It is summer on the Wild Coast
On the Wild Coast Johannesburg Bloemfontein
With 18 of
our working horses located at the beach paddocks in Kei Mouth, Amanda, Jenny
and Roz lead literally hundreds of people up and down the local beaches –
mostly at a steady plod. Every year we experience a great sense of pride that
those same horses that gobble up the kilometres on trail with the wind in their
manes and the sand under their pounding hooves, then take completely
inexperienced riders safely along those same beaches, carefully following nose
to tail in a study of concentration and equine responsibility.
In addition
to the day rides at the beach, we enjoyed a mid-December trail with return
client Werner Vogt and the McLennan family from the Western Cape
Sunray Farm
has seen many guests come and go over the past month, with several clients from
previous trails returning to enjoy a stay at the farm. We welcomed back
Laurence LeGal and thoroughly enjoyed her company once again. We also hosted
the indomitable Christiane Dubat who, at 67 years of age, nevertheless rode us
all into the ground! A good five to six hours a day in the saddle was not
enough to weary this rider! On the one ride, a lady walking past us on the
beach commented, “I used to do that in my younger days.” and I thought to
myself, well, I hope that, like Christiane, I’m still doing it in my not so
younger days!
To assist
with this steady flow of mouths to feed, Sarah Dawson (The Ride’s quieter third
party) joined the team at the farm and produced a consistently impressive array
of meals… even her packed lunches were full of variety and surprises! She also
brought her son, Fynn, along to provide a running commentary on life, the
universe and anything else that popped into his 10-year-old mind at any given
moment!
We are
already missing them both, even though they have only been gone a couple of
weeks, and many tummies and taste-buds have happy memories of their stay here.
In addition
to the usual business of getting bums in saddles, we’ve had the unfortunate
challenge of an outbreak of African Horse Sickness in the area. For those
unfamiliar with the disease, this is a midge-borne virus that causes a leakage
of fluid within the body and affects the inflammatory system. There are several
different strains of the disease which are indicated by a variety of different
symptoms, often making it difficult to diagnose in time to treat effectively.
There is no known sure-fire cure and some horses die within a few hours of
infection. The outbreak began over Christmas with one of the first confirmed
cases occurring on Christmas Day itself.
It has been
a difficult and stressful period for all horse-owners in the Kei Mouth/ Morgan Bay
We were
also fortunate enough to receive a donation of a new AHS vaccine developed by
Disease Control Africa which enabled us to vaccinate all our horses. While this
vaccine is still very new and, in general, available only on prescription, many
believe it offers horses a new hope of surviving this dreaded disease. A
booster of the vaccine produced by Onderstepoort Biological Products was also
provided free of charge to horse-owners in the area, giving individuals the
freedom to choose the most effective method of managing the outbreak according
to their own personal philosophies.
Wild Coast
Horse Trails lost four horses in total, including our Percheron stallion,
Bobby, and managed to save about seven horses that have been confirmed as
having AHS. Our method has been, firstly, to check horses regularly for
swelling above the eyes and around the muzzle in order to identify the virus
early in its development. Frequent checking of temperatures has also been vital
in helping us to pick up infection early on.
We have
been using MMS intravenously and orally to treat those infected horses and it
seems to have proven successful in the majority of cases. I won’t go into the
complexities of MMS here as I am not really knowledgeable enough, but the basic
premise of it is that it works as an oxidizer to kill the pathogens of various
diseases. MMS is made up of, primarily, of weak solution of chlorine dioxide
mixed with water and several additional neutral trace elements. For more
information about MMS, please visit http://www.miraclemineral.org.
We are now
in the fortunate position that the outbreak seems to have abated. Whatever this
can be attributed to, both ourselves and our horses are relieved at this
respite and hope it continues throughout the remainder of our summer.
So, as the
New Year begins, we put old sorrows behind us and focus on the brighter future
ahead. We are eagerly marketing our trails although the year has got off to a
slow start in that department – please do contact us for further details if you
are interested in a thrilling ride along some of the best beaches in the world!
Our working riding programme is looking busy throughout the year so we are
delighted to have so many keen riders coming to join us and share their
knowledge and experience. We wish all our readers, clients, followers and
horses a very happy 2013.
The Ride Wild Coast Adventure - by Nicky Hoseck
The Ride Wild Coast
Everything at the farm this month has paled into insignificance when
weighed against the incomparable thrill of the The Ride’s Wild Coast Adventure
which I embarked on with Barry Armitage and Joe Dawson of The Ride last week.
Joining us was a return guest, Victor Kee, who has spent many years taking
clients riding over Exmoor . As it turned out,
we were a pretty invincible team… well, not so pretty but definitely
invincible!
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While this ride did little to prepare us for what was to come, it did
give us a taste of the beautiful scenery and breathtaking vistas that the Wild Coast
With only a short distance to cover on the first day, we allowed a
significant amount of time for Barry to faff – something that would become as
regular as coffee in the mornings to come – and then headed out on a bit of a
stop start commencement to the day. And what a ride! This section was new to
everyone and finding the correct path proved challenging – as did the path
itself! Leading our horses, we scrambled along in knee-deep mud, fighting off
the grabby branches and trying not to entangle ourselves or our horses in the numerous
obstacles keen to hinder our progress.
After a hot and sweaty start to our ride, the terrain became slightly
less exacting and we arrived at our first stop, The Kraal, in time for a spot
of lunch and well-deserved swim in the warm waters of the Mpande river. An
afternoon sojourn to the local shebeen (unofficial tavern) gave all the chance
to kick back, relax and soak up the friendliness and hospitality of the Xhosa
people.
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Day three saw us covering +-40km from The Kraal to Mdumbi – it also
presented us with our first big river swim. Under Barry and Joe’s expert
guidance, we intrepidly strided out into the
The next day was hot and we had some serious distance to complete so the
pacing of the ride was vital. With Reign and Victor dropping back rather on
some of the long hill climbs, we decided to swap horses in order to keep the day
moving. With a lighter rider on his back, Reign soon found his feet and slotted
in with the rest of the horses. The day ended even more beautifully than it had
begun, with a ride through a curiously atmospheric dune forest and out for a
last long beach canter and up through the river to Bulungula where we spent an idyllic
night in a thatch lapa in the paddock with our horses.
We all awoke early the next morning, except for Joe who remained huddled
in his Barbie sleeping bag even as one of the horses decided to investigate the
lapa for any signs of food. And who can blame her? We all found Equifeeds so
tempting in appearance that we sampled it and decided that it was a definite
improvement on some of the foodstuffs us humans were being presented with for
breakfast!
Now on our fourth day of riding, we were heading to The Haven, a section
of the ride that I had been particularly looking forward to. The Haven is
situated within the sister reserves of Dwesa and Cwebe which conserve one of
the Eastern Cape
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We were all very relaxed, knowing that we only had around 20-25km to
complete during the day, and so we added to our time in the saddle by losing
equipment (I actually rode back in an effort to locate my GPS that was actually
safely stowed away in my bag all along) and sustaining minor injuries. An
unexpected branch scratched me on the nose enough for it to bleed profusely and
require the expert first aid of Barry – i.e. he stuck a big piece of white tape
on my nose, laughed at me and took photos – ahh, the bedside manner!
A quiet afternoon was enjoyed, sort of, by both horse and human,
although Barry’s natural energy levels (approximately the same as a Duracell
bunny) meant he had trouble with this concept and forced us all to drink
copious quantities of red wine instead (I swear, I was an unwilling
participant!). A wonderful evening of laughter and silliness saw me struggling
to arise from my damp tent the next morning and I surfaced only just in time
for breakfast.
From The Haven we continued our journey down the coast and our last
night on the road would be spent at The Kob Inn, where I was back on familiar
ground having recently ridden up there on our newly adjusted 7-day beach trail.
It is a wet day from start to finish, with rain soaking us from above and
rivers soaking us from below. Our first challenge is the Mbashe River
The rain couldn't do much to dampen our spirits, although one or two
unexpected rivers did take some of the fighting spirit out of our leader. With
the countryside beginning to flatten out and the long beaches stretching ahead
of us, it was an incredible day’s riding with the overcast, rainy weather
providing good conditions for the horses and keeping us all cool and hydrated!
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The wonderful hospitality and friendless of the Kob Inn’s proprietors
and staff were a welcome luxury as we arrived sodden and shivering. Warm
showers, big beds and great food were some of the highlights of the evening. A
few more dry clothes would have been an added bonus but it was not meant to be,
although the tumble-dried jeans and socks were a welcome sight (and sensation) the
following morning.
Saturday marked the last day of our adventure and we had three rivers to
cross and just over 50km to cover to our final destination. The day is pretty
grey with intermittent rain and one of the horses is battling a little with
chafing from the girth the day before. We adjust all her tack, do away with the
martingale and set out with a whole new perspective – one which is primarily
filled with chestnut ears as the head is flung around in celebration of this
new liberty.
Shaan-Rae and Candis join up from The Kob Inn with
us at the beginning of the ride but the fast pace soon separates the original
four members of the team from our new companions. The beaches are fast and
furious and the horses, now on familiar ground, are full of running. We hit the
long beach
After a wade through the Nxaxo
River
What an incredible week! I feel almost homesick for the adventure and
for the companionship of both humans and horses. This trip has inspired me to
dream beyond my comfort zone, plan new challenges for myself and my horse, give
up smoking, and basically change the entire way I approach life and horses. “Right
now, in this tiny moment, there is no one who can clip the wings of my freedom.
Together, my horse and I, we can conquer untold wonders and discover all that
lies beyond these horizons.”
For more info on how you can be part of our Wild Coast Horseback Adventures - go to our web site
Barry Armitage Wild Coast Recce day 5
Barry Armitage » Blog Archive » Wild Coast Recce: day 5
Wild Coast Recce: day 5
December, 2012 | No Comments
We had had a bit of a party at The Haven. The pool table had beckoned and as is the norm when playing this game we had a few drinks or rather, a few more drinks! Victor treated us to a fit of his very special giggles kicked off by the recounting of a misunderstanding between him and Joe around Jacob Zuma that had happened while riding that day. A Xhosa man had walked past us on the beach wearing a t-shirt with the image of our president printed on it. Victor had greeted him in the only word of Xhosa that he knew “molo” and Joe said “Jacob Zuma” making note of the picture on the guys t-shirt! A ridiculous conversation ensued with Victor convinced that “Jacob Zuma” was the plural of the greeting “molo” and Joe not too quick to let on that it wasn’t! It had us all in stitches!
It rained extremely hard in the night and our tent leaked resulting in even more wet clothes. The rain eased slightly by morning but everything in the world was soggy.
We dithered before setting off undecided about whether to wear wet weather gear or not as the rain had eased up and we wanted to avoid that poaching feeling that a waterproof jacket gives when you are wet underneath, when the day warms a little and you are generating body heat from physical exertion. We decided to go without, carrying our jackets in our cantle bags.
The mighty Mbashe River was shallow and wide but our obvious crossing point was guarded by patches of sinking sand and we chose to cross at the mouth instead; it was over 200m wide at this point and I set out ahead of the others to make sure that there were no surprises in store. There weren’t and we all crossed without our boots hitting the water. Joe and I have ways feared the crossing of the mighty Mbashe but it has always been kind to us, allowing us to cross her sometimes formidable waters without incident.
After that we alternated fast exhilarating beach riding with long extended trots on winding paths into the ever flattening hills, able to get into good rhythm and maintain a steady pace; not too fast, good for the horses, and good for covering ground.
After that we alternated fast exhilarating beach riding with long extended trots on winding paths into the ever flattening hills, able to get into good rhythm and maintain a steady pace; not too fast, good for the horses, and good for covering ground.
This section of the trail feels very remote; we are still in the Dwesa-Cwebe Nature Reserve and winding up some steep heavily vegetated hills desperate for some heavy grazing or a fire. We ploughed through this rampant greenery, me promising myself to bring a machete next time, before descending onto some very lonely beaches that seem never to have seen man. We then cut inland a bit riding through beautiful mature forest on well established tracks, and exited the reserve through the front gate.
Our next river crossing was what Joe and I call Bunker Boat House River or the Nqabara River, the spelling of which offers little suggestion of how it should be said unless you are a fluent Xhosa speaker. This is not one for Vincent’s fledgling Xhosa! The rain had started again with some intent so the swim across the Nqabara just added to our abject state of wetness. In this weather soggy was the new dry!
Our next river crossing was what Joe and I call Bunker Boat House River or the Nqabara River, the spelling of which offers little suggestion of how it should be said unless you are a fluent Xhosa speaker. This is not one for Vincent’s fledgling Xhosa! The rain had started again with some intent so the swim across the Nqabara just added to our abject state of wetness. In this weather soggy was the new dry!
The countryside flattens steadily towards our overnight stop at the holiday resort of Kob Inn and we were able to move through the landscape with an efficient rhythm even though the rain was chucking down. We had long since resorted to our foul weather gear as the temperature had dropped markedly and I was snug in my new bright coral red UVU jacketwhich breathes beautifully avoiding that dreaded poached feeling of most rain jackets.
The last river of the day was the Shixini, another spelling that defies the spoken word, and required just enough swimming to get us properly wet just in case the rain had missed some secluded spot. We were all looking forward to a hot shower, dry clothes and the comforts of a room at Kob Inn after a long 42km day. We were all in a buoyant mood though; there was just one more day to go of our Wild Coast Adventure, albeit our longest, and the horses were doing well.
For more information on The Ride’s Wild Coast Adventure Trail go to: http://www.barryarmitage.com/expeditions/wild-coast-adventure-trail
Labels// adventure, horses, ride, riding, the ride, trails, travel, Wild Coast
Barry Armitage » Blog Archive » Wild Coast Recce: day 6
Barry Armitage » Blog Archive » Wild Coast Recce: day 6
Wild Coast Recce: day 6
December, 2012 | No Comments
Barry Armitage » Blog Archive » Wild Coast Recce: day 4
Barry Armitage » Blog Archive » Wild Coast Recce: day 4
Wild Coast Recce: day 4
December, 2012 | No Comments
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