The Midlands – An equestrian destination
Content courtesy of Nottingham Road Tourism
Tucked away in the heart of the picturesque
KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, Nottingham Road is more than just a charming
village — it is a vibrant hub of equestrian excellence, from elite
breeding to world-class equestrian sport and horse racing.
This region offers multiple disciplines, including
Racing, Showjumping, Dressage, Eventing, Polo, Polocrosse, and
Western Riding. Polo in particular, has deep roots here — dating
back to 1886 with the founding of the Dargle Polo Club, South
Africa’s first civilian polo club. The tradition continues through
the esteemed Lions River and Karkloof Polo Clubs.
In horse racing, the most famous Midlands thoroughbred
son is Jet Master — bred in Mooi River by Hugh Jonsson. With
seventeen wins (including 7 Group 1 races), he became one of South
Africa’s most influential thoroughbred sires, producing champions
like Pocket Power.
The Midlands stands for equestrian excellence and
continues to produce top horses across all major disciplines.
Newly launched in Fort Nottingham,
Waterwoods is a
state-of-the-art venue set to host top showjumping events. With its
world-class facilities, it is poised to become a flagship
destination on South Africa’s equestrian calendar, with the first
major event taking place from the 1st to 5th of May.
Maxwells Equestrian Club is a superb
show venue near
Mooi River with
world class indoor arenas, hosting equestrian disciplines like
showjumping, showing and dressage
334 Sporthorse Stud
This stud breeds exceptional warmbloods with top
industry bloodlines for athleticism and jumping, inspired by their
founders' mare, Wolke 334. The stud focusses on the broodmare,
utilizing mares that have competed at the top of the showjumping
sport.
Capital/Summerhill Equestrian Stud
The cornerstones of Capital Stud’s breeding program
have always been that the use of the world’s best bloodlines, in the
right combinations, will produce the world’s best sport horses, and
further, that the dam possesses the highest value in the breeding
programme. Imported mares and dam lines are bred to top quality
stallions, producing top quality offspring. Through the application
of this philosophy, the stud has been wonderfully successful.
Rivervale Stud
A boutique family-run stud located on the banks of
Spring Grove Dam, Rivervale is known for carefully bred Warmbloods
with top lineage and impeccable temperaments for showjumping and
eventing.
MacRath Farm (formerly Rathmor Stud)
Managed by the passionate McHardy family, MacRath has
grown from humble beginnings to a major player, now home to over 150
horses. Their breeding spans top-performing racehorses to elite
showjumping athletes.
Brandenburg Stud
Warmblood sport horse breeders, Brandenburg combine
world-class genetics with a strong focus on temperament. Their
stallions, including Clarinius and Colbert, consistently produce
competitive, well-rounded horses.
Clifton Stud
With decades of excellence behind it, Clifton Stud
has
produced multiple Group-winning racehorses, including the Durban
July winner Classic Flag. The stud maintains a reputation for
consistency, professionalism, and passion for the Thoroughbred
industry.
Bush Hill Stud
Based in Mooi River, Bush Hill is renowned for its
outstanding racehorse breeding program and deep commitment to
quality bloodlines. They have bred grade 1 winning champions
including Zirconeum, Wolf Whistle and Stellite
Blue Sky Thoroughbreds
A modern operation with a forward-thinking approach,
Blue Sky combines innovative practices with exceptional mares and
stallions. Their foals are certainly making a mark on the South
African racing scene. A new stallion, Double Superlative, has
recently joined this stud, further enhancing what KZN breeding can
now offer.
The Fort – Stud & Stables
Tucked away in Fort Nottingham, The Fort has
developed winners like Chocolicious and War Artist. Under Jill Fox’s
guidance, the focus is on producing sound, athletic horses for all
disciplines, with a solid mental foundation. Interestingly this stud
stands an imported Trotter stallion, Main Kronos, helping to improve
the quality of our local trotters