Horse rider drowns in Cape Town

A horse rider died after he was thrown from his mount and swept out to sea during an early-morning ride along Noordhoek Beach last Tuesday.

The 35-year-old man was with a group of riders, from stables in the area, when he fell from his horse into the sea.

The man had been riding one of the 14 racehorses stabled at The Dunes in Protea Road, Noordhoek.

Mike Stewart, who runs the racing operation, said the riders had been walking the horses on the coastline in “ankle-deep” water at around 7.30am when the man fell off.

“It wasn’t rough or anything – he just disappeared, and never even surfaced,” Stewart told the Cape Argus.

He said the man, whom he declined to name until family had been notified, had been employed on December 2, to stand in for a groom who had gone on leave.

“He was a confident rider,” he said.

Stewart, who had been one of the other riders, said he had called the emergency services immediately.

“A Metro medical team was on the scene within five minutes, and the (National Sea Rescue Institute) dispatched a chopper which arrived within 20 minutes.”

The man’s body was spotted from a helicopter and recovered by rescue swimmers.