Uitgedacht Farm · Eastern Free State, South Africa
Where ponies,
people and polo
transform lives
Poloafrica is a development trust, a breeding programme, and a polo operation unlike any other in Africa — rooted in community, driven by the love of the horse.
Discover our story →
About
A force for good in rural South Africa
Poloafrica has been running for twenty years, for the benefit of economically disadvantaged children and adults from a rural farming community in the Eastern Free State of South Africa. It is a programme unique in Africa.
The first mission is to give youngsters a supportive yet disciplined environment — a place of happiness in childhood — where they can care for ponies, learn to ride and play polo, and simply belong. The point of the programme is not the ponies, although the children love them. It is driving a change in mindset that leads young people to aspire to new horizons: to stay in school, to work hard, to discover their own potential.
Any child from the community who wants to come is welcome. Boys and girls from pre-primary age through to their early twenties take part. Some are passionate about riding and polo. Others are drawn simply by the sense of belonging that Poloafrica offers — and that matters just as much. What all of them gain, over time, is something more lasting: discipline, teamwork, and responsibility. Caring for animals teaches you responsibility. And the understanding that hard work brings results.
The programme offers practical lifeskills — beekeeping, carpentry, art, welding and cooking among them, whatever can be made available — and sometimes maths and English when teachers can be found. The older scholars support the younger ones. Girls and boys are equally welcome.
The second mission is just as important: to give economically disadvantaged adults the opportunity to participate in equestrian activities professionally, on par with their white peers. The adults who make up the Poloafrica team today are graduates of the programme itself — youngsters who learned their equestrian skills here and went on to become members of the adult team. That story continues in the section below.
Funders and supporters
Poloafrica has been sustained largely through the personal commitment of its founding trustee. Many individuals and organisations have contributed over the years, and we are grateful to all of them. Our most recent and most significant external supporter has been the Erach and Roshan Sadri Foundation, whose contribution has made a real difference.
Employability
Employability is our desired outcome. The measure of success is young adults in meaningful employment or at college, having gained their Matric. Some choose the equestrian world, many choose other paths in life. Some Poloafrica scholars are now excelling in their roles at Free State Tree Nursery — the new empowered apple tree nursery on the farm. Helping youngsters to become employable and creating employment opportunities — that is a key goal of the programme.
Equestrian apprenticeship
Every year, as the time comes for our Poloafrica scholars to move beyond school, some of them tell us that their vocation is to work with horses. Through its apprenticeship programme, Poloafrica has provided a steady stream of well-trained grooms and talented players to the South African polo community. Most major polo yards in the country have one or more people working for them who first learned their horsemanship skills from Poloafrica.
The UK tour
Poloafrica was invited by the UK Armed Forces Polo Association to send a team on tour to England — a tremendous honour. Games were played at Tedworth, Druid's Lodge and Cirencester, and the final match was held on the Queen's Ground at Smith's Lawn, Guards Polo Club, Windsor, on Finals Day of the Royal Windsor Cup. Every player who made that trip came from the local community, trained through the Poloafrica programme. Two wins for Poloafrica, two wins for the UK Armed Forces — an honourable draw. The tour was part of the Polo 150 celebrations, marking 150 years of the game as we know it today. To be invited as a touring side was a recognition of what Poloafrica has built — and of the quality of the players the programme produces.
The trust
Poloafrica Development Trust is a non-profit organisation and public benefit organisation, registered as a trust in the Bloemfontein High Court.
Our ponies
Bred on the farm. Made by our people.
In the early years of Poloafrica, our ponies were mostly bought off the track. Almost twenty years ago we started our own breeding programme, and now all of our younger ponies are born on the farm — into the care of a team that has grown up with these horses.
Our brood mares are selected carefully for conformation, temperament, athletic ability and polo skill — and for the quality of being a good mother. We have had many stallions over the years: King's Peak, Icy Days, Palace Coup. A colt with beautiful stocky conformation, lent to us by Kurland Park, gave us some lovely foals. More recently a cohort of our mares was serviced by Chief, one of African Polistas' most promising stallions. For many years, though, the true father of our herd has been Mandalay — whose sire was Grey Eminence, imported into South Africa by Gary Player.
Bringing on a pony is a slow and steady process, done at the pace of the individual animal. Foals are handled from birth. Then come months of long-line work in our enclosed schooling ring, where they are eventually backed as two-turning-three-year-olds. Many more months of arena work follow — first gentle, then gradually more intensive — with regular outrides to build confidence and long rest periods in between. When the time is right, they move on to the grass field: first slow stick-and-ball, then trotting chukkas, then slow chukkas. Sometimes these take place alongside the Poloafrica youngsters who are themselves learning the game, mounted on our string of reliable schoolmasters. For the young pony, faster chukkas and low-goal tournament play comes last — always with repeat schooling in the arena, outrides and rest periods.
Some ponies take longer than others. Just like children do. The result is a string of over 70 ponies managed with exceptional knowledge and daily care — around 45 of them playing or entering the game. Well-made, bold and willing. We sell them, and we stand behind every one.
A good life
Horses at Uitgedacht live as horses should — in herds, in large camps, with abundant grazing, room to move, and clean air and water. Low stress, good condition. You can see it when they come onto the field.
Our people
The grooms and pony-makers who bring on these horses are graduates of the Poloafrica programme itself — youngsters who came here as children, grew up on this farm, learned their craft, and stayed. That continuity of care, that depth of knowledge, is what gives these ponies their quality: not just the bloodlines, but the daily attention of people who genuinely love what they do.
Our alumni
Poloafrica alumni working elsewhere in the equestrian world are regular visitors to the farm. Many spend a week or two here a year, sharing ideas they have learned in other yards, helping the team ride and school our young pony string.
Made with love
Every foal is handled from birth. Long-line work, backing at two, months in the arena, outrides, rest — then onto the field by stages. No shortcuts, no rushing. The pony sets the pace, always.
Expert coaching
Our team has been trained by Gavin Chaplin, formerly a 7-goal South African Springbok player, now an internationally renowned polo coach with a passion for pony making, who has given generously of his time to Poloafrica — coaching the coaches.
Ponies for sale
If you are looking for a quality, well-made polo pony with known provenance — bred and schooled on Uitgedacht by our own team — please get in touch.
The place
Uitgedacht Farm, Eastern Free State
Uitgedacht Farm sits at the head of a picturesque valley in the foothills of the Maluti mountains, fed by local springs and with wide views of the surrounding hills. The farmhouse, facing north, commands magnificent views across the valley and gets maximum sunlight all year round.
Walking or riding up into the hills reveals breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside — and, hidden away in the rocks, paintings left by earlier inhabitants of this valley. It is a tranquil place to ride, fish, hike, sketch, birdwatch, hunt for fossils or simply relax into farm life. As night falls the sunsets are inspiring, and with many clear nights, the stargazing is exceptional.
Uitgedacht is a working farm: the apple tree nursery, ponies and cattle, abundant water from springs and dams, an extensive vegetable garden, pigs, chickens, geese and many beehives. Our honey is a source of pride for the Poloafrica people who have learned this craft. Guests are welcome to join in with farm activities alongside the scholars.
The sandstone farmhouse, carefully restored, dates from the early 1900s. Rustic cottages offer private, comfortable accommodation with beautiful views down the valley. Dinners are generous and candlelit. A sundowner on the stoep is obligatory.
Whether you are a polo player looking for a tailored programme to hone your skills, or whether you wish to visit us to try our ponies, a stay at the farm is not easily forgotten.
Poloafrica polo club
The club is affiliated to the South African Polo Association, playing under Hurlingham Polo Association rules.
Setting
Set at around 1,800 metres above sea level, Uitgedacht is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled corners of South Africa — wide skies, clean air, and a quality of light that is hard to forget.
Climate
Winter days (May to July) are crisp and sunny — warm at midday, cold at night, which makes a soak in a wood-fired hot tub particularly enjoyable. Summer days (November to February) are deliciously hot, comfortably so at this altitude, with low humidity and cool evenings.
Location
Between Ficksburg and Fouriesburg, with the towns of Clarens and Rosendal each within a 45 minute drive. Just under four hours easy drive from Johannesburg.
The polo fields
The A field, planted in 2004, is fully irrigated and boarded — the playing surface rivals the best in the world and the setting is amongst the most spectacular in the country. The arena field offers an exciting alternative version of the game and is an invaluable environment for schooling young ponies.
Gallery
Life at Poloafrica
Get in touch
We would love to hear from you
Whether you are enquiring about a pony for sale, a polo stay, or supporting the trust — please contact us.
