Cher-a-Don Mkulu Kei Horses

General information & horse facts about our holistic approach to horses

On this page find an introduction to our horses at Mkulu Kei, horse facts and pictures of all ages of riders having fun with horses, our working horses, training and holistic approach to horses, a special horse, a blind rider, a incredible trail and photos, rehabilitated and abused horses we have homed, the breeds we have and our breeding program.

See how our horses, the mares at Cher-a-Don Teambuilding Adventure Centre formerly Lalapanzi Adventure Centre are being used in the fight against crime in South Africa.

• Stallions and Geldings
• Our Mares
• Foals and the Homestead
• Funnies
• Rehabilitate Unwanted Horses
• Equine-Assisted Therapy

Come Ride with Us ...

See You in the saddle soon!

For you to get the best “in the saddle” experiences you want to know you are going to ride a horse in a good condition, that is fit, trained and suitable for your equine experience. As a novice rider you want to know your mount has brakes and is easy to control with a more conservative pace. As a more experienced rider you want a trail horse that is more responsive to commands. You may want a mount that is more flighty but on trail you don’t want a horse that is going to jog all the way or pull the reins out your hands. Even the most experienced rider wants to stop to take a photograph, relax in the saddle and then the horse must accelerate when asked. We have put hours into training the perfect horse for you. Although at Mkulu Kei horse trails we have a very young herd of horses, you will get a horse that matches your needs.

We work with the horses on the ground from birth and they have manners taught to them by the entire herd including the staff in the position of matriarch. We can voice control individual horses if necessary. That does not mean we have horses only for beginners, different horses respond quicker to stimuli and these horses are trained for intermediate or advanced riders.

Each horse’s own personality is recognized as an individual and trained according to whom they are. Working with nature and not against it, using the horse’s instinct and natural behaviour we aim to get the best out of each individual horse. By communicating with them and following our own adapted natural horsemanship methods we have happy relaxed horses.

An Introduction to Horses

A horse is a herd animal, they rely on their friends and family to survive. They have strong family ties and will recognize a sibling, mother or father even if introduced years later. They have life long friendships with the nanny and stable mates in the same age group and will reinforce this by grooming each other (two or more horses will bite each others shoulder) at every opportunity; a form of greeting and a way of establishing and confirming who is their mate and which team members they can rely on.

Touch and smell is incredibly important to them. They understand and mourn the death of a horse, even one not in a close relationship with them. If we have a horse die we give the other horses a chance to see the body and say goodbye, mourn or they will continue to look for their friend or herd mate for life often going into a deep depression. The loss of a horse affects the whole herd as each horse has a job, protector, discipline, maintaining the pecking order comforting, breeding or nurturing.

It is a scientific fact that horses have memories as good as elephants and if intelligence were measured by memory, horses would be considered "smarter" than humans! It is therefore essential that the horses experiences and training is always as good as we can make it and that the memories and habits we create are those we want them to remember. Good experiences = good horse.

Horses are telepathic and this is essential for the survival of the herd as a means to communicate danger. If you are nervous the horses do not understand that you are scared of them, they think you have seen something they should to be afraid of and they become jumpy. Relax, breath and they will think what you saw has gone away. They are always looking for a leader and if the leader said danger they are ready to move away fast however if you say its not worth the effort it is ok, then they relax.

A horse cannot lie and lives in the moment, which means they give us honest and immediate feedback. They mirror the personality of the handler or rider which is why it is important we get to know you before we select you a mount.

It is a proven scientific fact that an increase in the human handler's or rider's heart rate affects the heart rate of the horse they are working with. You are affecting the horse. What some people may say is a naughty horse actually starts with you, the rider, relax, breath, become more sensitive with your body, be more patient and bond with your mount. Become a horse whisper - horseman. You will see the results.

It is because a horse is a flight animal that we can ride them, kick them and they move away, shift your weight in the saddle and they move left, right, forward or backwards. By desensitizing our horses to many experiences they are less likely to kick out. We do not advocate walking up to any horse and pulling it’s tail but totally the opposite, touch the shoulder to let him know they are there and walk close to the horse moving your hand round telling them you want to walk behind them. Dealing with the public and families with small children we have taught our horses not to react and kick out, it is only a safety measure however, it gives us an opportunity to teach clients that horses are great big teddy bears and something they must not be afraid of. It also gives us the platform to have fun and introduce our horses and their temperaments. We find that once clients understand why an equine reacts to different stimuli it all makes sense and they can get on with the idea of riding.

In the wild, horses live in herds, a typical family unit consisting of a stallion, which is in the driving position, keeping everyone together, mating with mares and looking out for threats. With the mares, foals and yearlings, there is one dominant mare that decides where the group goes and manages others that haven’t started breeding by pushing them into bachelor herds and harems. The interest of horses in the wild is to survive and reproduce, and up to 70 per cent of the time is spent grazing. All members will indulge in mutual grooming, which they use to establish friendships, touch is very important to them. Each working horse, grooms a new horse after his first ride as if to welcome him or her into the club, as a new team member, just as you and I would shake hands.

A horse is a prey animal, a horse’s natural instinct is to take flight – run first, ask questions later. By gaining his respect and trust we can learn to control what frightens him. Horses use body movements and posturing to communicate. Horses learn quickly and unlearn slowly. They learn from experience, both good and bad. From this observation of herd behaviour, the famous Californian horse trainer Monty Roberts, the real-life horse whisperer, explained that when a youngster is misbehaving, one of the older mares will discipline him. She does this by pushing him out of the herd and not letting him back in until he has exhibited sufficient apologetic behaviour, i.e. licking and chewing and lowering his head. When he is forgiven he then takes the easy route and follows her, or “joins up”.

Cher-a-Don Mkulu Kei Working Horses

Our Riding Horses

See our training methods and join up further down this page.

I am personally extremely proud of my working horses; they work together in harmony, encouraging the younger horses to be confident and work as a team. We use the geldings for trails and day rides, adding mares when extra horses are required or when introducing foals at foot to the beach and work. Our mares are used more for arena work; lessons, children’s pony camps and as therapy horses. Mares are more likely to kick than geldings or stallions, as naturally they are the protectors of their foals and ward off any potential stallion if she is not ready to mate.

The horses can be separated during the ride thereby giving more advanced riders the chance to increase the pace while more novice riders, behind the second guide horse, can ride at a slower pace. They can then be regrouped at any stage of a ride. The advanced riders can canter away from the more novice riders with no drama and although they are trained to follow one behind the other in Indian file, on the day rides, as an intermediate rider you could ask your mount to ride on an individual path with ease. (On the Transkei rides we do not ride in Indian file), but there we take out more experienced riders. All our horses have to be asked individually by his or her rider to canter or they will continue to trot, even if the rest of the ride canters off. You asking for the canter is a safety precaution, so we don’t have horses taking off. You as a rider you will not feel the difference of pace when you turn for home and can relax on a long rein or can have a controlled canter without fighting with your mount.

As an experienced rider when Cheryl commenced the trails she wanted to have the correct horse for your riding ability either for an advanced rider or beginner rider and we can personally tell you we have quality riding horses, some may not be confirmation perfect but as riding horses they are. Our clients are pleasantly surprised about the quality of our horses, their training and the care and time we take in matching each rider to a horse thus ensuring both rider and horse maximum pleasure.

We have a selection of quality horses for your riding ability, from never ridden through to advanced rider. The size of our horses vary from 12 to 17 hands and they are fit and in good condition. All our horses are voice controlled, giving us an element of control of the horses, giving beginners a chance to find their seat before having to worry about controlling their horses too.

A Great Team of Working Trail Horses

Come Ride with Us ...

Our horses run in natural family herds in huge camps where we do not interfere with the pecking order and social status. In the herd they are allowed to be natural horses and develop their own personalities. They come in once a day during which time they are fed, groomed and handled. The natural herd disciplines wayward youngsters and over zealous family members.

By allowing each horse to show us their own personality we look to see who is naturally more forward moving for experienced riders and quiet horses for the beginners, thereby never breaking their spirit but encouraging their abilities, the result - great trail rides for your riding pleasure no matter what your riding experience is. A number of our horses are then trained on the bit, making our horses a pleasure to ride for the more experienced riders. *Nsync, Gabriel, Candor, Beau, Triton and Apollo can be ridden by a novice rider on a long rein, however ask them to come down on the bit and the neck comes in and the energy level increases and are more suitable for more experienced riders. Bliss, Maverick, Atlanta, Romeo, Caribbean and Nippit have all been trained for more advanced riders, all working on the bit on an independent route, but can be used for intermediate riders on a longer rein. Zeus a Friesian stallion already covering mares is not only on the bit but at three years old was mature enough to stand next to a mare under saddle. Hermes is not just a beautiful looking big bay stallion with impeccable manners but within three months under saddle would hold his own in a dressage class, once five years old he will have this opportunity as Don intends going to shows.

Solo, who came to us as a three year old, was orphaned as a young foal and ran with cattle so he had no idea how to be a horse, of pecking order or how to speak his own language. Riding with the mature working team he was, within days, a confident leading horse on a ride although still at the bottom of the pecking order in the field. Now Don has gone further, he rides Solo without a bridle - just a neck strap, and he is happy to lead a ride even on a busy beach with holidaymakers. Both *Nsync and Apollo can be ridden, as the main guide horse taking and controlling the pace of the ride without a saddle, bridle or even a neck strap, just by voice and the rider shifting their weight on horses back.

A very common mistake that some riding clients make is they believe being able to go fast is a sign of an experienced rider. To the contrary, a good rider is someone who can communicate the speed and direction they want to go in a split second and the horse responds willingly from fast to slow, from left to right with no fuss from rider or horse, a partnership.

A Horse is Always Looking for A Good Leader

Take your horse for a ride don't let them take you, be assertive but never aggressive. You need to be above them in the pecking order, take control at any pace.

Integrity, vision/strategy, communication, relationships, persuasion, adaptability, teamwork, coaching and development, decision-making and planning all good leaderships skills that the horse will willingly follow, any instruction at all paces.

Our Training and Holistic Approach to Horses

Our training follows an adapted Monty Roberts system, thereby working with nature not against it, communicating with the horse in their language using a body language that both horse and rider understands. We “join up” with the horses, gaining trust, creating a bond and asking permission to ride them. Clients often comment on how relaxed the whole stable appears both in and out of the saddle.

Communicating with horses is by no means Cheryl’s idea or new, the red Indians have been communicating with horses for generations. A skilled rider and legend in Kei Mouth, Mr. Bobby Salkinder communicated with horses and was quoted in a paper in 1955. “His passion for them throughout his life convinced him that he could communicate with them and they understood a common language”. But it took Monty Roberts books and videos to explain to Cheryl what she had witnessed as a small child, especially watching the horses in large fields, and put in a language she could understand and help you understand too.

It is common knowledge by people that are afraid of horses that the horse knows that they are scared.

Why is it so hard for riders to understand that every though and movement by your body communicates to a horse? A horse is telepathic he understands your thoughts, he is a team player he wants to please you.

You too can become a horseman and not just a rider. Cheryl has made it her mission to educate as many clients on horse’s behaviour as possible hopefully to improve other horse’s lives. As an experienced rider Cheryl expects a horse not to jog, pull the reins out of her hands and take off at every opportunity especially when you turn for home but the horse must walk, trot, canter or gallop out with enthusiasm. You too you should be able to drop your reins on his neck to take a photo or admire the scenery, likewise as a nervous or beginner rider you don’t want to feel out of control, moves at an even steady pace and you want a horse you feel is in control.

Our horses live under the influence of a matriarch mare in the field as they would in the wild. They understand the concept of that honoured position extending to the staff. As our foals are born on the lawn, they see us as part of the herd and their training starts from the day they are born. The foals are handled regularly, and learn that in order to get a bum scratch they must come to us. Horses groom each other as a sign of affection and to confirm their position in the pecking order of the herd. A bum scratch would be equivalent to grooming and at a young age they get accustomed to a human behind them and learn not to kick. A horse is a flight animal, if he can’t run he will kick if threatened or frightened. By desensitising them they are less likely to react.

It is not unusual to find a foal and mare in the house. We smile at how often people have contacted us saying we have sick horses only to find a whole field of sleeping horses flat out and snoring. There is a misconception that only sick horses lie down flat. A good monitor of how comfortable horses feel in their environment is by just how many horses are sleeping at one time, the louder the snore the deeper the sleep. An unhappy horse would never put itself of being that vulnerable if conditions are not relaxed.

Even at an early age, bad manners are not tolerated, and all our horses are easy to catch and work with on the ground and this extends right though to being backed. By running the horses together with the stallion and different family units they are disciplined by the entire herd.

For us bomb proofing is a state of mind, as the horses have been brought up with kids, tractors, motorbikes, cats and dogs. A horse is very receptive in all his senses: they are essential for him to survive in the wild and we take into account all the horses senses, eyesight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. By addressing his senses as a baby in the comfort of mom, he grows to be a confident horse in lots of alternative situations.

From two months old the foals come out for their first ride under the guidance and reassurance of their mothers. They are introduced to what will be expected of them in the form of cars, roadworks, holiday makers on the popular Morgan Bay beach and have their first swim in the sea and the lagoon. Encouraged by their mothers and already responding to voice controls, they learn the rules of the ride and the guides voice and instructions. There is nothing scary about flying kites, umbrellas, bright buckets, dogs. cricket and soccer balls on the beach. Dogs on the beach do pose a problem sometimes, the ones that run with us or even bark at us are never a problem, in fact we don’t mind them running with us. It is the dogs that snap or bite at the horse’s legs. I am amazed at the dogs owners who often watch their dogs snap at a horses leg, get a kick and then react negatively to us. Do the owners expect the horse to stand there and get bitten?

A horse is a creature of habit, and learns form memory. On the Transkei side of the Kei mouth river, each horse is expected to take their own route but we never gallop on Morgan Bay beach, we ride in Indian file. As horses are competitive and by having a routine our older working team are a good influence on the youngsters. The older horses then show them there is no need to worry about traffic, dogs, or the sea and that there is no need for life to be anything other than pleasant and stress-free. Our horses are used to traffic on the road, be it large delivery trucks, motorbikes, quads, cars with caravans and trailers.

The equines are better behaved than the vehicle drivers and used to road rage and bad manners. Ignorance is one thing but why some drivers, even after being educated lose their class and respect for others when they see horses on the road. It constantly astounds us, just how inconsiderate the human race is.

Come ride with Us ...

Horses have as much right on the road as any other vehicle

When passing horses, slow right down and pass wide

If the public knew, understood, comprehended, just how fast a horse could move in any direction when they get a fright they hopefully would take that into consideration. It just takes a flying stone from under the vehicles wheel to hit us, the splash from a puddle of water, the rattle of an overloaded trailer. Inside of every domesticated horse still lives a wild one! Fright - Flight.

An equine no matter how well schooled, trained or under-control they can get a fright and jump. It is instinct over thousands of years; of being a prey animal no training can override that. He will jump and then ask why. When we as guides wave the traffic to slow down, lots of drivers wave back, hoot and accelerate. You can relax, my horses are totally bomb proof, they have seen it all.

Riding a Horse for the First Time

Much of the backing (preparation and ride for the first time) process is done in a fun from the first day. We use the foal as a temporary saddle rack in the stable when we saddle their mothers. They have watched their mothers tacked up and being ridden so it is something they understand. A saddle sits where a predator would attack; on his back and under his belly. In play the foal soon understands that the saddle does not bite.

It is not unusual for a young horse to play with a bridle or saddle left on the rails, bring us a bridle or even a saddle blanket, asking to be ridden.

Our system works for us. No drama, no stress, nice and easy.

In the height of season, we tack up the horses to be ridden that day including the new horse. Mount all the other riders, who are standing at the rail while Cheryl gives instructions on how to ride, tips on balance, dos and don’ts. The new horse is lead out of the stable and stands next to his mates, considering his position in the pecking order. He is mounted for the first time aided by a senior guide on the ground holding the opposite stirrup and steadying the new horse's balance. The guide on the ground stands, stroking and talking to the new horse. The new horse is lead by a second guide for a few steps with the rider on his back. The new horse is asked to walk, halt and walk again just a few meters. Basically all we have done is show the horse they can move with weight of a rider. We dismount and mount them a few times and take them back in to line where the other horses are waiting, placing them between their mates. Then we go for a ride. When the herd walks the new horse walks, when the ride trots so the new horse trots, and on his first ride when the herd canters so does the new horse. Three good rides and he is backed going and happy to be ridden by clients.

The new horse is not treated as a baby and is expected to ride through the estuary, waves, over paper, past cars, dogs and people. It therefore becomes the norm, what horses do, what is expected of him. Good experience = good horse.

A horse is a herd animal so he wants to stay with his friends, we like the middle of season as the new horse would rather stay with the mates than take off into unknown territory with bikes, cars and strange noises. The mature horses understand the rules of the ride and give the new horse a stare from hell if they try to pass in the line. When they trot or canter for the first time the new horse is unsteady on his feet at first under the riders weight but no or few bucks. By the end of the first ride the new horse is comfortable with the weight. They have seen the beach, cars, bikes etc before so they just go for the ride. During the first ride we find the steering and brakes with a bit by reinforcing voice control which they already understand.

On completion of the ride we un tack and they roll with the other horses. No fuss, no stress, no hassle. What we have noticed is, on that day as if welcoming them into a club, every mature horse grooms the new horse. On the second ride we treat the new horse no differently from a mature horse and by the third ride the new horse is ready to take the first client. We don’t use the new horse for beginner riders until we are sure that he will not be confused by a novice rider's instructions and wait until the horse is older to expect them to carry heavy riders.

Weaning Foals Made Easy With Our Weaning Halter See our foal weaning halter • Tack Shop

We wean the foals between 4-6 months. Previously we would separate mother and foal in an attempt to stop the foal drinking, a very stressful period for all concerned. Now we use our own weaning halter that has proved to be very successful and mother and foal remain together, but the foal can't drink off the mother. The following years are spent having fun, forming life bonds and growing out. We back (ride the first time) at 3 years but only once the bones and muscles are fully-grown would we consider carrying a heavy rider.

Where possible a young horse will be ridden for a few months and then go back into the field to grow out and think about what he has been taught. They come back mature and wanting to be ridden, it is not unusual for a horse in training to decide to join a group loose, they generally just join the string and we voice control them to encourage them to behave as we want them to. Clients comment on the maturity level of our younger horses, Spindrift never rode like a young horse, he was confident, a leader and responsible in finding many of the hidden paths on trail. Alex, Robin Hood, *Nsync, Excalibur, Royal Revenge, Apollo, Bliss, Caesar, Atlas, Hermes, Maverick, Atlanta, Caribbean, Nippit, Triton and Zeus all carried clients within a few days of first being ridden and already are confident to lead the ride if asked.

The Bachelor Herd

We run our colts and stallions in bachelor herds as they would in the wild. This way the colts and stallions are completely socialized. Two stallions in the wild would very seldom fight, play is noisy and pushy and often misunderstood by people; believing stallions to be aggressive. Stallions rear up and grab the jugular vein or bite the other horses knee to flip the other stallion on their back, throw their legs forward and stamp and squeal all in a mock fight. Very seldom do two stallions fight and very seldom would there be an injury, two seconds later they are nose to nose grazing or grooming each other. More often than not it is the two best friends making all the commotion. A stallion fight only gets serious if the area they are running in is too small and both want a breeding herd.

2007 – 2011 we had a terrible screwworm problem (a worm that eats living flesh) and so we did not geld (castrate) our boys, we were nervous of getting the worm into the cut. In December 2009 8 new boys, still stallions, came into work. They acted like geldings. They were completely social and happy not only to start their training under saddle, but also to pass mares on another ride with no more reaction than the geldings at seeing new horses. By having the boys at the beach stable it gave us an opportunity to introduce stallions to the public and change people’s perception. Putting a stallion in a stable away from his social group and only allowing him to see a mare at mating time makes him frustrated and he can become aggressive and sometimes dangerous.

Our fillies run in harems until they are mature enough to breed or ride, spending their youth growing out and forming strong friendships, used later as nannies for their mates babies. A nanny raises a foal; the mother is there more for nourishment. In the wild the nanny would normally be one of the older daughters or a mare that does not have a foal at foot. In the wild not all pregnancies go to term so the mare is not permanently pregnant. Mares often conceive twins but it is extremely rare that she would carry to term, normally naturally aborting within a few weeks of conception (her placenta is too small to carry two vital embryos to term) Lack of grazing, water, accidents and health play a huge part in controlling the numbers too. We like to give the girls a few years under saddle before going into the main herd and stallion to conceive.

We take the nanny and mare out of the herd to run on our lawn near the due date, although mares are often shy, we have witnessed nearly all our foals being born. We like to be near for a difficult birth, retained placenta etc, but more importantly we need to bond with the foal especially in the first 5 days. It is at this stage we can halter train, pick up feet, pull the tail (so they are accustomed to people behind them and don’t kick) and groom them and to enforce us as the matriarch and part of the herd.

The foal is up on its feet in a few hours, the second day it is galloping round and round the mare, who frantically spins to try to keep her foal in sight. The circle widens and mom relaxes. It is about then the foal no longer wants human contact and seeks out the other foals to play with. The nanny takes over and the family unit goes back into the main herd.

At Cher-a-Don teambuilding Adventure Centre formerly Lalapanzi Adventure Centre the Cher-a-Don Mkulu Kei horses are changing lives.

Horses don't pass judgment, they cannot lie and only live in the moment, which means they give us honest and give immediate feedback. It's these attributes that help to take people out of their comfort zone and that's where all the learning and in many cases the healing can begin. Helping teach the at risk participants or kids in trouble at Cher-a-Don (Lalapanzi) to develop self-discipline, patience and the benefits of approaching others with a softer, more gentle approach and participants don't feel they are involved in a therapy session but having fun.

The horses are large and often intimidating creatures, but naturally curious and loving which allows participants to gain trust.

Equine Therapy teaches people about themselves and this is why horses are so good to use as therapy for children/youth/adolescents with attachment problems, empathy deficits or other emotional disturbances. Equine Assisted Therapy easily reaches out to "at risk" youth and victims of abuse. In every situation, Equine Assisted Therapy succeeds because it offers non-threatening challenges, mirroring the persons own internal processes and can especially help hard to reach clients, those stuck in therapy or in trouble with the law or school. A person who is given just a little insight into dealing with a horse in the right way can become the natural leader the horse is looking for. The horse in return feels safe and peaceful and will cooperate with what the child asks of him.

What an incredible trail!

Meeting Carl was a blessing and life changing.

The Blind Bat as Carl calls himself has no sight, he cannot even see shadows. I was determined to give Carl the full trail experience, I did not change the route or the pace; we rode through rivers, over rocks, round trees and even had a race!

I gained from the experience in so way ways.

Here is Carl’s account of his trail.

During mid-2005, I did some internet research on "coastal horse trails" as I always wanted to treat myself to the sounds and feeling of cantering on the beach, swimming in the sea and lagoons, and take in all the amazing aspects of the coast.

I came across

www.mkulukeihorsetrails.co.za

and read about the wild coast and made contact with Cheryl Giacchetti, who runs the trails from near Kei mouth in the Eastern Cape.

What striked me from the first chat with Cheryl, was her openness in accepting me as a blind rider, and her words "I'd like to have you come so I can explain to you the beauty of our wild coast in more detail".

I've been previously turned away as a blind rider at other riding facilities in JHB and elsewhere, and Cheryl's open invite made me book for the 5 day trail for Early February 2006.

The trail exceeded by far more then my expectations and what the web site describes.

Firstly I was blown away by Cheryl and her family's warm hospitality and personal treatment on arrival and on trail.

Cheryl went out of her way to ensure I'm happy, and ensured she gave me full verbal descriptions of what she was seeing, including letting me touch the various rock formations, plants, etc.

I learnt to appreciate how the wild coast changes terrain almost every few hundred meters.

We rode along varying beaches, rock cliffs, forests, fields, hills, villages, and swam in the sea and lagoons.

The Hotels, both Sea Gulls and Wave Crest were really well enjoyed, with very friendly staff, and oh yes wonderful and too much food.

Also, her horses are wonderful animals, all very well schooled, nice natured, and the only down side was when I had to give Gunston back after the trail, it literally brought me to tears, you create such a bond with your horse as they faithfully look after you on all forms of terrain along the trail. My riding definitely improved on trail and Cheryl, having assessed my riding ability she was the first to let me attempt some jumping and within one lesson I was clearing a 70 cm jump - thus she's an excellent riding instructor as well.

PS: I'd like to thank you Cheryl, Don, the Kids and of course Gunston for a life changing experience. I will definitely be back, not only for another trail, I need to make it an annual get-away. You've taught me so much more about horses and what amazing animals they really are, and have boosted my love for riding even more. This does mean a lot to me, as I've done many major cycling events on the tandem, run Comrads, did some large hikes, padelling, etc. and finding regular partners always being a challenge as a keen blind sportsman, but the horses and riding community have really been so helpful and accepting in general, and horses never let you down.

Carl's web address:

http://www.freewebs.com/blind_bat

"Blindness is not an obstacle to me, but a challenge."

Contact Carl he would love to hear from You.

I allocated Carl Gunston because of his gentle nature, Gunston always responds to the clients but I was amazed at what I witnessed. On this trail he was different. On the ground Gunston was gentler more caring and constantly nuzzled Carl. Gunston took Carl's arm gently between his teeth and he guided Carl around!

My mount Holly was totally out of character around Carl. She is a matriarch mare, a bully and always on a mission, she is a tornado. She would run through you if you got in her way and she can't stand still for a second. However Holly was so gentle around Carl.

I asked my vet if the horses could sense Carl was different. My vet said that the horses knew Carl was blind and in the wild, the herd would lead a blind horse to water.

We taught Carl to jump, using Selly a confident jumper and by using my voice as direction. Carl has gone on to purchase his own horse and rides daily unaided and has started endurance riding.

Come ride with Us ...

Come Ride with Us ...

We at Mkulu Kei Horse Trails believe it is our duty to home and rehabilitate unwanted and or abused horses so a percentage of our revenue is used, donations are greatly appreciated and in season my daughters Daniela and Luisa give lead rein rides to small children on the beach, a % age of their revenue is used to take in abused and unwanted horses.

Some horses require intensive therapy, others just medical attention. It is important to try to work out what happened to each horse and to work through the problem areas. We then look at the new horse's personality and allow them to find a valuable place within Mkulu Kei Horse Trails. Horses that have had bad start make incredible therapy horses which we use at Cher-a-Don (Lalapanzi) adventure Centre with our animal assisted therapy. • Equine-Assisted Therapy

All horses retired on the farm like Major, Tom Thumb, Strike, King Arthur, Goldie, Grey Mist, Sun Dance, Blaze, Captain, Bestman and Holly receive the same care and attention as any of our other horses. I prefer nature to take its course but intervene if the horse is in pain.

The Breeds of Horses We Use

Friesian, Boerperd, Nooitgedacht, part breed and Arab Horses.

We keep a variety of horses. Friesians, Boerperd, Nooitgedachts, part breeds and Arabs / Arabian horses to compliment your preferences and riding ability for our horse trail. It's not uncommon that people come away from Mkulu Kei Horse Trails with a newfound love and respect for these companionable, dependable animals. That carry riders safely through beautiful places they couldn't see otherwise - like valleys, cliffs, isolated beaches and secluded bays. There's a special magic to sitting on top of a gentle horse as he makes his way along unspoiled beaches, splashes through rivers, and pauses to look out over the valley with you.

All breeds are gentle but forward moving with wonderful temperaments. We ride with our own adapted saddle a mix of an English and stock saddles and snaffles and our tack is kept in excellent condition.

We have no endemic horses in South Africa. The Boerperd is a unique South African breed rooted in the Cape Horse, ranging back through South Africa's history from Jan van Riebeeck's days in 1652. The Boerperd studbook was founded in 1905 and the Nooitgedacht strain was first classified at the Nooitdegacht Research Station near Ermelo in the 1950's. Both breeds make good riding horses.

The Arab or Arabian is the oldest of all horse breeds, and is considered by many people to be the most beautiful equine animal with it’s refined head and dished profile, expressive eyes, high spirits and unique floating action. The breed’s legendary stamina and gentle temperament makes it a perfect choice for the longer trails.

The Friesian is almost too heavy for the longer distance beach work and the Arabian horse is too small for our taller clients. We required a horse that has the Friesian temperament and bone but an Arabs stamina and movement and intelligence.

We embarked on our own breeding programme in 2000, the fruits of which you can see with Alex, Robin Hood, Joan of Arc, *Nsync, Excalibur, Royal Revenge, Caesar, Bliss, Apollo, Atlas, Maverick, Hey Dude! Romeo, Beau, Gabriel, Goliath, Captain Morgan, Triton and Candor. Young mares Caribbean, Atlanta, Nippet, and young stallions Hermes and Zeus, all now valuable working horses, they are all confident, rounded and happy horses. Breeding the perfect horse takes time but already we are getting the size and temperament we are aiming for, now we can fine-tune the breeding program adding a bit more spunk in some for more experienced riders.

We have put purebred Friesian mares to Zeus our young stallion this season. Purebred Arab mares are put to our Arabian stallion Spirit and semen from Raka a registered Arab stallion and Hermes to some of our part-bred and smaller mares. By putting part bred mares to the Friesians to stamp height, bone structure and incredible temperament and then turbo charging a percentage with the Arab blood we are getting progeny that is easy to work with on the ground, even tempered yet forward moving to ride, some more forward moving than others. At a later stage we will introduce some more Saddler blood into the mix to increase longer legs and a bit more spunk to a percentage of the foals, more flighty.

We again have a batch of youngsters, which will be joining the working horses. Thumbelina, Jiminy Cricket, Feisty, Lola, Maya, Paris Hilton, Spice, Tenacious Spirit, Flash Drive, Zenia, Black Berry, Stuart Little and Utopia to follow in a few weeks and are already showing the promise that our previous three year olds have fulfilled.

While Jack Sparrow and Gibson are still running with the herd and enjoy the safety and guidance of the others and grow into healthy confident horses. Their training started the day they are born, they are halter trained, feet cleaned, brushed daily. The colts will be gelded soon all in preparation for their third birthday when weight is introduced in the form of a rider and the more serious work begins.

We have reduced the number of foals born in the last few years as we have a young herd and breed horses for our use and not to sell. Due to the drought and lack of both good grass and water we have not put the mares to the stallion for 3 years. We could afford to give the mares a break from foaling and it gives your young stallions a chance to fully grow out, before covering mares

We will be backing the young mares this season while their mothers are with the stallion and using the young mares we backed last season in the working herd thereby increasing the number of working horses. The mares coming into work are more Arab in build, as Spirit throws more female foals and will be going on the longer trails in the next few years.

Colts in the System

Jack Sparrow : 09/03/08
Gibson : 10/11/08

Fillies in the System

None at present.

The sound of the horse's hoofs on the sand or splash of the water will live with you forever.

This unique South African safari horse trail offers a total riding holiday experience, incorporating beach, rural life and Safari riding, while giving you the chance to sample the undeveloped beauty of the South African Wild Coast. An equestrian adventure to remember.

You could be here on your coastal safari horse riding vacation, Mkulu Kei Horse Trails The best of equestrian holidays.

Come Ride with Us ...

…and you will see rolling hills, rich savannah grasslands and thick-forested valleys with multitudes of rivulets cascading down to rivers that eventually spill out onto quiet sandy beaches, fantastic high rise cliffs and spectacular rock formations that make the Wild Coast in South Africa one of the most beautiful places in the world. An incredible combination of cross-country horse riding and the exploration of our beautiful coastline.