HORSE RIDING MEETS TOURISM

MBABANE – Equestrian tourism is one of the best ways to develop horse-riding by making it more accessible to a wider range of people.

Eight riders embarked on five-day-long trans-Eswatini horseback ride from Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, up and across the Mdzimba Mountain trails, descending into the Lowveld, through rural communities and privately owned farms, past King Mswati III Airport and finally climbing the Lubombo Mountains through Siteki, ending at Mabuda Guest Farm. The ride started on Friday and ended yesterday.

The trans-Eswatini horseback adventure was a once-off event which combined fitness and tourism as the riders got to appreciate the beautiful scenery across all four geographic regions while promoting the sport of horse riding also known as equestrian. 

importance

According to one of the event organisers who was among the riders, Ann Reilly, The ride was aimed at celebrating the importance of and highlighting the plight of tourism in the Kingdom of Eswatini. This one-of-a-kind undertaking also targeted raising funds to sustain horse trails, which are a fundamental part of tourism. Reilly highlighted that running trails was a large investment of time, passion and funds, where the rider and the horse share a bond of developing each other, meeting challenges and growing together.

“A horse in our herd is a colleague, a team member. We are riding our trusted horses that were provided by Big Game Parks. We had an epic ride, quite interesting and we hope that the nation will support our Chubeka Trails team as we ride for hope, possibilities, tourism, sport and safety,” said Reilly.

support

The team rode across four reserves including Mlilwane, Dombey, Hlane and Mlawula. 

In support of this escapade, Eswatini MTN sponsored the team with 40 gigabytes internet data bundles for each member to allow them to upload and share pictures plus videos of their adventure on social media platforms. The horses and riders will be allowed to rest for two or three days before setting off to participate in the first ever Eswatini Adventure Weekend, where participants get to ride the horses on the trails through the Lubombo Mountains.

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