Dream rides to freedom

The people and horses of this idyll live without shackles, writes Claire Keeton. Marianne Schwankhart took the pictures

Hidden in the woods of Mpumalanga, where wild horses roam, live a long-haired horse whisperer and a hermit with green fingers.

Horseman and archer Christo Germishuys looks like an outlaw, a modern-day Robin Hood at ease on any steed, with bow and arrow in hand.

And like an outlaw Christo is skittish, disappearing as swiftly as the vagabond herds of Kaapsehoop do when they run into strangers.

He runs Kaapsehoop Horse Trails while his friend, Pierre van Zyl, who lives across the Berlin forest, provides rooms and an outdoor kitchen on the edge of the escarpment for riders doing overnight trails.

Pierre survives mostly off the land at Coetzeestroom in the Blue Swallow Natural Heritage Site, where he grows vegetables and gathers firewood from fallen trees.

These men exist outside the confines of society and their days have a rhythm far removed from that of the digital world most of us inhabit.

Marianne Schwankhart and I got a glimpse of it when we went to Kaapsehoop, half-an-hour from Nelspruit, to do a horse trail.

To get there, we took a gravel road through the forest, past stationary railway coaches - an overnight stop on the Kaapsehoop hiking trail - and a forestry village.

In a clearing we found the stables, paddock, four cottages and the Shirebeen Pub or coffee bar. Little more than a wooden counter with a few stools under a tin roof next to the stables, the pub is surrounded by an astonishing collection of tree stumps, rocks and metalwork.

Among their free-spirited friends who drifted in while we were visiting were a veteran off-road biker who has done the Roof of Africa rally multiple times, a conservationist who works at the nearby Chimpanzee Sanctuary and a champion horseman.

Kaapsehoop trail manager Mariska Redelinghuys was a schoolteacher before she abandoned city life to join the team.

Lean, with spiky red hair, she has never looked back since she discovered this retreat.

"This is me. I'm not an office person," says Mariska.

Even Christo's horses are freer than most, not being stabled at night and coming in only for food, grooming and rides.

Kaapsehoop is best known for its 200 or so feral horses which roam the forest in bachelor groups and some larger herds.

When we visited the stables one of their mares was about to foal, following the attentions of a wild stallion. But Christo keeps the rest of his breeding mares on a farm at nearby Waterval Boven.

The horses used on trail rides are geldings or stallions, whose temperaments range from tame to free-spirited.

In Argentina once, Marianne had horse-riding lessons with a gaucho - a pampas cowboy - so she was ready for a feisty horse.

I have never had lessons and have no skill, despite riding, or being bucked off, in many places.

My first time was on a Karoo farm where I rode into a swarm of locusts and my horse bolted.

On the most recent occasion, I was tossed off a horse when it reared up in the Drakensberg after a guinea fowl startled it.

When I warned Mariska about my lack of control she thought I was being funny. But when she saw how horses behaved with me, she realised I was just telling the truth.

To be on the safe side she gave me the tamest and slowest horse, a glossy giant called Baobab, for the first ride.

Marianne had a shire cross called Mazabuka and Mariska was on a warmblood cross, a stallion called Kalahari.

Accompanying us were six dogs, including a brave mongrel terrier called Vlooi and a malamute.

We set out on an icy blue morning walking slowly through the fields, passing the forestry settlement before winding up into the forest.

Once I had persuaded Baobab to pick up the pace our first trot was surprisingly comfortable.

That competitive streak certain horses have, where they have to be in front, was absent in Baobab.

He's a perfect beginner's horse and I'd like to go back for my five-year-old son to have a lesson on him.

Once in the forest we ambled through trees lit by shafts of green sunlight. Bird calls mingled with the sound of the wind. We stopped at the edge of the escarpment to enjoy the view and the stillness there.

On more open sections we cantered and the horses were sure-footed when descending steps in the forest.

On the last leg back to the stables, we meandered through a Canadian maple forest.

Our second ride the next day was almost as peaceful as the first, but at a slightly quicker pace.

This time I rode Mazabuka and Marianne had Kalahari. Mariska took a young gelding who's learning the ropes and Vula Tours chief Leon Smith was on his prize mount Mister X.

Leon says that Christo chose Mister X for him. Christo sat in a paddock with about 200 horses for a few hours and then told Leon: "This is your horse."

We followed another route through the forest and the horse-and-dog packs moved along smoothly.

Our horses whinnied when they saw wild horses and they let us move closer to have a look.

At one stage Mariska's horse sparred with mine, and tried to nip him to get past. This resulted in Mazabuka prancing around but he settled down on his own.

During the ride Leon gave me advice about how to balance when trotting and cantering, and this transformed the movement.

The ride became so smooth that I felt I was hardly moving when the horse picked up speed. Next time I go there, I want to take lessons.

I want to go back, it's a dreamlike hideaway. I would imagine when the stables are shrouded in Kaapsehoop's legendary mist, you drive away and wonder if it really exists.

. CONTACT: 0827745826, info@horsebacktrails.co.za, www.horsebacktrails.co.za.

. RATES: R350 per person per ride

WHERE TO STAY:

. Lambourn is a self-catering Victorian cottage with a spiral staircase rising out of the open-plan living room and kitchen to a top bedroom, with a skylight and a balcony.

The three bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms are spacious and appealing, and we had fresh roses next to our beds and a complimentary bottle of wine.

The living space has a gas fireplace, which we needed in the misty cold when we arrived, and historic photos on the wall.

The gardens in the front (flowers) and back (aloes on the rocks) enhanced the charm.

• Rates: R900 per night for the cottage
• Contact: 0736758731, info@kaapsehoop.net, www.kaapsehoop.com.

. The Quinley cottage, trail house, stable house and guest house at the Kaapsehoop Horse Trail stables have wooden floors, old stoves and modern appliances.

Black and white photos of horses adorn the walls and real horses wander around outside. The bird life is plentiful includes about 10 pairs of the threatened Blue Swallow.

The stables are on the Berlin forestry plantation which borders on indigenous grassland.

• Rates: R210 per person per night sharing or R1500 for the guest house per night
• Contact: 0827745826, info@horsebacktrails.co.za, www.horsebacktrails.co.za.

WHAT TO DO:

Kaapsehoop Horse Trails runs five-day pony camps for children aged eight to 15. The children go riding, hiking - exploring caves and waterfalls - and have fun working with the horses under supervision. The camps cater for a minimum of six children and a maximum of 12.

• Rates: R1650 per child from Monday morning to Friday lunchtime.

WHERE TO EAT:

. The Bohemian Groove Cafe in Kaapsehoop is an outstanding new restaurant/art gallery, with handmade furniture and paintings by Charl Fourie. He runs the place with his wife Andrea, who is an excellent chef.

We were served a lamb curry and rump steaks and baked Cape brandy-and-date tart with ice cream for dessert.

This was the most enchanting restaurant I've been to this year and its famous ghosts swirl in the ether. Reservations recommended.

• Contact: 0767647625 or 013734 4545, www.bohemiangroovecafe.co.za.

. Establishments like the Silver Mists Country Inn and Koek 'n Pan pancake house offer substantial meals on rural time, that is, don't be in a rush. The pancake house offers a range of large pancakes; Silver Mists, the post office back in 1898, is worth a visit. It is a beautifully restored and friendly establishment but don't go there expecting gourmet food.

GIFTS TO TAKE HOME:

De-liteful Glass Works, on the left as you enter Kaapsehoop, has a selection of rainbow-coloured glass products from wind chimes to lamp shades and pendants. They also do commissioned work including windows and door panels.

GETTING THERE:

Take the N4 east from Johannesburg past Pretoria. Turn right at Ngodwane Sappi plant up the pass to Kaapsehoop.