Wild Coast Horse Trails | Horse Riding | Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape Wild Coast South Africa
The Transkei Wild Coast, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Situated an hour north of Buffalo City East London off the N2 between Durban & Port Elizabeth. Stunningly beautiful landscape. A magical combination of rural Africa, Xhosa traditions, rolling hills, jagged cliff, and wild un-spoilt beaches. One of the last remaining untouched coastal ecosystems in Southern Africa & the best way to explore it is on horseback.
We are a family of adventurers & nature lovers; horses, horse riding, endurance riding, hunting, fishing, and the sea; and of course beautiful Sunray Farm and great Africa outdoors is all about who we are.
We live the life that we dreamed, we are very blessed and very grateful to be able to live and work and love doing what we do. Escape with us for a while, and experience our lifestyle…

The Wild Coast
The “Wild Coast” is the rugged, remote, fairly unpopulated stretch of South African coastline between East London and Port Edward, on the N2 between Durban in the North and Port Elizabeth in the South.
This stretch of some 280 km of cliff faces, perfect beaches, and rich tidal estuaries is between the Mtamvuna River in the north and theGreat Kei River in the south. Inland, to the west, lie the Stormberg and Drakensberg mountain ranges, which reach on the altitude of 2400 meters, descending to the Indian Ocean in the east.
At the Wild Coast, the sun shines day after day, month after month, on this beautiful and extensive tract of undulating pastoral countryside studded with whitewashed, thatched rondavel huts.

Since Portuguese mariners first pioneered the sea route around the Cape to India, this notorious coast has claimed countless ships such as the Governor, Waratah, and Oceania. The prospect of finding sunken gold and diamonds has lured treasure hunters to the Wild Coast over the generations. Although coins, trinkets, and fragments of porcelain from sunken hulks are still occasionally washed up along the shore, it is, of course, the natural wonder of the Wild Coast that attracts the majority of visitors to the many resorts scattered along the coastline.

The rural people live a life richly colored by tribal tradition and beliefs. Brightly colored examples of the bead-work, together with traditional pottery and basketwork can be bought from roadside vendors and at some trading posts. The whole region, once known as the Transkei homeland, is the home of a major section of the Xhosa-speaking southern Nguni tribes and of course the birthplace of the great Nelson Mandela.
It is also called the Border. For much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it was the region of conflict between the British colonists, moving ever eastwards, and the southward moving Xhosa peoples. A simmering border conflict of nine major wars was fought along the Great Kei river.

Climate
The Indian Ocean creates a sub-tropical land of flora and fauna from different climates all flourishing side by side like nowhere else in Southern Africa. The climate along the coast is nearly always warm to hot, with humidity levels rising from December to March. The climate is temperate with warm summers and mild winters. Soft gently falling rain occurs during the summer months (November to March) although it can be wet it is never cold. The winters are perfect. The average minimum temp rarely goes below 10 ‘C and the days are around 25’C.The best time to visit, fish and ride is from the end of March through to August. During October and November, the weather is generally good but can be unpredictable as this is when we have our spring rains!

Fauna & Flora
The flora rejoices in a vast array of indigenous coastal forest, prehistoric Cycads, tree orchids, Kiepersol, Sneezewood, and Yellowwood. Lush vegetation with plentiful water, forest and fruit trees provides a beautiful environment for over 250 species of birds. Inland, coastal and seabirds rub shoulders and compete for sky space. Above it all, the regal Fish Eagle can be heard to shriek his haunting cry.

Our Horses are very much loved and the special relationship we have with them ensures that you have a wonderful horse riding holiday. Each horse has been hand-picked or homebred for the purpose of trail and safari riding. Besides good conformation and movement, we select our horses for their exceptional temperament and then school and educate them to be professional at the work that is required of them. We use holistic horsemanship principles, developing their trust and a willingness to want to work with us. Our horses are kept out 24/7 and range over a huge bushveld area in a natural herd. They are barefoot and are schooled in English style in the arena and a relaxed western type of ride out on the trail. The horses well being are always our first priority, they are the personalities that make your riding holiday exceptional.
We have a mix of Part Arabs, Anglo Arabs, Thoroughbreds, Percheron crosses & South Africa Boerperd.
The average height of our horses is about 15.2hh. We find that this is a good size horse for holiday riders and they are light and sure-footed along the sandy beaches and rocky headlands. We have a good selection of horses that suit most riders from nervous novice through to advanced.

The horses are exceptionally fit and in Endurance condition, they are responsive and forward going. They are kept on natural bush grazing, fed the best concentrate feeds and Lucerne. They are regularly dipped, de-wormed, vaccinated and kept in the very best working condition.