TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Survivors of the flood and landslide that struck Harkatjaya Village in Bogor Regency are currently isolated in the village that can only be accessed through air transport or on off-road vehicles. This drove a number of volunteers to deliver humanitarian aid by horseback riding.

“Horses are more efficient compared to motorized vehicles because we can travel through thick forests,” said Zaelani, one of the horse-riding flood volunteers Tempo met on Wednesday, January 8, at the humanitarian post in Harkatjaya, Sukajaya, Bogor.

According to Zaelani, he and his fellow equestrians - who all come from Ciomas in the City of Bogor and Serang City - went to the flood-stricken region to assist in the distribution of logistics on their own initiative.

“The horses are all trained and have mastered tracks like these,” said another volunteer named Nazwan who asserts that they do not ride horseback while the ‘Sandel’ horses carry up to 100-kilograms of humanitarian aid.

Nazwan also noted that with the local breed of horses, they only need to fulfill the horses’ hunger after each trip, as the horses’ stamina and strength are used to go on Bogor’s mountainous and hilly terrain.

Mahfuzulloh Al Murtadho