Helpful rider wins Race the Wild Coast horse race

IT ENDED with a wild gallop to the finish, as KwaZulu-Natal equestrian Monde Khanyana saw off an international field to win the Race the Wild Coast.

Kokstad’s Khanyana tore in 17 seconds ahead of Australian 2014 Mongol Derby winner Sam Jones and 20 seconds ahead of Canadian Sarah Cuthbertson.

The leaders finished at 2.15pm on Tuesday, completing day four of the race which started at Port Edward on Saturday, having completed 350 kilometres over some of the country’s wildest landscape.

It was a feat of endurance and a testimony to the comradeship of the riders.

Jones said she would not have made it through the last day without Khanyana.

The three race leaders reached a part of the forest beyond Kobb Inn where a tree had fallen across the trail and they were surrounded by dense bush.

“Monde went to find us a way through. He somehow used one tree to cut another tree so we could all get past. We would have been stuck without him.

“I ended up helping everyone on the Mongol Derby too,” said Khanyana.

“This experience is going to live inside you. I would never go all out to win if someone else was in trouble,” he said.

Khanyana, who grew up riding horses on a farm in Kokstad, and is currently working as a horse trainer, has pedigree when it comes to long-distance racing.

He was awarded the horsemanship trophy for care of the horses when he completed the Mongol Derby in 2013, finishing sixth.

Race the Wild Coast is a first for international endurance horse racing, adding adventure and survival to the sport.

Organiser Barry Armitage, who has traversed the length and breadth of South Africa on horseback, described the race as “seriously tough”.

“The distance might not seem like much, but the landscape is punishing and there is always something to break the flow. Riders have to pace their horses very carefully, constantly working to save the horse’s energy for the next day.”

The health of the horses is carefully monitored, with vets carrying out checks every 40km. There are two compulsory horse changes and a 10-day pre-race training period, so horses could be taught to swim in the sea and tackle the 30 river crossings on the route.

There are six deep river swims and times when riders are prevented from crossing lagoons due to dangerous high tides. The race is a first for South Africa and for Wild Coast, and organiser, Rockethorse Racing are already accepting entrants for next year.

By sunset on day four, nine riders had passed the finish line, with South African rider Malcolm Hozack expected to finish yesterday. – Daily News