Gap Year Destination in South Africa

Equestrian Volunteers

A South African working riding holiday opportunity on the Wild Coast, Eastern Cape. Mkulu Kei horse riding holidays a gap year safari with lots of horse riding both in the game and on the beach.

A very affordable option of a holiday with horses. We are a small but very busy stable yard taking the public riding +- 2 hours on the beach while on holiday at Morgan Bay or taking clients on the longer overnight trails 2-12 days on the Wild Coast, Transkei coastline.

Horse riders on your working and riding horse back riding holiday, ride horses on the beach at Morgan Bay, ride horses through game, learn our holistic approach to horses, improve your equine skills. More experienced riders use your equestrian knowledge to help teach our clients and underprivileged local black children to ride, give horse riding lessons, help guide on trail, back and work with youngsters, school and jump or work with rescued and abused horses, help with our equine assisted therapy or learning at Cher-a-Don Adventure Centre with troubled youth. Gain work experience for tourism and Hippo Therapy and other equine related jobs. And join a trail at a reduced rate while having fun in South Africa.

We only accept small groups of students, to our home for a equine experience working and riding with horses of all ages. With the opportunity to see our holistic approach to horses and learn how to communicate with horses and join up. A fun way to work and learn about horses. With Cher-a-Don (Lalapanzi) Adventure Centre horse back volunteers will get the chance to ride and work with the horses both at the beach stable and experience horse riding trails in the game.

• Equine Working Holiday
• Equine Volunteer Picture Gallery
• Comments from Previous Volunteers

And have the opportunity to become involved in our Equine Assisted Therapy at Cher-a-Don (Lalapanzi) Adventure Centre, using horses as a form of therapy with kids in trouble with the law or "at risk" teenagers.

• See Equine Assisted Therapy/Learning

Horseback riding students and volunteers will be allocated tasks according to their riding ability. You could work in teams or as an individual on different projects and could find yourself painting poles and jumps, grooming, halter training foals through to backing youngsters, schooling going horses with potential, jumping, helping with medical problems, working with abused and neglected horses, pulling out foals, helping with teaching in the pony camp, help around the stable and being a second guide / instructor. You will get lots of time to ride different horses and you will get to ride horses on the beach regularly.

No hours of cleaning tack or mucking out stables. Without your extra pair of hands we would not have successfully rehabilitated so many abused and neglected horses. It is time consuming to get their trust and work through issues and they require constant reassuring and handling.

This is not a free holiday, you pay a small fee to enjoy our privileged life, learn from our horsemanship techniques and gain equestrian experience.

Volunteering is an affordable, inexpensive holiday option; on each ride you are riding a horse that we could have used to earn revenue. We have done alterations to the house to accommodate you plus there is your living expenses to consider and without the paying volunteers we could not finance the development project.

• Riding Development Programme

Experienced riders, those that can ride responsibly on their own will benefit coming any time during the year while those who can't ride would get the most out of coming during the school holidays. When we are teaching holiday makers how to ride all day and everyday, your riding skills will improve dramatically in a very short time. A great way to learn how to ride, get horseback riding lessons in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

In the high season (school holidays) the development project must be put on hold, although we invite a few boys to join the ride depending on the level of the ride.

Our weight limit restriction for riding is 95 kg (210 lbs) and as a equestrian volunteer you must be fit enough to ride, tack up and fetch horses from the field.

Make a Booking Now

Help at a working equine farm and teambuilding adventure centre. Experience everyday living in our incredible country, meet South Africans either living in this area or on holiday, extend your network of friends in South Africa. Learn the culture both black and white, (It is politically correct to say black, white or coloured when referring to race in South Africa). The saying "Just now" in South Africa means when it happens, not immediately. Africa has its own unique time frame. Experience first hand why our "Rainbow Nation" is so special and sometimes complicated.

Then look at visiting other areas of South Africa, have a safe home base. We can help you with ideas as to where else to go and what to see and can advise what not to do for security reasons. Talk to our riding clients and get contacts and ideas.

Working students from abroad or outside South Africa are required to hold a valid passport which expiry date at least 6 months later than your intended date of return to your own country.

Visit this link for more information and advise on travel working visas. Visa information

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. However if you are intending to stay for longer than 90 days, 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.

Accommodation

(Sharing). Is in our home overlooking a beautiful area, with rolling hills and dams or in another house on the same property, depending on numbers of volunteers at the time.

With horses grazing outside your window, watch the inter-play and pecking order of a herd of horses from the veranda. Check out the awesome African sunsets. Experience a braai and South African food.

All meals are taken with our family, an all-inclusive package on your working / gap vacation and we open our home and hearts to our volunteers.

Why Should I Pay to Work?

This is an adventure travel volunteer holiday, not employment. Without the paying equine volunteers we could not finance the development project or be in the position to take in unwanted and injured horses. Those students with us to help with the camps a % is used for sponsoring a child at camp.

We only want those who really want to be here to help, learn and work. Many years ago we had a student who refused to get out of bed but he was happy to eat the meals. We had one volunteer (mommy booked her in) that did not like animals! Why come? When the dogs or cats came near her she pushed them away with her foot, and hit a horse in the face because she thought it was going to bite her. Not acceptable. Please if you don’t want to be here don’t take someone else’s place.

We have done alterations to the house to accommodate you plus there is your living expenses to consider.

Equestrian students without your extra pair of hands we would not have successfully rehabilitated so many abused and neglected horses. It is time consuming to get their trust and work through issues and they require constant reassuring and handling.

In the high season (school holidays) the development project must be put on hold, although we invite a few boys to join the ride depending on the level of ride.

Horseback riding students and volunteers will be allocated tasks according to their riding ability. You could work in teams or as an individual on different projects and could find yourself painting poles and jumps, grooming, halter training foals through to backing youngsters, schooling going horses with potential, jumping, helping with medical problems, working with abused and neglected horses, pulling out foals, helping with teaching in the pony camp, help around the stable and being a second guide / instructor. You will get lots of time to ride different horses and you will get to ride horses on the beach regularly. No hours of cleaning tack or mucking out stables.