|
We are South Africa's leading Gap Year and Working Riding Holiday program.
We cater for all levels of horse riders
who want an extended horse riding experience.
We offer
unpretentious hospitality in a setting that allows guest to relax de-stress
and escape the clutter of everyday life.
This is simple country living
and riding on a working horse and cattle farm, no frills - just great
riding on lovely horses, a comfortable bed, home cooked food and lots of
conversation revolving around the horses!!
Based at Sunray Farm we offer different
daily rides around the farm looking for game and from our beach paddocks in
Kei Mouth.
For a perfect riding holiday, overnight
trails can be enjoyed separately or combined to create an authentic rural
African experience.
Riding at the farm offers a selection
of out-rides through indigenous bush looking for naturally occurring game,
schooling in our outdoor arena, riding lessons, a mini cross country jumping course,
barrel racing and games on horseback, round pen work, and several different
beach rides in Kei Mouth and Morgan Bay.
Join us for 1 to 12 weeks hands on riding holiday, in an alternative
environment using natural horse
care and horsemanship.
You will be
involved with the day to day care of the horses, do lots of riding,
exercising and schooling the horses, and have an option to do a Wild
Coast Horse Trail.
This is an excellent environment to get
work experience for equine students, advanced
riders will enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and great riding, intimidate riders can immerses
themselves with the horses, and novice
& beginner riders’ riding will improve!
Go to home page to see more
photos & video!
Share
  
We require that candidates be horse lovers, must
love the great outdoors and have a spirit of adventure to do new things. No
other experience is necessary as we will teach you as you go along.
 Options available
|
Ø
Ranch Riding
Holiday at Sunray Farm.
Ø
1 to 11
weeks riding Holiday!
|
Ø
Join us for
a 1 to 12 week riding Holiday and add on an overnight
trail!
Ø
Our 4 to 6
week riding holiday is the most popular!
Ø
Priced per person per week (7
nights), includes all meals, shared dormitory type accommodation and
riding
Ø
Hands on horse riding holiday at
Sunray Farm.
Ø
Suits riders of all levels & ages
(including novice riders) who would like a month long horse riding
experience.
Ø
Single accommodation available,
subject to availability, single supplement payable.
Ø
Includes “join up” sessions, riding
lessons & schooling, out rides on the farm and beach riding.
Ø
Riders need not have extensive
experience, but should have a spirit of adventure and a positive attitude
to do new things.
Ø
This is an excellent option for those
wanting an introduction to join up and starting young horses.
Ø
This is an excellent option for
beginner/novice riders to come on an intensive learning experience.
Ø
Perfect for advanced riders wanting
to just relax and enjoy some really good riding!
Ø
Riders may
join our monthly 4 nights 5 day Wild Coast Horse Trail normally runs in
the second or third week of the month.
This is paid separately.
|
|
Ø
12 Weeks
Work Experience Program
Ø
FOR EXPERIENCED RIDERS ONLY
|
Ø
All meals
and accommodation at Sunray Farm and airport transfers are included.
Ø
Book for 12
weeks and get a FREE overnight trail!
Ø
Riders must be able to school horses
and ride without supervision.
Ø
Riders must
have a sound knowledge of basic flatwork/dressage and be willing to ride
and bring on young horses.
Ø
Includes “join up” session, riding
lessons & schooling, out rides on the farm and beach riding.
Ø
Riders will be taught how to “start”
a young horse with join up and other gentling techniques
Ø
Riders will take clients out on
shorter beach rides.
Ø
Riders must
have previous experience taking other people (beginners/novice) on out
rides.
Ø
Riders will have an opportunity to
teach other adult riders in the working riding holiday program.
Ø
Riders will be given an opportunity
to go to and possibly ride at an endurance ride (in season)
Ø
Riders may be asked to ride as back
up rider and groom on overnight trails. (this is not guaranteed)
Ø
Riders must have a driver’s license
valid for use in South Africa.
Ø
Your duties
are not limited to horse riding and may include general stable and yard
work.
Ø
You will be given at least one long
weekend off during your stay, and other occasional days to enable you to
do a bit of sight seeing, go to the beach and visit a game reserve.
Ø
You will be given a letter of
reference to add to your resume on completion of your stay.
Ø
No chances
please. By applying for the 12
week program you declare that you are an active and advanced rider
capable of riding any horse in any situation. You also declare that you are fit and
healthy and able to carry out the duties that will be required of you.
Ø
Please note that should a rider
decide to leave before the end of their stay, no refunds will be given.
Ø
Riders may
participate on any overnight trail at a reduced rate; this should be
booked when making your reservation.
Ø
Prices quoted include all meals,
horse riding and shared
accommodation at Sunray farm.
Ø
Riders will be encouraged to take a
few days off during their stay to go to “Buccaneers Back Packers”, visit
a local game reserve, go to the beach or go into town to see a movie and
do some shopping!
|
Go to home page to see more
photos & video!
Share
  
Arrival dates are flexible
throughout the year.
Please go to our Availability Working Riding Holidays page to see what places we have available
Universal Currency Converter XE.com. go to web site http://www.xe.com >>>>>
 
Credit cards accepted.
The
following is included in your holiday package.
 Daily horse
riding including riding lessons, out rides and trails on the farm and at
the beach.
Meals at
Sunray Farm
Laundry
Accommodation
– you stay with us as part of our family in “The Loft” next to the main
homestead at Sunray Farm.
Transfers to
and from East London Airport.
If everything
is done and there are no rides booked, there is lots of free time for the
beach, game viewing, exploring our wonderful country and generally having a
good time!
The following in NOT included in your
holiday package.
Drinks, and
soft drinks, cigarettes, chips, sweets and other tuck!
Toiletries
Extra diesel
in the truck if you use it to go out.
Cell phone, so
that you can keep in contact with the outside world!
Internet is
available and charged per half hour.
Pocket money
Other items of
a personal nature.
Overnight Trails along the Wild Coast – we recommend that you book to ride on our monthly Wild Coast
Horse Trail.
Day excursions – A day trip to a local big
5 private game reserve can be arranged. Includes 4x4 safari, lunch
and elephant interaction!
Day excursions – Any day ride or other trip out does not include lunches or
meals – these have to be paid separately.
On overnight trail – does not include your bar accounts, cool drinks, laundry and
other extras.
Buccaneers Back packers – we encourage you to take a weekend off during your stay. Go
meet others travelling South Africa, get a surfing lesson, chill out or party!
We
expect you to participate in the following.
Grooming,
bathing, and general care of the horses
Feeding when
necessary
Cleaning tack
and equipment
Working with
the young foals & yearlings at Sunray Farm.
Exercising
& schooling horses at Sunray Farm
Exercising
& care of the trail horses at Kei Mouth
Assisting with
out rides and trails at Kei Mouth
A normal
working day is from 8 am to 5 pm with an hour for lunch.
We spend the morning caring, working, schooling and exercising horses and then go down to the beach horses in the afternoon.
However, animals and holidaymakers do not keep time, so we may occasionally
start a little earlier and finish a little later.
We have full
time paid employees who look after the horses on a daily basis.
The point of you being with us is to do
lots of riding, learn, help out and have fun!
It is up to you to take advantage of
the opportunities that are presented to you.
The more you participate, the more
you will learn and the more you will take home with you.
STUDENTS
AT A RECOGNIZED EQUESTRIAN COLLEGE
We
especially welcome students studying at a recognized equestrian college who
need a period of work experience to assist in their studies. We will make special efforts to give them
the opportunity to do practical work within the area of which they are
studying.
If candidates
choose to participate in the 12 week
work experience program, we will ensure that riders get hands on
experience and training in all aspects of what we do.
At the end of
your stay we will give you a written letter of reference to add to your
resume.
Participants
on the 12 week work experience program get to do a FREE overnight trail J
  
Working Riding Holiday program sample.
The program is
dependent on prevailing weather and when an overnight trail has been
booked!
This is just a
guide as to what you can expect during your stay.
Our morning
starts at 7.30 am for
breakfast and we start with the horses at 8 am; we have an hour for lunch and finish around 5 pm in the afternoon. If it
is very hot we might take a longer lunch and ride later in the cool of the
evening.
Daily Routine
The mornings
are spent at the farm and you will assist with the morning grooming and
care of the horses. This normally takes 1 to 2 hours before you do your
morning riding.
Young horses
need handling, teaching to lead, stand for grooming & feet ect.
Horses need
exercising and young up and coming horses need basic schooling in dressage
and jumping.
We have a
dressage arena, some jumps, a mini cross country course, a space for barrel
racing, dams for swimming the horses, lots of out rides on the farm where
you can spot naturally occurring wild game!
During the
afternoon you will most probably go down to the beach. We run a string of
horses at our paddocks in Kei Mouth, they need to be fed and groomed
daily. You will do lots of beach
riding and when holiday makers book a ride you will be able to ride with
them.
WEEK 1
We will
collect you from the Airport or Buss stop in East London and bring
you back to the farm. The first few
days are spent getting to know us and the horses, and we will assess your
riding ability. You will be shown
our routine in grooming and tacking up horses, taught about general riding
safety, and how to conduct yourself while riding
in a group and with clients.
WEEK 2
Preparation
for the overnight trails includes cleaning and checking tack and equipment,
transporting horses to the paddocks at Kei Mouth and bathing and grooming
the horses for the start of trail.
If you are
riding on an overnight trail, the next 7 days will be filled with great
riding along the Wild Coast. You are expected to
assist with feeding and care of the horse while on trail and to help out
where needed.
WEEK 3
Once the
trail is completed, we will bring horses back to the farm and all the tack
will need stripping and cleaning to get rid of all the sand and sea salt!!
You will probably need a day in East London to do some
shopping, see a movie and have lunch.
We can also recommend having a day out at Inkwenkwezi Private Game
Reserve where you can do a 4x4 safari and see the “big 5”, have lunch and
then participate in an elephant interaction session with the reserves tame
elephants!
WEEK 4
We may have
another trail booked, and you will help with the preparations ect. Otherwise
you will have an opportunity to get hands on experience doing some “round
pen” work, “join up” and how to “start” a young horse. A day ride along the beach is planned
with a pub lunch at Seagulls.
Go to home page to see more
photos & video!
Share
    
Work Rider Program Arrival dates
Riders will be
collected from the East London Airport or bus terminal @ about 12 pm
Please see our
availability page on the web site to see when we have place available.
We recommend 4
weeks stay for the average rider wanting a riding experience
6 weeks is
perfect for riders wanting a more in-depth experience.
We will only
take experience & advanced riders who are passionate about horse on the
12 week program.
We recommend that our work riders do the
following to book their place.
Check
availability and dates with us.
Complete the
booking form and return it to us.
A deposit is
required within 7 days to confirm your place.
Book your
flights to South Africa (Johannesburg – OR Thambo International Airport)
Get a internal
flight from Johannesburg to East
London, South Africa
Try "1
time", or SAA We collect you from the airport in East London.
Send us your
flight details.
The balance is
due 30 days before your arrival.
At the end
of your holiday, you then have an option to stay on with us, or perhaps
explore our beautiful country using the very safe and cost effective back
packing network that is available in SA, www.coastingafrica.com & www.bazbus.com , www.cinta.com (this is Buccaneers
Backpackers a short drive away from us and is reputed to be the best in the
country!) This works very well, as
you get to have an idea of what options are available and make your
adventure plans once you are here. (Your entry & travel visa is valid
for 3 months stay!)
Ideally you
should arrive a week before our monthly trail; that way you have time to
get to know the horses, and how we do things before we go on trail. More often than not we have a 6 night
trail booked during the middle of the month
All
confirmed bookings (with deposits paid) will be honored at the quoted rate.
Wild Coast
Horse Trails & Sunray Farm reserves the right to increase or decrease
the prices previously quoted for holiday arrangements before a booking is
confirmed. External factors beyond our control may affect the holiday costs
such as accommodation tariff increases, taxes (e.g. VAT), exchange rate
fluctuations etc. Please read our
other terms and conditions as published on our web site.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CHAT TO SOMEONE WHO
HAS ALREADY BEEN TO US?
Email Julie-Anne and she will send you their contact details, or
find us on our facebook page Wild Coast Horse Back
Adventures.
To book your
place, please complete the booking form and return it to us.
We will
invoice you for your holiday and give you our banking details.
We require a
deposit within 7 days of receiving the booking form
Your holiday
will be confirmed once we have your deposit.
The balance is
payable 30 days before arrival.
Share
|
Frequently Asked Questions
|
|
Sunray Farm is situated about 20 Km
from the sea side village of Kei
Mouth and Morgan Bay . This is about 1 hours
drive from the city of East London. We are in an area
known as “The Wild Coast” or the former home land of Transkei. This is now called Eastern Cape Province.
Google GPS co-ordinates 32.37`41S and 28..09`48E
|
|
Volunteers will typically be around
18 – 25 years old, although the age can range anywhere from 17 upwards.
The majority of volunteers will also be gapers and career breakers (30 to 40 something!).
|
|
Volunteering will bring a variety of
benefits to individuals. You will be making a positive contribution to South Africa, experience different cultures and enhance your CV for
future careers.
The payment for volunteering goes towards meals, accommodation, airport
transfers and transport around the placement. And of course horses cost a
lot of money to feed and look after!
|
|
Yes, please email us and we will send
you contact details. You can also find us on FACEBOOK!
|
|
Due to high demand, it is best to
book in advance to avoid disappointment. This will also allow plenty of
time to do fundraising or raid the piggybank! Always contact us to check availability, as some places may become available
at short notice.
|
|
You can email us and we can send you
an application form.
|
|
No, your local travel agent will be
able to assist you.
|
|
Volunteers will need to ensure they
have full comprehensive insurance before travelling.
We also recommend that you travel
with a valid Master or Visa Credit card to cover any other unforeseen
emergencies.
|
|
Volunteers are required to hold a
passport valid for at least 6 months longer than your date of return.
Volunteers should also ensure your passport is in good condition.
South African Visas
Volunteers from the UK, EU, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are not required to pay for a visa to enter South Africa. You will be granted a temporary visitor’s permit valid for
90 days when you present your passport on arrival at the airport in South Africa. If you are intending to stay for longer than 90 days
however, it is worthwhile applying for a visa in your home country before
you travel. This will save you the trouble of having to extend your
visitor’s permit once you are in South Africa. Visas can be extended in South Africa for R420 at the Home Affairs office, one month before your
visa expires.
Exempt: Australia, Belgium, United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands,
Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, USA, France, Switzerland
|
|
All volunteers should seek medical
advice from their doctor at least two months before departure. They will
provide you with any necessary injections and prescribe malaria tablets
if needed.
Please note: The
Eastern Cape and Wild Coast Area is Malaria free
|
|
PACKING LIST
·
Jodhpurs or
riding pants.
·
Riding
chaps or long boots
·
Own hard
hat.
·
Shorts for
walking and hiking.
·
Walking
shoes or boots to ride in.
·
Slip slops
or sandals.
·
A couple of
light long sleeved shirts with collars to protect you from the sun while
riding.
·
T shirts
and tops.
·
Light long
trousers. Jeans will do.
·
Smart
outfit to change for dinner at the hotels.
Also bring :
·
Warm
clothing 1 X jersey (jumper/fleece).to ride in and a nice one for the
evenings!
·
A good warm
rain proof coat.
·
Light
weight rain jacket/wind breaker that will be tied to your saddle.
·
Sun hat
(that stays on) and sun block.
·
Swimming
costume and swimming towel.
·
A torch
(Flashlight) each.
·
A camera,
film and binoculars. (battery charger) & adaptor!
·
Reading material
·
Other items
of a personal nature.
·
Bring some
DVD movies to watch in the evenings.
·
Enough
pocket money for day trips & outings.
·
NB!
A valid credit card to cover any unforeseen emergency. This would be used to cover the unlikely
event of you having to go to hospital if you have a bad fall from a
horse. The hospitals in our area
demand a deposit to be paid up front. You would be able to reclaim this
amount from your travel insurance.
Ø
We have the following branded items
for sale
o
Peak caps
o
Collard
riding shirts
o
Fleece with
long sleeves
o
Rain proof
riding jackets
o
Postcards
o
Coffee Mugs
|
|
Yes, you will be met by one of our
representative when you arrive. If you are travelling
overland, we will provide directions to a designated meeting point.
|
|
No you don’t, as the people at your
placement will speak English.
|
|
We have renovated the original old
farm house and created a comfortable flat with upstairs loft for our
volunteers to sleep in. The “loft” area sleeps four comfortably at the
top, and 2 down stairs, there is one small private bedroom and any over
flow is accommodated in the main homestead. The loft has its own sitting room with
TV, Hifi and DVD player and a small kitchenette
to make tea and coffee and where you can keep snacks and drinks ect.
|
|
Of course! Please just let us know if
you have any particular eating problems ect. We will do our best to feed you J
|
|
Yes, it is fairly common for
volunteers to travel around once they have completed their stay with us.
We are happy to help any volunteer with flight arrangements and will give
helpful advice on future destinations.
The back packing net work in this country is particularly good,
cheap and safe. And there is a hop
on hop off buss service that goes to all the most popular places!
|
|
