THE AMANA METHOD · HOLISTIC HORSEMANSHIP
Between people, horses, animals, nature and the self. Based at Waterhoek Guest Farm in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands - a place where animals are not forced into obedience, and people are not pressured into performance.
Where to begin
Choose the path that fits your visit.
Book riverside cabins, the Heron Fisherman's Cottage, or private campsites on a peaceful working farm near Mooi River.
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Book a gentle horse connection experience with Donna and the Amana horses.
Book a Horse Experience
An experience for people of all ages. From one weekend to one year, come and learn, heal, transform, and remember who you are. A sanctuary where people and animals thrive in harmony and where peace, purpose, and belonging can be rediscovered.
Explore Amana Sanctuary
Bring your group to a peaceful farm setting for rest, learning, celebration, or transformation.
Enquire About EventsWhat is Amana?
Amana began through Donna's lifelong relationship with horses and animals, and through more than 30 years of learning what creates real trust, safety, softness, and willing partnership.
The Amana Method is not built on dominance, pressure, fear, or performance. It works slowly and deeply through:
The work begins with the animal. But it always reflects something back to the human.
Learn About the Method
The home of Amana
365 hectares of river, forest, fields, dams, animals, cabins, campsites, and open Midlands sky.
The animals here live freely. Many have been rescued, rehabilitated, or slowly restored into trust. The horses are not tools for human ambition. They are teachers, partners, mirrors, and sentient beings with their own dignity.
Guests come for accommodation, retreats, horse experiences, open days, and the quiet beauty of farm life. But what many notice first is harder to explain:
That is not accidental. It is the Amana Method in practice.
Visit Waterhoek Guest FarmThe method in practice
The Amana Method draws from some of the latest approaches in equine biomechanics, body awareness, nervous-system work, consent-based training, and holistic rehabilitation, while continuing to grow through lived practice on the farm.
Donna is the founder and steward of the method, but Amana is not a rigid formula. It is a living relationship. As people learn the principles and begin working with the horses themselves, their own gifts, observations, and refinements become part of the unfolding practice.
How the method grows
Lifelong experience with horses
Ongoing study in equine-facilitated learning, biomechanics and nerve-release work
Daily hands-on practice with animals
Collaboration with those living and working on the farm
Careful observation of what helps horses soften, heal and participate willingly
This is not about competing with other methods. It is about lifting the standard of care.
The animals
The animals of Waterhoek are not attractions. They are part of the family, part of the learning, and part of the living proof of the method.
The farm is home to horses, donkeys, cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, and other animals - many of whom have been rescued, rehabilitated, or given a safer and more peaceful life.
Each animal has a story. Each one is known. Each one is treated as a sentient being, not a utility. Over time, this site will introduce you to the personalities of the farm: the donkeys who join meditations, the cows who behave like dogs, the pigs who come when called, and the horses whose transformations continue to teach us.
Stay at Waterhoek
Waterhoek Guest Farm offers self-catering riverside cabins, the rustic Heron Fisherman's Cottage, and private campsites with fire pits, shared ablutions, river access, fishing dams, forest walks, open fields, and peaceful night skies.
Come for
People often arrive looking for accommodation. They leave having felt something much deeper.
3 cabins
3 cabins · Sleeps 2
Three private 1-bedroom riverside cabins with beautiful riverside and valley views. Wake to birdsong, unwind on the deck, and reconnect with nature in total quiet. Perfect for couples. Pet-friendly by prior approval.
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5 cabins
5 cabins · Sleeps 4
Five spacious 2-bedroom riverside cabins with queen beds and additional sleeping. Ideal for families or small groups. Set on 365 hectares of river, forest and fields. Pet-friendly by prior approval.
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Sleeps 8
An 8-sleeper rustic thatched riverside cottage for families, fishermen and groups seeking space and quiet. Gather around the fire, watch the sunset over the valley, and slow down together. Pet-friendly by prior approval.
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Sleeps 52
Private campsites on a peaceful farm near Nottingham Road. Each site has a stone fire pit (firewood is available for sale). Walk forest trails, fish, swim, and stargaze with no light pollution. Pet-friendly by prior approval.
View Stay OptionsLoved by guests
Waterhoek is still young as a guest farm, but the reviews already tell a clear story. Guests describe it as peaceful, beautiful, welcoming, excellent value, and deeply connected to nature.
Airbnb
Guest Favorite
One of the most loved homes on Airbnb, according to guests.
Airbnb
Based on 6 guest reviews on Airbnb.
Booking.com
Based on 15 reviews on Booking.com.
Booking.com category highlights
Guest Favorite status applies to the relevant Airbnb listing and may change over time according to Airbnb's criteria. Review scores, badges, and platform labels may change over time and are updated manually.
Combined ratings shown from Airbnb and Booking.com.“We stumbled upon this gem and it's been a life-changer!”
Avela
Durban, South Africa · Stayed a few nights
“We really just wanted to switch off and relax for a few days. Donna's place gave us exactly that.”
Lizelle
Stayed with a pet
“Waterhoek Guest House is a magical place.”
Beatrice
Horw, Switzerland · Stayed one night
In images
From river walks and firelight to rescued animals, wide skies, cabins, campsites, play areas, and communal gathering spaces, Waterhoek is a place best understood through images.
Amana Sanctuary
Amana Sanctuary is for young adults who love horses and feel called to something deeper than the conventional path. Participants live close to the rhythm of the farm, learning:
This is not just a gap year. It is a structured space for becoming.
Applications are open.
Explore Amana SanctuaryFrom Donna
Read Donna's StoryWhen I began Amana, it was not simply to teach horsemanship. It came from a longing to create a place where people and animals could heal, grow, and be truly seen.
Over the years, horses have taught me that real leadership is not force. It is calm presence, consistency, gentleness, and truth - the kind of leadership that regulates before it corrects, that builds relationship before asking for performance, that holds boundaries without withdrawing love.
You do not need to believe what I believe to belong here. My heart is to create space: where animals are treated with dignity, where people can slow down, where young adults can grow in confidence and maturity, and where peace becomes something practical.
You are welcome here
Stay for a weekend. Book a horse connection experience. Apply for the Academy. Bring your group for a retreat. Or simply begin by meeting the animals.
Retreats, events and experiences
Waterhoek offers a living farm environment for retreats, open days, horse connection sessions, leadership camps, family gatherings, school excursions, team-building experiences, and small private celebrations.
Available by enquiry
Capacity
Waterhoek can host up to 82 overnight guests across cabins, cottage, and campsites - depending on the group structure and availability.
Compliance note
Larger events, public events, weddings, amplified music, alcohol-serving functions, festivals, and high-capacity gatherings may require additional planning, permissions, suppliers, insurance, and compliance checks.
Stories
Amana is building a living archive of transformation stories - guest reviews, horse transformations, before-and-after videos, physical rehabilitation progress, owner reflections, mini-documentaries, Academy participant stories, and retreat testimonials.
Some of the most powerful stories involve horses with complex physical or behavioural histories - including pain patterns, chronic stress, shutdown, aggression, colic-related distress, head shaking, or conditions such as Kissing Spine.
These stories are shared carefully as lived experience and case studies, not as a replacement for veterinary care or formal medical claims.
The purpose is simple: to show what becomes possible when animals are met with patience, skill, dignity, and deep listening.
Horse transformation
A horse with a complex pain history slowly returns to trust and willing partnership.
Animal rescue
A rescued donkey finds her place in the rhythm of the farm and the lives of guests.
