Horse riding in Cape Town

Horse riding in Cape Town. Photo courtesy Sharon Schneider.

For those who enjoy seeing the countryside at a gallop with the wind blowing through their hair, horse riding in Cape Town can be a pleasant and affordable experience. There are a number of wonderful places to ride across the city and some excellent operators to ensure that you have a great experience.

There are several operators offering horse riding, but please note that some of the operators below are not members of Cape Town Tourism. You can check our list of tour operators that are registered with Cape Town Tourism and that specialise in riding on our tour operator database.

Imhoff Equestrian Centre

Not far from the seaside village of Kommetjie, along the M65, you’ll find Imhoff Farm and the Imhoff Equestrian Centre, www.imhofffarm.co.za, where guided two-hour beach rides are on offer. Travel on horseback along the water’s edge down the long and beautiful Noordhoek Beach towards Chapman’s Peak and back. Three rides are accommodated daily between 09h00 and 18h00, depending on the season.

The minimum age for riders is 12 and a range of experience is catered for. The horse riding school also offers lessons with qualified instructors. Imhoff Farm also has a fully licensed à la carte restaurant, craft shops, a tea garden, snake park and camel rides. Booking is essential.

Oude Molen Stables

The Oude Molen Stables and Horse Riding School (+27 (0)73 199 7395) is built on a hill fronted by a large green paddock that runs down to the Liesbeek River, offering an uninterrupted view of Devil’s Peak. This is a remarkable haven of peace and urban beauty surrounded by two highways, hospitals and housing projects.

Owner Kendre Allies offers sanctuary from the surrounding urban environment for local children and horses alike. Kendre says he owes his life to the horses that used to surround him with love when he was a young and rebellious gangster on the road to destruction. Today he owns the horses at Oude Molen and is assisted by children from the neighbouring community of Maitland Garden Village.

Oude Molen Stables lies along the Black River and Vincent Palotti wetlands in Pinelands. It offers riding lessons for toddlers to adults, pony rides, outrides and horse trails. The outrides are conducted within the Two Rivers Urban Park, following the Black and Liesbeek rivers. For the adventurous urban explorer, there are also horse rides to Milnerton Beach and Table Mountain.

Sleepy Hollow Horse Riding

Sleepy Hollow Horse Riding, www.sleepyhollowhorseriding.co.za, established in 1975, hides in the heart of the beautiful Noordhoek Valley, at the base of the world-renowned Chapman’s Peak Drive. To experience breathtaking views of Chapman’s Peak and Noordhoek Beach from horseback is a delight not to be passed over. Visit the Kakapo shipwreck and watch indigenous birdlife on one of the Cape’s most beautiful white beaches. Take in a sunset over the Atlantic Ocean or feel the wind in your hair while cantering along the seashore.

Sleepy Hollow offers a variety of horse riding activities catering for all ages and levels of experience. Knowledgeable guides and well-behaved horses guarantee a pleasant experience. Beach trails are limited to six riders, with a guide, to enhance the beauty and serenity of nature at its best. From August to November whales and dolphins may be seen at play in the ocean.

Contact Sleepy Hollow on +27 (0)21 789 2341 or Cape Town Tourism’s contact centre on +27 (0)21 4987 6800 for the latest prices and operating hours.

African Horse Company

If you are looking for something a little further from the city, you may want to try the African Horse Company, www.africanhorseco.com, based 180km from Cape Town in the Western Cape’s unspoilt Overberg. The company offers multi-day horse trails and outrides ranging from an hour to the better part of the day.

On offer are one- to six-hour beach and mountain outrides, and two- to ten-day trails catering for beginners to advanced riders. Trails of up to 45km traverse varying terrain, including beach, dune, mountains, streams and wetlands. The horses are South African cross-breeds such as the boerperd, Arabian, saddler and Friesian mixes. There are vast open spaces in the Overberg, so the horses roam freely on 300ha of farmland in a natural herd and have developed a keen instinct for the terrain over which they carry riders.