A NEW BREED OF LONG DISTANCE HORSE RACING

Blending the spirit of the frontiersman and the modern horseback adventurer: testing horsemanship, endurance, survival and navigational skills across an iconic wilderness.

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The Race Dates and Schedule

Postponed to 29th May – 6th June 2021 due to COVID19
Pre-Race briefing and training rides Saturday 29th – 31st May 2021. Race 1st - 5th June 2021. Depart 6th June.
Competitors transfer from Durban to the start camp on the 29th of May for a pre-race briefing, the drawing of their first horse, followed on the 30th & 31st with race orientation, tack and kit testing as well as instruction in and practicing the critical art of swimming rivers with your horse.
The start camp is compulsory for all riders.
The Race starts at 08h00 on the 1st of June with a five-day window to complete the race.
There will be a prize giving and spectacular celebration on the evening of the 5th of June, and on the morning of the 6th of June all you brave adventurers begin your journey homeward.

Money Stuff

The cost is ZAR127 500.00 (ZAR/South African Rand). This includes all food, accommodation, horses, support crew, tack and transfers (from pick up in Durban to drop off in East London).
On acceptance a 20% non refundable deposit (R25 500.00) secures your place in the lineup.
The payment schedule to be confirmed for each applicant depending on sign up date as well as payment method but full payment is to be received by the end of March 2021.

Legal Stuff

On acceptance of your application you will be provided with a Terms and Conditions document which will need to be signed as required, scanned and return to us by email.

Getting There and Back

We will transfer competitors from Durban to start camp, about two hours drive down the coast, on the afternoon of the 29th May. There is the option to overnight in Durban the previous evening and join the transfers the following day.
On the 6th of June competitors transfer to East London Airport for their connecting flight. No flights are to be booked out of East London before midday on the 6th.

Weather

The 2021 race takes place in late autumn early winter.
The average number of days of rainfall in June is 3.
The average rainfall for June is 13mm.
The average high and low temperatures for June are 22°and 10°C respectively.
Humidity on the subtropical Wild Coast is relatively high with an average of 46% in June.

Tides and River Crossings

Tides and rivers play a huge role in the structure of the race. The race dates have been timed for low tide to fall at suitable times for crossing significant rivers and also for a small tidal range (0.8m) that reduces the rate with which water flows in and out of tidal lagoons.

Certain rivers will only be swum on an incoming tide for safety offering an approximate six hour window to cross.

There are approximately 6 significant rivers requiring deep-water swims. The longest swim could be as much as 50 metres, which should only be crossed on an incoming tide. In addition there are about 24 other rivers that will either be closed at the mouth or a shallow wade. We say “approximately” and “about” because some of the smaller rivers can have a deep channel scoured by flood water or storm seas flood the estuaries, or, conversely sea currents can deposit sand to make what might have been a swim one month into a wade the next.

During the start camp, The Rockethorse team will take you and your first horse through the process of mastering the skill of swimming a river with your horse, essential to competing in and completing the race.

Navigation

Navigation will be by GPS, loaded with tracks to guide riders through the landscape. At all times riders will still be required to read the immediate landscape for the fastest or most efficient route for themselves.

There will be a thorough briefing on all aspects of the route and river crossings during the start camp. Maps of each stage will also be provided for riders as an additional navigation aid. You will bring your own GPS and tracks will be loaded during start camp. Make sure that you know how to use your GPS before the race. If you are unable to get your head around operating your GPS in order to select a track and follow “the purple line” you WILL get lost and the race director reserves the right to exclude riders from the race if they are incapable of operating their GPS devices.

Safety

Helmets are compulsory.
Riders will be issued with a tracker with n SOS button for emergencies.
There will be a race medic available and on standby for emergency response.

Horses

Horses are sourced from local endurance studs, which are typically Arabs crossbred with a small percentage of the local Boerperd for hardiness and temperament. There will also be some pure Boerperde very suitable for the tough conditions on the Wild Coast. This race requires horses with a good temperament, independent, with a strong work ethic and brave.
The riders first horse will be drawn at random out of a hat and your following horses will be chosen on a first come first serve basis at the horse changes.

General Stuff

Race the Wild Coast is a challenging horseback adventure that is not to be taken lightly. Being physically fit is essential. There are many, many brutal hills on this coast so being fit to run the downhills leading your horse is a must to keep the pace up and minimise the impact on your horse. Some of the river crossings can be daunting, so being confident in water is also a must.

The race has been lengthened to 370km (40km longer than the first edition in 2016) and expanded to include a fourth horse.

You will need extensive experience riding and pacing horses over long distances as some riding days exceed 90km. It is highly recommended that riders get endurance riding experience both for the welfare of the horses and for the ability to pace horses in order to progress in the race. There will be a new rule for the 2021 race that allows the race director to penalise riders going out too quickly in the stage following a horse change based on information from the satellite trackers that every rider carries.

All aspects of horse handling (general horsemanship) are essential; you will be caring for your horses overnight at the rider camps. There will be temporary paddocks, feed, water, grooming equipment and an attending vet.

Sleeping out is not planned to be part of the race. We expect the field to spread out from day 2. Riders will overnight in simple rider camps or at vet checks if straggling. Most accommodation will be in tents. The start and finish camps will be more substantial than the rider camps for the 3 or 4 nights of the actual race, which will be a very simple tented camp in a remote but beautiful location.

Riders will carry their own sleeping bags, equipment and clothing. Food and water will be provided for the riders. All feed and electrolytes, etc. plus paddocks will be provided for horses. Riders will be responsible for feeding, watering and grooming their horses during the race.

Race structure

We keep most details of the race structure under our hats until start camp where we will give you all the information you need. But here are some basics:

There are 12 stages in the race.
The race will be approximately 370 very tough kilometres.
There is a vet check at the end of each stage.
The distance that each of the first 3 horses cover is split by a 12 hour overnight stop allowing horses to rest. The fourth horse does a short leg of approximately 50km to take riders to the finish.
Riders will be timed in at the end of each day and released accordingly the next morning.
If riding conditions are favourable the winner is expected to finish on the afternoon of day 4.

Vet Check Structure and Associated Rules (in brief)

There will be an appropriately qualified veterinary team looking after the wellbeing of the horses.

The vet checks work as follows:

Once a rider enters the vet check their horse’s heart rate has 20 minutes to reach 64 beats per minute.
As soon as the horse’s heart rate reaches 64b/m the horse begins a 40 minute hold to drink, eat and rest.
The rider may leave as soon as the 40 minutes are over.
If a horse’s heart rate doesn’t reach 64b/m in 20 minutes, the horse and rider are held for half an hour. At the end of the half hour the vet will assess if the horse is good to continue. If it is good to continue, the 40 minute hold to drink, eat and rest begins.
If the horse is not fit to continue after the half hour hold, the rider is out of the race, but will be transported forward to the next horse change or vet check where a spare horse is available to continue riding the race route, although they will no longer be competing.
At the horse changes riders will be able to change to their fresh horse as soon as their horse’s heart rate hits 64b/m and clears the vet check, with an extra half an hour for those that don’t.
There will be a time penalty for riders whose horses are vetted out at horse changes, but they will be allowed to continue competitively.
At the finish, the first horse across the line will win as long as their heart rate comes down to 64b/m within 40 minutes.
If you can’t finish the race for whatever reason you will be transported to the finish with the ground crews or in the race helicopter.
We will facilitate a rider experiencing as much of the route as logistics allow should they no longer be competing for any reason.

Terrain

The terrain of the Wild Coast is very varied. Perfect conditions of hard sand on the beaches on an outgoing tide, big coastal hills cut by ravines that often require leading your horse, tight forested tracks and soft sand where haste can lead to tendon injuries and the like. These varied conditions can all be packed into a single day, so keeping a steady pace across the landscape is a challenge.

Tack

Saddles used are endurance style saddles made by South African saddle makersLiversage Saddlery, with modifications specific to the needs of adventure racingon the Wild Coast.
You may bring your own stirrups. Leathers must be longer than the standard for anEnglish saddle. Alternatively you may use the stirrups and leathers that comestandard with the saddles we provide.
We have developed a hybrid halter/bridle to suite the conditions on the WildCoast, making the swimming of rivers safer for the horse and leading easier too.

Other Kit

The weight limit for gear carried by riders is 5kg. Competitors carry their sleeping bag as well as any additional clothing and equipment. Waterproofing of your gear is critical as you will be submerged in water regularly and wet for much of the race. A comprehensive kit list will be supplied on acceptance.

Rider Weight

Riders need to be under 85kg’s dressed to ride including their 5kg gear allowance. This means you will need to weigh a maximum of 80kg’s in your undies! No exceptions. Over 85kg’s all kitted up and you don't ride!

There are no weight categories in this race, so the lighter you are the better, however due to the nature of the terrain, the navigational challenges and strategic choices, the influence of the weight factor is somewhat minimised.

Some thoughts from race founders Baz and Joe

Winning will require a very balanced strategy to get the most out of your horses and stay in the race. Good navigation skills, bravery when needed, canny pacing of your horses and of course a large dose of luck will all help!

With this race we wanted to take as much pressure as possible off the horses and put it onto the rider. The distance that each horse covers is split by overnight stops. Navigation may often be challenging, slowing the pace of the race, which is beneficial for the horses and lowers the risk of a horse being vetted out.

As mentioned before, we expect the winner to finish in the afternoon on the fourth day. Maybe it’ll be you!

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