Sun, Sea and Saddles: horse-riding holiday with Wild Coast Horse Riding Adventures

The Kei River Horse Trail is for those who want to leave the limits and restrictions of everyday life behind and embrace the freedom to be yourself and discover the beauty of the Wild Coast from the back of a well-loved, sure-footed equine friend.

Does the mere thought of a week-long horse trail leave you rubbing the insides of your thighs and walking like John Wayne? Well, the wonderful hosts at Wild Coast Horse Riding Adventures know that not everyone who loves horses wants to spend their entire day on them, so have conjured up some amazing packages to suit those who want a bit more flexibility in their holiday itinerary.

While you’ll still get to experience the magic of a fast canter along the beach and the adrenaline rush of riding along clifftop paths, you’ll also get the opportunity to soak up some sun on the nearby beach at Kei Mouth and sample some of the local food at one of the village’s pubs and cafes.

So, throw a sundress in with your jodhpurs and embrace a relaxing beach holiday that gives you the opportunity to ride as much or as little as you’d like. Although there’s no set itinerary for the Kei River Horse Trail, it does include an unforgettable 2-night, 3-day trip up the Wild Coast to the exquisitely situated Wavecrest Beach Hotel and Spa where you can be pampered while enjoying views one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Enjoy the casual comfort of a home from home at the Kei Mouth Guest Lodge and ride as many different horses as you feel comfortable with. If you fall in love with your steed on the first day, you can choose to stick with him, or challenge yourself by swapping from a sturdy Percheron cross to a lightening-paced Part or Anglo Arab as the week flies past.

Aside from the fun mini trail to Wavecrest and back, highlights of the week’s riding include the cliffs at Morgan Bay, a ride to Yellowwood Forest to sample their wood-fired pizza under the shade of indigenous trees, and the chance to let rip along the golden beaches of the Wild Coast. 

If you love horses and would like to learn more, ask one of the guides to reveal some of their insights into working with these incredible animals on the ground. Discover the benefits of T-Touch and why Wild Coast Horse Riding Adventures is committed to a regime of holistic horsemanship.

Wild Coast Horse Riding Adventures is a highly personalised experience, where you’ll really get to know the people as much as you do the horses. With limited places on each Kei River Horse Trail, you’ll never get lost in the crowd or left behind on the trail. Friendly, experienced guides will point out the vibrant colours of a passing Knysna turaco and explain the history of the Wild Coast and its notoriously numerous shipwrecks.

It doesn’t matter if you ride every day or haven’t been on a horse in years, the friendly team at Wild Coast Horses will adapt the rides to suit you and your ability. If you choose to, you can ride for up to four or five hours per day but, if you’d rather, you can always choose to skip an afternoon’s outride and instead indulge in a foot massage or sip a cocktail at The Deck of the local hotel. The more adventurous may opt for a spot of abseiling or pop across the road to the Kei Mouth Country Club for a game of golf complemented by breath-taking views of the Wild Coast.

Two itinerary options are available 

• 7 night 8 Day Kei River Horse Trail - includes accommodation, meals & riding
• Short stays on a select your own rides basis

The Kei Mouth Trail is an informal beach riding holiday, where you can embrace our wide open spaces, wild sea, warmhearted people and our wonderful horses. 

www.wildcoasthorsebackadventures.com 

Leave the Path, Blaze the Trail: Discover World’s best beach riding with Wild Coast Horse Riding Adventures

Ride the Wild Coast, following in the footsteps of the Rockethorse Race’s 2018 champion

You saw the Rockethorse Race – now it’s time to discover the Wild Coast first hand with Wild Coast Horse Riding Adventures and their world-class trail horses. 

Your heart’s pounding in time to the beat of your horse’s hooves on the hard sand. The sweet scent of fires from the local villages conjures up images of the past while the sea crashes into the coastline like a wild beast. It’s hard to visit Africa without feeling the passion, history and bloodshed that the continent is built on. It’s even harder to visit the Wild Coast South Africa without feeling that you’ll be back again one day. And you will.

A few weeks back, 14 brave horse riders from around the world took on what is fast becoming known as the toughest horse race in the world. Organised by former Mongol Derby winner, Barry Armitage, the Rockethorse Race sees competitors tackle impossible terrain and daunting rivers as they race 350km from the northern end of the Wild Coast to its southernmost point at the Great Kei River. Not for the faint-hearted. These men and women, as well as their courageous, sure-footed steads are the new heroes of a region famous for being the birthplace of the seminal Nelson Mandela.

Sounds like a bit much for those of us more used to hacking along muddy lanes and enjoying a weekend horseback pub crawl, doesn’t it?

Fortunately, it’s not only Barry Armitage and his team who have a passion for the Wild Coast. Julie-Anne Gower has been sending horses along the spectacular cliff tops and endless golden Wild Coast beaches of the Eastern Cape since 2003 and, without her, maybe the Rockethorse Race would never have come about.

Way back when Barry embarked on his first long-distance horse adventure with associate and brother-in-law Joe Dawson, Julie-Anne at Wild Coast Horse Trails came to their rescue. With barefoot horses struggling with the long daily distances necessary to keep Barry and Joe on the heels of the legendary Dick King, Julie-Anne provided fresh horses to help them reach their goal – to ride over 900 km from Durban to Grahamstown in 10 days, just as King did back in 1842.

Chaffed and tired, Barry and Joe finished the Ride of the Peacemaker in 2010, fulfilling their desire to rediscover “the lost art of journeying long distance on horse” and “challenging people’s perceptions of what is possible with a horse”. Even if 900km in 10 days sounds like a bit too much for you, you can be sure than any Wild Coast horse riding experience will challenge your perceptions, change your approach to horses and transform your soul forever.

Wild Coast Horse Riding Adventures explore the southern section of the Wild Coast on a monthly basis, on their Wild Coast Horse Trail,  giving you the chance to trace the steps of the Rockethorse Race’s contestants’’ last blast to the finish line. 

Discover the complexity of the terrain from in the saddle on the back of a home-bred horse brought up in a loving, natural environment. Take in the breathtaking cliff paths, wade through lagoons and relax in a traditional coastal hotel, sipping a gin and tonic while you revel in the memories that will last a lifetime.

For more information email wildcoasthorsetrails2@gmail.com and we will send you the itinerary 

THE 13 TRUTHS - JORDAN PETERSON - INCREDIBLE SPEECH

Riders heading out on a Wild Coast adventure

And then it happens...

"You have this whole day to fill with life." Go ahead and allow yourself to be overwhelmed with gratitude. Then focus the energy of that gratitude into purposeful living. You have good thoughts to think, good people to connect with, amazing experiences to have. Get up, get excited about the possibilities, and get going.

I love all those memes - you know, those feel good, positive posts! I have shared many over the years, funny, intelligent, deep, sad, motivating - I have been through all of those emotions. They often touch a feeling, and put it in to words at just the right time, and you can click and share them, and just put it out there that you have it all under control ... but lately a few have crossed my desktop that are really relevant to me right at this time -  I saw them and immediately they touched base, YES!!!  This is how I feel, this is where I am!  OMG - this is great :-) 

When you have survived a lot of stuff, family drama, and more family drama, loved, lost, survived more than one crippling drought, got tough tightened you belt, raised two children, been broke, been in debt, lost your folks, and you son, survived, cleared more debt, built a business, changed it a dozen times, raised horses, lost horses, built a farm, nearly lost the farm, built it back up, kept things going, sold the farm, moved, bought a house, and started a new businesses, and still keep growing your other business, and you are going to be 52 this year and you are still with the same man for 23 year (and you still kinda like n love him), you think to yourself hells bells, I have been through a lot, when is it going to end?.... and then it happens...

All those positive memes you have kept posting and liking start working, and suddenly you  feel like its all coming together, things feel good. You know you still have to work at it and keep the positive energy going, but you feel lighter, its all just a little easier. You are at peace.  You have found yourself again, and now its time to dust of the cobwebs and straighten a rather battered crown. Saddle up, find your joy again and start the next chapter of life's adventures. 

One mistake that causes your horse to misbehave

I like  how this guy works with the horses, always kind, clear and firm message to get the right answer.   The golden rule ...  EVERY TIME you are near or working with a horse, you are either schooling him or unschooling him. In other words, teaching him to do things your way, or his way!!