Welcome to our website, Riding for Horses. Please join our ride around South Africa!!
We are riding around South Africa to create awareness of African Horse Sickness and to raise funding to help equines.We started our journey from Durban in July 2009 and have ridden 5154 km thus far.
The funds we raise will be directed towards helping horses from impoverished rural communities. This is where horses need help the most and where we feel we can make a real difference. In impoverished rural communities most equines are in poor condition, neglected and have a compromised immune system. The owners lack of resources and knowledge results in many horses dying of AHS and other conditions each year. This is very evident in the former Transkei near our horse safari business. This ride will assist us in starting an Equine Welfare Project (E.W.P.) in the former Transkei. We have vaccinated 300 horses against AHS in our area in the past 2 years. With further funds we hope to vaccinate more horses and to expand this project to include deworming, correct saddle and harness equipment, correct handling and riding etc in the future. We both realise this is a huge undertaking but each and every time we drive through the former Transkei we are shocked and saddened by the condition of most equines. Someone needs to help. Through Riding for Horses we aim to help and make a difference.
"Horses can not make choices for themselves. We need to make good choices for them." Isabel Wolf
We believe that to make a difference against African Horse Sickness the following also needs attention:
African Horse Sickness education
a complementary veterinary medicinal approach to AHS
an economic assessment of the value of the equine industry in South Africa
government participation against African Horse Sickness (as is the case with rabies vaccinations)
a national approach to AHS
Our hope is that this journey generates public interest and motivates anyone to take up any of the above challenges to help fight AHS and to improve the lives of horses.
