Tucked away in the ­Mpumalanga Highlands, near the sleepy town of Belfast, lies the Longview Ranch, a 400-hectare haven for abandoned and abused horses that are given a second chance by Marty de Kok and his life partner, Daphne.

Marty, a man who is passionate about what he does, came upon the idea several years ago when he found himself inexplicably drawn back to the basics as far as horses are concerned. Together with Daphne, they set out on a quest to learn as much about horses as they could.

In his quest, Marty made some of his own discoveries, which he shares with his ­selected visitors to the Longview Ranch. Visitors range from mere lovers of horses, to large corporate groups who come to realise that the horse can help them understand the effect of their own interpersonal communication – and improve upon those skills.

The peace and tranquility experienced on the Longview Ranch is partly due to the fact that there are no modcons – no ­telephones or television. No outside influences can ­disturb the peacefulness of the horse herds or their surroundings.

Marty reflects that “horses are herd ­animals, gregarious by nature and having a very strong social hierarchy, similar to ­humans. Their power, honesty and ability to pick up and ­mirror the unspoken, makes dealing with horses unique in the field of reflection, self-realisation and remembering who we are”.

Learning from horses

Visitors to the Longview Ranch can, under Marty’s guidance, visit the now-wild herds and spend hours watching and learning from them. It is these observations that allow ­people to understand how sensitive these once abused and abandoned horses are and how they communicate with others in their herd. This subtle communication can be directly translated into our ­communication with not only horses, but also with our ­fellow humans.

“Unlike humans, horses are full of forgiveness,” says Marty, who admits that he can spend hours being with and watching his ­horses. His horses, more than 50 strong, show a remarkable trust in him, despite their new-found freedom and memories of human abuse.

Marty also runs a small cavvy on the ranch for riding: “It is quite remarkable, really. The saddle horses are very content to run with the wild herd, yet are equally content to return to the barn to be worked. Although they have bonded with the wild horses, they have retained their trust in humans and I often find them at the barn early in the morning, almost as if they are asking if they are needed for the day …”

Marty and his horses help people by ­exposing them to a powerful and exciting metaphoric ­experience through horse-human interaction.

“The outcome is simple”, he says. “We end up not understanding each other. As a result, all areas of our interpersonal relationships suffer, be it at work, home or at play. Ultimately, we learn to trust – or distrust.”

Focus on the journey

Marty is also a co-founder of Equi-Talk, a ­concept that focuses on experiential ­realisation and learning through a human-horse partnership, in a non-directive environment, where there is no right or wrong and no judgement is passed. It takes a journey-focused approach (as opposed to goal-oriented), where the ­outcome is different for each individual.

The aim of the Equi-Talk’s activities is to highlight the “grey” areas in life, to ­encourage the client to step out of their comfort zone, think laterally, creatively and try a ­different approach. These activities are designed to ­explore and make use of the following: ­Communication, group dynamics, personal discovery, creative thinking, self-esteem and confidence, assertiveness, responsibility, ­flexibility, conflict resolution, team building, anger management, leadership development.

Go back in time

The Longview Ranch is also home to Wattle Creek, an “old” frontier town, reminiscent of the days of the great cattle drives of the ­American west. Visitors to Wattle Creek will find themselves transported back to the days when the blacksmith’s shop was the hub of the town and, when the hotel, saloon, sheriff’s ­office and jail were the centre of civilisation.

Wattle Creek has become a well-known venue for weddings, team building, ­corporate functions, birthday parties and more. Most ­recently, Wattle Creek hosted the 80th ­birthday party for Ernest de Bruin, a man who has left deep tracks in South Africa’s equine ­industry.

The Longview Ranch is not only a sanctuary to abandoned and abused horses – it is also a deeply moving experience to visitors who leave realising that we, as ­humans, have far to go in improving our way of ­communicating with both horses and ­humans.

For more information on the Longview Ranch, Wattle Creek or Equi-talk, visit www.wattlecreek.co.za or www.equi-talk.co.za