Riding out across the Waterberg

Exploring the Waterberg on horseback is an extraordinary experience as CHRISTINE WEAVIND discovers to her joy.

Published in the Saturday Star, South Africa, April 17, 2004

The 4x4 vehicle versus The Horse debate is not likely to be resolved any time soon. But one thing is for sure, bumping along spewing diesel fumes has nothing on the experience of cantering across the African savannah on a beautifully schooled and responsive horse.

Nobody knows this better than Wendy Adams, pioneer of South African horseback safaris in South Africa and owner/manager of Equus Horse Safaris in the Waterberg.

I arrived at the Equus Horse Safari lodge just as the March rains marked the end of a devastating drought. The rivers were fat with water, the dams spilled over and the sense of vitality and rejuvenation was almost tangible.

The 270km drive from Johannesburg took just under three hours, through Modimolle (formerly Nylstroom) and the biltong-haven of Vaalwater.

Finally my shiny, low-bellied sedan met with 27km of dirt road, its headlights only bulging a little at the odd river crossing on the last three.

I was met by Jill, one half of the couple that assist Wendy and her partner, John Miller, in the smooth running of Equus. Jill led me to my tent, which was equipped with two single beds, an en suite tiled bathroom, and electricity.

The tents, of which there are just three, are carefully positioned among indigenous trees to offer a sense of privacy and from which one can fully take in the sounds and smells of the bush.

The central thatch and stone lodge, a short walk away, was where we were to eat, drink and be generally rather merry. The lodge overlooks a lily pond and soon proved to be an ideal vantage point from which to view the reserve's prolific bird life, including Blue crane, Cape vulture and black eagle.

After a few cups of coffee, the other guests, an English couple, arrived, settled in, and we headed for the stables, a few minutes walk away from the camp.

Equus has 21 horses and caters for riders who can, as well as those who can - but not very well. Wendy has chosen mainly Boerperd and Arab horses for their sure-footedness, hardiness and easy-going temperaments. The 21 horses graze freely on the reserve, but always return to camp for breakfast, when those needed for the day are fenced in.

We set out at just after four in the afternoon. The Boerperd I was on was smaller than the horses I've become used to riding and the trail-saddle was quite unlike anything I'd ever ridden in before.

I needed less than 30 seconds to be absolutely sold.

My horse, and the ones I rode subsequently, was sensitive, responsive and happy to do pretty much everything I wanted. The trail saddles, which I was a little dubious about, turned out comfortable enough to sit in easily for up to four hours.

On the way, Jill, who is a licensed guide, showed off the four distinctly different habitats on the reserve, the grasslands, wetlands - which seemed to have expanded significantly just before my stay - broadleaf woodlands and afro-montane bushveld. Each one is associated with specific plant types and attracts an astonishing diversity of animals.

No animals have been introduced onto the reserve, but although it does not have the big five, it nonetheless boasts an abundant range of game.

On that first evening we rode up to groups of warthog, klipspringer and reedbuck and later during my stay we came upon shy groups of kudu, steenbok and baboon as well. Sightings of brown hyena and elusive bushpig are not unheard of. Being on a horse allows one the unusual privilege of getting very close up to the animals without frightening them.

After about an hour of riding we tethered the horses and rested beneath a giant waterberry tree for 20 minutes or so, savouring our nearness to this beautiful untrammelled land. After remounting, a long canter brought us to the edge of one of the Waterberg's famed Seven Sisters, a series of seven blunt peaks. Below, the earth dropped away, stretching in myriad shades of late afternoon purples.

Back at the stables, the horses were untacked and set free to regroup with the others.

Then it was time for a few well-deserved glasses of wine around an open fire as the skies changed from velvet black to the starlit marvel that is proverbial to the African night. Dinner was expansive and delicious, with three courses including a butter-like fillet of beef and homegrown fare from Wendy's own garden.

The next day, we set off at about 8am, heading west across a neighbouring farm (Equus has the use of nearly 5000 hectares of land on which to ride).

After picking our way up a long rocky hill, we were rewarded once again with the exquisite beauty of forever views, broken only by jackal buzzard soaring overhead. Then faster riding through the open grassland at the top got our appetites going and after about two hours we watered the horses at a river and cracked open the refreshments we carried in our saddlebags.

We got back to camp around midday and after another sumptuous meal and a beer or two, it was time for a siesta, a swim in the dam, or both. We rode again that evening, on different horses, returning home in the dusk, our heads finally clear of the grit and smog of city life.

My trip was for three days, arriving on the Wednesday and leaving the following Saturday. Three to five days is the recommended amount of time, but for anyone who loves the bush and who loves to ride, it seemed a day or two too short.

In addition to riding, guests can walk freely on the reserve, either alone or with a guide. A few kilometres from the camp, atop a kopje, is a fascinating stone-age ruin, one of several in the Waterberg area. On my second afternoon, fearing I would miss out on some of the wonders of this place, I asked Jacques, Jill's husband, to take me to see them. We drove a short distance from the camp and then ascended the kopje to where the two valleys making up the reserve stretched out below us, yielding yet another beautiful view.

The stone ruins describe circular spaces that may have been living areas, and one larger circle that Jacques said might have been a cattle byre,

Certainly the vantage point offered a perfect view of any unwelcome arrivals. It was also a place to experience a sense of reverence.

After spending some time exploring the site, we returned to the camp and changed back into jodhpurs for another spectacular ride as the sun slowly set behind the Waterberg mountains.

So let the debate go on. The 4X4 may have its place, but experiencing the land from the back of a horse is perhaps one of the most exhilarating ways possible.