Milton Kgole was born and raised in Maleboho, Limpopo.

He says he grew up wanting to be a soccer player, but because he had to help with keeping his grandfather’s livestock he stopped and shifted his focus to that. As disappointing as that was, he believes that it is how his love for animals developed. Today, he is a grounds manager and course designer at the Kyalami Equestrian Park, and says his early life influences his course designing career.

His journey began in 2011. “I started assisting Kate Launder, with South African National Equestrian Schools Association (Sanesa) shows around the Gauteng Province.

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“Being a course builder is not my full-time job. I work full-time at Kyalami Equestrian Park as a grounds manager. I am thrilled to say that I am upskilling myself as an arena specialist, thanks to the Kyalami Equestrian Park Club because they always give me endless opportunities.”

Building courses for developing riders differs from designing top-level championship tracks, So Kgole designs the courses with carefulness, whilst keeping the riders’ experience in mind. “When I build for the lower levels, I make sure I build courses that are easy and more inviting, not like I would build at the higher levels.”

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For Kgole, the greatest reward comes at the end of a competition, when riders and spectators leave the arena satisfied with their experience. “What I love most is to see everybody go home happy once the show is done. I especially love to see them happy if they’ve competed on one of my tracks.”

However, designing a successful course comes with a lot of difficulties. “There are a lot of challenges, such as the weather. When it’s raining, you need to be cautious about how you build. Sometimes there hasn’t been rain for a while and the ground is dry. The equipment that you have at your disposal also varies depending on what level you’re building at. You also always need to juggle how many horses you have to get through every day, and each class, which affects the schedule, which you are responsible for.”

As someone who has built his career through determination and continuous learning, Kgole hopes his journey will encourage others interested in equestrian sport to follow their dreams. “Most importantly, you must know what you want in life. I have always loved horses. I couldn’t stop talking about them and loved watching different disciplines, asking questions whenever I didn’t understand something. Lastly, hard work is very important.”

Kgole aims to once again put his experience to the test at the upcoming Toyota SA Championships, where he has been tasked with designing the courses for the 90cm, 1m, and 1.10m classes.

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