneurship Week’-related activity was to give the students an opportunity to experience what goes on behind the scenes of a business with the aim of building their confidence, decision-making and interpersonal skills while also learning how to be proactive.

By having real life clients for the day, Mr Dreyer felt that students would be able to discover their hidden talents and aspire to open their own business.

Initially, the clients were informed about the change of operation, however it was requested that they proceed as normal as possible and most importantly, enjoy the tour.

The students – Lyandra Bastienne from Plaisance secondary and Sajah Leon from Mont Fleuri secondary –kicked off their day with a safety briefing followed by basic handling training in which they had to learn how to manoeuvre the horses comfortably throughout the guided tours.

They were explained that safety drills are imperative in a business as it gives a sense of direction to their activities and sends the message out to their clients that their well-being are being prioritized.

These drills have proven to be crucial in line with the activity going smoothly, which plays a major role in regards to their clients’ experience at the end of the activity.

The students were thereafter exposed to a mini business management training. They gained some understanding about marketing, customer service, human resource management and bookkeeping. They were required to learn about leadership skills, problem solving, planning and strategising.

Given that their tasks entailed working in nature and with animals, a session on environmental education was also conducted. Students got the chance to learn a number of fun facts about the flora and fauna of Seychelles. As a result, the knowledge gathered during the session was proudly exchanged to the clients during their tours. Moreover, they were educated on how to incorporate the practice of sustainability in a business by applying environmentally friendly practices throughout the day such as beach litter clean-up as well as trail clean-up among many others.

As the day progressed, the students learned about daily stable management and horse care routines, enabling them to groom and feed the horses in preparation for the booked tours. As per protocol, they were required to carry out a final check prior to the clients’ arrival. This particular activity taught the students about how important it is to be responsible, reliable and vigilant in such business.

“Turquoise Horse Trails is proud to be involved in the Global Entrepreneurship Week. We would like to thank the organisers, the department of Entrepreneurship and Industry, Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry. It has been an exceptional week filled with pertinent and stimulating activities that will positively influence the youth. The students who participated in our activity were focused and enthusiastic. We believe that we have enticed them to be part of the growing trend of entrepreneurs who are going to be the next eco-tourism operator leaders. Eco-tourism will play a vital role in the successful relaunching of the tourism industry. The eco-tourism industry should be based on sustainable practices with small groups and developed for independent entrepreneurs who will bring passion into their work and revive the Creole Spirit that may have lost a bit of its lustre due to over commercialising. We should strive for quality over quantity. Looking forward to seeing the results of this exciting week,” said Mr Dreyer.

This activity was conducted in conjunction with the Global Entrepreneurship Week which is the largest and most visible one-week campaign affiliated with entrepreneurship, which occurs annually every November and celebrated among more than 170 countries with approximately 10 million people across the globe.

This year, Seychelles hosted the GEW and secured multiple participants such as Turquoise Horse Trail to assist in promoting the values of entrepreneurship in Seychelles.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the two students’ adventure at the Turquoise Horse Trail.

Contributed by the department of Entrepreneurship and Industry