As the sun sets over the sandy hills of the mighty Al Awafi desert,
a group of horsemen start making their way silently through the dunes in search
of troublemakers and outlaws who may have taken refuge in the desert. Each
emirate has a horse patrol division to monitor areas outside cities that are
hard to reach by car. Not armed just carrying cellphones and walkie-talkies so
they can communicate with each other, the horsemen never mix in with people;
they stand close to farms and fenced-up campus areas listening for any signs of
trouble. Most of the horsemen are from India. They go out in groups of six or
eight, then pair off and patrol in different directions into the wide desert.
They try to cover as much ground as possible. They patrol regularly throughout
the year; each pair of horsemen works a four-hour shift.
