Willow, one of Kaapschehoop’s three missing wild horses, has been found safe. The conservancy is hopeful the grey mare and Phoenix will be spotted next.
Mpumalanga, South Africa (09 November 2026) – One of the three beloved wild horses missing from the mountaintop village has been found safe.
The three wandering horses went missing in early October. When the Kaapschehoop Conservancy put out a public appeal on social media, volunteers had already been searching for ten days, scrawling the 13, 000 hectare space in which they roam.
A positive update followed this week, when Willow, the beautiful red colt just over a year old, was spotted on the morning of 5 November by a volunteer Mountain Ranger from the Kaapsche Hoop Conservancy during a patrol!
The two still missing are a grey mare and her colt, Phoenix. The mare has a floppy left ear and was heavily pregnant when last seen. Phoenix is also just over a year old, with a light brown coat and a light face, and normally stays close to his mother. All three were last seen near the Kaapsehoop road, about halfway between Kaapschehoop and Ngodwana.
The conservancy believes Willow wandered deeper into the natural bush and was seen when he moved higher up.
After Willow was found, the team returned to that area to look for spoor of the other two, but found nothing. They say they will keep searching, and hope that another miracle may still be in store.
The conservancy is asking residents, visitors and anyone driving the road towards Ngodwana to keep their eyes open for the grey mare and Phoenix. Sightings can be sent directly to the conservancy here.
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Cape Town’s Temporary Shelter Hailed an Incredible SuccessThe Kaapschehoop Conservancy is a community organisation that protects the wild horses roaming freely around the Mpumalanga village of Kaapsehoop. The horses are part of the area’s heritage.
In 2020, the conservancy said that 180 horses roamed the unfenced wilderness. Currently there are around 33 left. Their decline is due to reasons including African horse sickness, road accidents, veld fires and poaching.
Through monitoring, conservation work and local volunteers, the conservancy keeps track of the herds and steps in when a horse needs help. Its aim is to protect the horses while leaving them wild and free-roaming.
The search for the grey mare and Phoenix continues.
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