Toyota Easter Festival wraps up with thrilling Grand Prix
After 8 days of exciting equestrian action, the Toyota Festival wrapped up with the highly anticipated Grand Prix, bringing together riders, spectators and families.
After eight days, the 2026 Toyota Festival wrapped up an excellent equestrian experience at the Kyalami Park Club on April 6.
This festival, in its 5th year in partnership with Toyota, showcased talented and skilled riders of all ages competing in different levels of disciplines, including dressage, equitation, showing and showjumping.
Read more: Toyota South Africa Motors launches the 2026 Toyota Equestrian Series at Kyalami Park Club
There has also been a significant increase in the number of entries, which shows that people are starting to take a bigger interest in the sport.
Gauteng chairman for SA Showjumping, Belinda Martin, said, “I think we are blown away by the number of people who made it here because in the past, showjumping was very well supported, even on TV, and we saw a decrease in [people attending]. This year has been so fantastic from the beginning of the show; we’ve had families coming with their children and wanting to pet the horses, and that is exciting.”
The festival also highlighted youth development.
Hamza Minty, a 17-year-old junior outdoor Grand Prix winner, talked about his victory and his bond with his horse.
“I’m super excited, and I’m very happy with how my horse performed today. My horse, Carrie de Bel, is a 6-year-old mare, and my brother got her a few years ago.
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I really have been enjoying working with her, and the sky is the limit for that horse; she’s one of the most talented horses I’ve ever ridden.”
Kyalami Park Club Show director, Heather Mpofu, said, “This year we didn’t have a long time to prepare because Easter was quite early in the year, which shortened our preparation time, so coming from other national shows into the Easter festival, it was a race against time to get everything sorted and get the grounds ready for the show.”
The focus was not only on the core values of the festival but also on providing entertainment by bringing a lively atmosphere for attendants with Easter egg hunts, food and market stalls, children’s entertainment and a Toyota vehicle parade.
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