Endurance Training Programme

The Endurance training program is a VOLUNTEER position and is only available for set dates which start one month prior to the Endurance Races that guests will have the opportunity to participate in.

The endurance training program varies from day to day, to ensure that the Endurance horses remain motivated through different activities while building their levels of fitness.  The horses’ training alternates with exercising in our automated “Walker” and training out on our endurance tracks around the reserve which offer varied terrain and distances.  You will be accompanied by our staff and on occasion Wiesman himself, all of whom have extensive experience in the training and preparation of our endurance athletes! You will be taught all aspects of preparing your own horse for endurance racing, from nutrition, exercise regimes, checking pulses, and how to manage your horse during actual endurance events.  

Endurance training is carried out for five days of the week, with average rides of anything between an hour and two and a half hours. On occasion, two or more training sessions are done on a day, however, this is not the daily norm.  On alternative days, horses are exercised in our automated “walker”, and volunteers will be given the opportunity to join guest trail rides on Boerperd. Please note that the endurance horses are rested for one week leading up to a race, so training for that last week is suspended.  During this time, volunteers will join day rides with guests on Boerperd Horses as well as  becoming involved in Natural Horsemanship if Monde is working with youngsters, and even attempt some “Tripple Training” on some of our gaited horses. Opportunities also sometimes exist to become involved with moving young horses or even some of the plains game species that have wandered out of their territory.

One 40km race entry is included in the cost of the one-month program.  For any additional races that volunteers might want to participate in, these will be at additional costs.  Only riders that are affiliated Endurance Riders in their own countries, that are in good standing with their Federation and can provide documentation to this effect, will be able to compete in an 80km race.

Early morning routines would include assisting with feeding and checking on horses around the stable yard, helping with grooming and turning out the stable horses that will not be in work for the day. On days that we host guests for rides on the boerperd, you will be given the opportunity to join these rides through the reserve, viewing game on horseback and enjoying the spectacular trails up into the Witteberg Mountains that surround the reserve.

You are expected to assist with grooming and tacking up horses for guest rides, as well as offering assistance during the ride and chatting to the guests.  Our volunteer position is best suited to hard working, bubbly, enthusiastic young riders that enjoy the company of others, and are always positive and upbeat. 

After returning from rides, horses need to be hosed down, and tack cleaned and checked, and packed away neatly into the tack room on the labelled stands and hooks.  Saddle blankets are washed once a week and we expect volunteers to help with this as well as finding other ways of ensuring that the stable and guest areas are kept clean and tidy at all times.

There is also the option of accompanying any guests that book one of our overnight horse trails on the reserve, if these bookings are made during your stay. We have the option of overnighting in a Hiking Cabin in the mountains, or a Sandstone Cave – a unique experience!

You will be taught all aspects of preparing your horse for endurance racing, from nutrition, exercise regimes, checking pulses, and how to manage your horse during endurance events. We recommend that riders who wish to compete, spend a minimum of 3 weeks on the programme before the race to ensure that they are riding fit, have learnt all the critical skills and have bonded with their horses. If you want to compete, the training leading up to the races is quite intense and riders will need to be very riding fit, riding at least five times a week.

For the races, the dedicated team will be on hand throughout to assist riders. Included in the Endurance package is transport to the race location (horses and rider), camping fees, entrance and administration fees, horse and tack for the race, and assistance from the MMH team during the event.

For those that want to compete in the Fauresmith event, which is South Africa’s equivalent of the Tevis Cup in the States, the horses will have to had completed 3 x 80km endurance races to allow them to qualify (extra costs may need to be factored in). This happens in July each year. If you are keen to compete in one of the Ultimate International Endurance Events, we recommend booking in advance and arriving at least 4 weeks before the competition date.

Please note – you must be a member of an Endurance Affiliation in your own country to enable you to compete for rides longer than 40km.

Wiesman Nel, horseman extraordinaire, has gained international acclaim after competing in THE ultimate endurance race, the Mongol Derby in Mongolia, where he earned second place in 2019. The Mongol Derby is known to be the longest Endurance race in the world, covering a distance of 1 000 km that takes 10 days to complete.

He has been competing in endurance races since the tender age of 7, when he competed in his first 100km endurance race! He took a short break from endurance until 2009, when he became competitive again. He qualified for the legendary Fauresmith Endurance ride, the highlight of the South African Endurance horse-riding calendar. Wiesman rode for the National Team for the Tri-Nations Competition in 2012 where he finished 7th in his weight category. He then became involved in developing extreme trail rides along the Wild Coast of South Africa and through Lesotho and in 2019, qualified to ride in the Mongol Derby where he placed 2nd. He has recently completed his third Fauresmith, accompanied by his two children, Anne and Willie.

There are over 240 horses on the farm, mostly living out as a herd, with the freedom to roam across the ranch. Horses have always been a big part of Moolmanshoek, first being used on the farm as workhorses to herd cattle, check livestock and do fence sweeps. In 1990, Wiesman’s grandfather selected a top English breeding stallion, Olford Silver Tu Penny. This phenomenal stallion sired, amongst others, Sweep, Pula and Moya, Arabians that ranked in the top 5 in the world in Dubai.

When Wiesman took over the farm, he became good friends with Leon Liversage and they developed Moolmanshoek Endurance Horses, selecting and breeding horses for export and endurance racing. Over 20 of the horses they bred were exported to Dubai for endurance. In 1997, Wiesman registered his own Boerperd Stud, and has since been breeding both Arabians for endurance and Boerperd horses for trail and safari horses.

You will be introduced to the tack the team uses, which might be quite different to what you have used before. Wiesman was instrumental in the testing and upgrading of the legendary Trail Rider, and Kentucky Saddles designed and developed by Leon Liversage – These are used in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Europe and Asia by some of the top endurance riders.

Moolmanshoek Private Game Reserve not only breeds phenomenal Arabs and Boerperd horses, but is also an incredible destination for discerning travellers that want to experience life in the African bush from horseback. The plains game found on the reserve include Black Wildebeest, Impala, eland, ostrich, red hartebeest, water buck, springbok, lechwe, oryx, warthogs, blesbok, black backed jackal, caracul, and the more elusive aardvark and aardwolf. Long stay interns can also opt to add on a 3-night stay in a nearby game reserve to get the opportunity to see elephants, buffalo and big cats.

For those that are staying longer, there is the chance to head to the nearby Nambiti Reserve. Springbok Lodge offer guests a chance to unwind in a picture-perfect setting while getting the chance to head out on twice-daily game drives. The Nambiti Private Game Reserve is a conservancy offering 22 000 acres of pristine, Malaria-free bushveld. The Reserve is home to the Big Five, as well as Cheetah, Hippo and over 30 species of plains game.

Head off on an open game-viewing vehicle before sunrise or in the afternoon with your field guide who will ensure that you get the most out of the experience and enjoy the abundance of wildlife and unspoiled African vistas. There’ll be a chance to quench your thirst and stretch your legs during the drinks break while enjoying the sounds and silences of the bush. The memory of sipping a steaming cup of Amarula coffee or enjoying a G & T with the sunset in such humbling surroundings is one that will be remembered forever.

3-night package from GBP345* per person sharing