“As long as my horses, my ridgeback Pula and I have food, water and a place to rest then I am happy,” says horse lover Lloyd Gillespie, whose “Riding for Horses” journey on horseback around South Africa brought him to the Soutpansberg area during the past week.

“I have often thought about the early pioneers and settlers travelling through South Africa on horseback. What an amazing era that must have been to live in. This ride is fulfilling a dream I have had for years of re-living a bygone era, and combining it with a good cause. I am riding around South Africa as a personal journey and for my love of horses” says Lloyd.

“The most important aspect of this ride is the wellbeing of the horses. It is so easy to get caught up in needing all sorts of extra equipment. My aim is to keep things as simple as possible. The less my horses have to carry, the better.” His aims with his “Riding for Horses” campaign is to create awareness of African Horse Sickness (AHS), to develop a complementary veterinary medical approach to AHS, to conduct an economic assessment of the value of the equine industry in South Africa and to promote government participation in the fight against AHS.

“For years I have dreamed of long-distance riding and seeing our beautiful country from horseback. Last year I did a 350km ride from Port Alfred to the Haven Hotel along the Wild Coast. I enjoyed it so much that I started planning a longer ride.

“Around the same time, two of my horses came down with African Horse Sickness. It was a difficult time and I felt completely helpless. Somehow they both survived. This was the push I needed. I felt that it was time for me to make this personal journey and my dream come true and combine it with a good cause to improve the lives of horses and humans.

“I would really like to thank Equi-feeds for their support. One call to them and I link into a network of care and help. I was advised by their nutritionalist to use a 13% high-fibre cube, since grazing may sometimes be limited. Their condition has been superb”.

Last week saw Lloyd in Musina and on Friday we contacted him at Klein Bulai. He hails from Natal, where his late grandfather, who also once owned a race horse, played a major role in developing his love for wildlife, bird and game viewing and fishing.

For the past 12 years, he has been in the game lodge industry in South Africa and in Botswana, working as lodge manager and guiding by vehicle, foot and horseback.

He lives in the Eastern Cape and runs two horse safari businesses (Fishriver Horse Safaris on the Sunshine Coast and Haven Safaris on the Wildcoast) with 33 horses. He works closely with the AHS Trust and conducted vaccination programmes in different parts of Eastern Cape.

“Riding for Horses is a very personal journey. It is about connecting at a deeper level with myself, my horses and the Creator of the universe around us,” says Lloyd.