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African Endurance Riding Adventure
“To complete is to win”
At
Torstone Sport Horse Stud we breed equine athletes, and ultimately
Endurance Riding Horses. Julie-Anne trains and rides her own endurance horses
and has crewed and ridden at National level. We would like to offer the
experienced rider an opportunity to ride and compete in a South African Endurance
ride.
Join
us and find out why we “do it long distance!”
Learn about
the ins and outs of training and preparing a horse to peak performance, and
discover within yourself how far you can go.
The
rides that we participate in range from Mountain forest to rocky karoo. Stay with us and experience an African Endurance
ride; travel with Julie-Anne and the horses to the ride; experience camping
under African skies and the hospitality of our farming communities.
You do not have to ride a full 80 Km (50 miles) and according to S.A. rules may enter for either 30, 60,or 80 km. 100
milers (160 km) are the ultimate
challenge and we will be able to provide a suitable mount. We will camp at
all the rides and you will be comfortably catered for in a well-equipped
tent or self contained cottage.
African Wild Coast Horse Safari
The ideal
way to have an African Riding holiday and experience a South African Endurance Ride, is
to first do the “Wild Coast Horse Trail” and tie it in with a scheduled
endurance ride. You would have the unique opportunity to get to
know your endurance horse while in the relaxed and informal surrounds at
Sunray Farm and on trail along the Wild Coast.
The South African endurance season is
spread over 10 months, with only December and January not having any
rides. On average, there is a ride in our area at least once per
month. The International National Championships “Fauresmith 200” is
held in July of each year. There are several FEI 100 Miler rides (160 km)
held throughout the year.
Rider
Requirements to ride a South African Endurance Ride.
An
international rider must be a paid member of their home federation with
permission from their federation to ride in South Africa. ERASA must
give you permission to ride in South Africa; we will apply on
your behalf.
OR
You
may become a member of a local club and will be treated as an ERASA member.
(We
will organize membership for you at a nominal fee.)
Day
Members are welcome to ride an endurance ride but are restricted to the
pleasure ride. Normally the first leg of the official ride, which is
25 – 35 km distance.
Hard
protective hats are compulsory for all riders. We also recommend a good sturdy
riding/hiking boot with a heel.
Minimum
stay for an Endurance week.
Arrive
Saturday afternoon, the week before a ride, departing the following Monday.
Price
is dependant on which endurance ride will be attended during your stay, and
includes a 2 night training ride along the wild coast!
We
recommend that one arrive the weekend before the ride as this will give you
plenty of time to get to know your horse. You will stay with us on
the farm, experiencing how we do things around the stud and to make it a
really fantastic holiday we go on a short
“Wild Coast Horse Trail”
Saturday
We
will collect you from East London Air Port, Tonight you will
“home stay” with us at the farm. Sundowners and a delicious dinner of
local fare await you, while we watch the resident bushbuck and warthogs
grazing across the valley.
It is
the beginning of your African Endurance Riding Adventure!
Sunday
During
the morning we will take the time for you to get to know the horses.
A session in the schooling arena or a pleasant hack out will give both you
and your mount a chance to get to know each other.
After
a light lunch we will load the horses, and take them down to the beach,
before riding them through to Trennerys.
The pace in up beat and fast as we are riding very fit endurance
horses!
Monday
The
ride this morning will take us along the beach, across country, rolling
hills and river crossings to get to Wavecrest mid morning. The ride this
afternoon is tide dependant, and ridden at a hack pace – it will give you
time to see the country side!
Tuesday
We
ride back to Kei Mouth today, stopping for a pub lunch along the way. Tonight we are back at the farm.
Wednesday
The endurance horses get a full day off, and we
will take you through to Inkwenkwezi for the day to do some game viewing,
have a great lunch and some elephant interaction.
Thursday
It is
time to pack up and begin the “great trek” to the endurance ride.
Depending on which ride you have chosen, the haul will take us anything
from 2 to 8 hours. The journey is
slow, but you really get to see the countryside!
Tonight
will be your first night out in the tent under African skies.
Friday
We
will have the chance to explore the area and will take the time to exercise
the horses.
The
vet check, entries and weigh-in normally starts during the late
afternoon. Friday evenings are
sociable around the fire. We will join fellow riders and braai and
generally get to know everyone and catch up on news.
Saturday
Today
is the day. Depending on the expected weather the ride starts around 6am. We will ride together or you will be with another
experience rider on horse that is going the same pace. You will be
expected to assist our patient grooms with crewing and getting your horse
through the vet check. The horses
always come first, and their comfort and well being is my first
priority. Depending on the terrain and going at the time our average
speed will be between 15 -18 km per hour. The prize giving is during the
late afternoon; we’ll tuck the horse in and make sure that all is
well. A hot camp dinner and soft bed is normally the order of the day
after a really good ride.
Sunday
Hot
coffee, check and feed the horses, breakfast, chatting and packing up camp
in no particular order is how the day after the ride before seems to
go! We should be on the road by 10am. It’s a long
haul home.
Monday
By now
we have all gotten to know each other quite well, we have had a busy week
and done some hard riding, but alas, it is time to say good-bye. We
will take you back to East London Airport or set you on your
way to the next part of your South African Holiday.
9 nights 10 day African Endurance Riding
Adventure
All inclusive of accommodation, all
meals, horse & equipment, ride entry fee, transport to the rides and
our personal attention.
This holiday can easily be
extended by adding extra nights at Sunray and enjoy the beauty of an
African Farm.
One can also link your holiday to our full 6 night
Wild Coast Horse Trail.
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Endurance
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