Endurance Training Programme

Life in the African Bush is exciting and very different to anything you would have experienced before!  Living on a Game Reserve holds its own attractions, with a plethora of wildlife on your doorstep, as well as the horses which live in herds in a very natural environment.

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 safari horses, you will need to help saddle up the horses and help the guests mount. You maybe 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.

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. Expect to ride 2-5 horses a day, depending on your fitness, the number of volunteers, and the horses’ training schedules. You will be accompanied by the Moolmanshoek team, and on occasion Wiesman himself, all of whom have extensive experience in the training and preparation of endurance athletes!

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.  You can either choose to spend a number of weeks with us on the program without wanting to actually compete in a South African Endurance Race, or you can choose to tie in your visit to allow you to accompany our endurance team and complete in an endurance event, based on the endurance calendar for the year.  Please note – you must be a member of an Endurance Affiliation in your own country to enable you to compete at a South African event.

There is also the option of accompanying any guests that book one of the 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!  If the weather is good, you can also take the horses out for a swim in the dam or head out for a hike to the caves on the reserve.

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.

ERASA calendar 2022  – these are the endurance events the team will still be competing in until the end of the season:

19 – 20 August 2022: Bona Bona – Wolmaranstad (40km,  80km and 120km)

26 – 27 August 2022: Imla – Clocolan (40km,  80km and 120km)

30 September – 1st October 2022: Moolmanshoek – Rosendal (40km and 80km)

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 most of the year. 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 we use, 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.

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