Yomps, Adventure Travel Experiences

Horse Safari Work Experience, Zululand
Full Itinerary

Experience equine work experience like no other whilst volunteering on this horse safari adventure in a South African Game Park! Volunteers have the chance to go on breathtaking rides in the ‘big game’ area of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, gaining hands-on experience managing a herd of magnificent horses that are trained specifically to go on safaris into the stunning wilderness of Africa.

South Africa

- About the Horse Safari Work Experience

This horse safari work experience programme is based at Bhangazi Horse Safaris and was established to provide riders with the opportunity to go on fantastic horse safaris in a UNESCO World Heritage Site – the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Volunteers will gain experience and hands-on training, to the variety of different tasks that are involved in managing a herd of safari horses in Africa. This includes grooming, schooling and feeing the horses, checking their health, providing general stable management and helping with a variety of other responsibilities. You will also be there to interact with the staff and guests.

The herd consists mainly of Boerperds, but there are also Thoroughbreds, Thoroughbred Crosses and Boerperd Crosses. Probably of Arab-Bard descent, Boerperds are a South African breed who originates in Java, when the Dutch settlers arrived in 1653: they developed into the Cape Horse who, was then crossed with English Thoroughbreds. Recognised as hardy, strong and well-muscled animals that usually stand at around 14.0hh to 15.3hh, these horses have generous natures and a kind temperament, making them ideal companions for your time gaining horse safari work experience in South Africa.

The Horse Safari Work Experience is structured around three main areas:

• Monzi – Bhangazi's base. The horses are rested, school and rotated from here.

All the safari horses live outside, but Monzi is their home, as well as yours! (It is rare for guests to join you here.) Volunteers live in the horse safari owners’ home for the duration of the stay. The majority of the exercising is conducted around the sugar cane fields on the Umflozi River flats. At maximum, there are around 25 horses based here (normally when the horses return home from safari for a deserved break and some light work). For the horses that are not been rested, there is continuous schooling, exercising, feeding, grooming, veterinary work and general management work being carried out.

• Iphiva – involving short ‘hacking’ excursions for novices to experts. Guests are taken on game rides from the Iphiva Campsite or along the beaches of St. Lucia.

In Iphiva guests are taken on a variety of game rides, beach rides or a combination of both. The horses will go out for up to three hours before returning to their open air ‘stable’ – a grove of trees! The horses also live out in Iphiva but return to the grove ‘stable’ for their grooming and feeding. In Iphiva you will interact with the international guests, whilst helping the existing grooms to look after around eight to ten horses. When you ride here, you will be accompanied by an experienced guide who knows the routes and area well.

• iSimangaliso – the horseback safari aspect of the business. Up to six riders go on safaris into the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Here you will ride with an accomplished and very experienced guide/lead rider and up to six guests. You will ride as a back-up rider or on some of the horses that require more exposure to safaris in order to guests out in the future. Usually in iSimangaliso, you will camp out from between four to seven nights. This therefore requires not only the care and maintenance of your four-legged friends, but also the two-legged ones! Constant guest interaction is required and therefore good people skills are essential.

To ensure that all volunteers gains exposure to the three different aspects of the programme, volunteers are rotated between the three different aspects. Each of the three parts of this Yomps horse safari programme gives volunteers’ the opportunity to gain equine work experience in the following areas:

• Stable and pasture management
• Schooling, exercising, grooming and caring for horses
• The responsibilities of looking after the horses, staff and operations in Iphiva
• Riding and living in a big game area, learning about the leisure side of safaris

However, it’s not all work! As you gain valuable equine work experience, you will also have opportunities to experience horse safaris as a guest would, plus enjoy your own leisure time. Volunteers have ample opportunities to explore nearby points of interest, and you can always relax on golden sands and go swimming in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. You could also go into St. Lucia for the evenings to experience the vibrant local culture. At certain times of the year, the horse safari owners can also arrange discounted excursions for volunteers to go whale-watching or on turtles tours (depending on the season, and at your own expense).

If you would like to check out the Bhangazi Horse Safaris website, then please select Bhangazi Horse Safaris (opens in a new window).

- Accommodation

When you are not on safari, your accommodation is in the Horse Safari owners’ house, where you will share a large room with another student. Bathroom facilities are in the house and meals are taken with the owners at Monzi. Accommodation on safari is in a tent (safaris are always tented), and meals are with the guests.

- Skills Required

• Volunteers must be 18 years old or above
• Having a valid driving license and the ability to drive a utility is necessary (manual/ stick shift)
• Volunteers must be experienced horse riders to a classic English standard, for the varied extent of riding, from schooling to exercising and riding in a ‘big game’ area
• The position of a back-up rider on horse safaris is an extremely responsible position. The owners of the horse safari reserve the rights to assess your ability upon arrival as to whether it is possible for you to be a back-up rider on safari and at Iphiva. A detailed CV of your ability is therefore an essential requirement, yet the owners of the horse safari lodge still reserve the right to assess you upon arrival
• At least eight years of continuous riding experience
• Volunteers must be riding fit (ridden daily for at least six months prior)
• The days are long and hard work but extremely rewarding, and many hours are spent in the saddle. Volunteers must be prepared for this.
• Volunteers must be generally fit and not exceed a weight of 80kg.

- Costs

Thanks to the varied nature of the programme and the fantastic equine work experience that volunteers can hope to gain from it, a twelve-week period is the ideal length of time you should go for, but an eight-week option is also available. Please see below for the different costs. As there are only two positions available, it is advisable to apply well in advance. Please note that when completing the online booking form, you should select the applicable start date and specifiy your desired trip duration in the 'Other Details and Information' section.

	Pound sterling (£)	US Dollar ($)	Euros (€)
8 weeks	1450	2,755	1,885
12 weeks	1650	3,135	2,145

- Application Process

At Yomps we don’t just accept everyone that applies for a volunteering position. Every effort is made to ensure that the project is suitable for the volunteer and the volunteer is suitable for the project. On applying for the project you will be emailed a questionnaire form, which once completed will be sent to the volunteering project to be vetted, prior to acceptance.

Malaria Awareness -

Travelling to long-haul destinations can be a wonderful and exciting experience. Before you go, make sure you take the right travel advice about visiting Malaria risk countries. At Yomps, we are committed to stopping traveller deaths from malaria which is why we support the campaign being run by Malariahotspots.com. Click here to download our free guide about Malaria Awareness (opens in a new window).