Riding to school in Thailand?

How did you used to go to school, just like me walking to primary school and later by bicycle to secondary and higher education? Or are you already of the generation that was brought and picked up by car by mom or dad?

In Thailand it is not much different, it is walking, not by bicycle, but on a moped or by school bus. But with one horse I was not yet familiar with school. Yet in this short video you see a 7-year-old Thai girl in her school uniform riding a horse through a busy street. Isn't that cute?

The video was previously posted on Thai social media and received a lot of views and comments. You may think it's dangerous for such a child alone on a horse in a busy street, but rest assured, the girl is not on her way to school. The reality is – as so often in Thailand – different.

Kornkanya “Bai Bua” Tapnaka

The photo and video show those in the know that the video was made in a town in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, and a local journalist investigated the background.

The 7-year-old girl on the horse is Kornkanya “Bai Bua” Tapnaka, a second grade student of a primary school. Kornkanya told the reporter that every day after school she goes to help her parents on the beach, where her father offers horseback riding to tourists and her mother sells ice cream.

After work, Kornkaya rides her trusty 10-year-old horse See Thong home, while her parents ride the motorcycle ice-cream van behind her (pictured). Their route from the beach to home is about 7 kilometers.

Father Tapnaka

Kornkanya's 33-year-old father, Wanchalerm Tapnaka, said his daughter has been riding horses since she was four years old. Although he still keeps following her closely every time, Wanchalerm said he is not really worried, because See Thong is a tame horse, who gets along well with little Kornkanya. The daily ride home from the beach is always an experience for Kornkanya and she would be very sad if she were no longer allowed to drive on See Thong.

Not to school, but still fun, isn't it?

– Reposted message –