Sumba's premier riding company, built around the island's own Sandalwood ponies and the horsemen who have always ridden them.
Talk to Our TeamSumba Horse began as a small operation with five horses and a local team, founded on a single conviction: that Sumba's equestrian heritage deserved to be shared with the world, and that sharing it properly could help keep it alive.
That heritage was genuinely at risk. As motorcycles replaced horses for daily transport, the reasons for a young Sumbanese to learn horsemanship were disappearing. Building a business around traditional riding gave those skills economic value again.
Today we host guests from more than thirty countries, and every ride pays a Sumbanese horseman, a groom and the family whose pony you are riding.
When these three ever appear to conflict, the order settles it. In practice they rarely do — a healthy horse and an honoured community are what makes the ride good in the first place.
Before any booking
Every horse is individually named, has a dedicated caretaker, and works no more than four days a week. A pony that is off-colour on the morning of your ride does not go out, and we will find you another.
Meet our herd
Agreed with each village
Village elders decide what is shared and what stays private. Photography rules are set before we arrive, and every visit carries a direct payment to the community that hosts it.
Sumba horse culture
Small groups only
Maximum four riders per guide, horses matched to real ability rather than stated ability, and logistics handled from the moment you land at Tambolaka.
See the experiences
Sumba Horse operates within the Juara Holding Group, a portfolio of tourism and hospitality ventures across eastern Indonesia.
That matters more than it sounds. It is the difference between booking with an individual and booking with a registered, insured, accountable business — while the day-to-day still runs like the small operation it started as.
We want Sumba to be known as a place where responsible adventure tourism actually works — where the money reaches the people whose island it is, and where conservation is a business decision rather than a press release.
Ten percent of every booking goes to our Community Fund, which pays for local education, horse welfare and cultural preservation. We use biodegradable products on rides, leave no trace on trails, and buy food and materials on Sumba wherever we can.
None of this is finished. Our sustainability page sets out what we measure, what we have achieved and where we are still short.
We have run guided equestrian experiences since 2022, building on generations of local horsemanship and the Juara Holding Group's experience in Indonesian tourism. We have hosted guests from more than thirty countries.
Every guide holds wilderness first aid certification, completes annual safety training, and has a minimum of five years riding Sumba's terrain. Several also hold international equestrian qualifications from Australia and the United Kingdom.
Our horses are owned and stabled by us, each with a named caretaker from the local community. Retired horses stay in our care for life — they are never sold on.
Yes. The Sandalwood is indigenous to Sumba, sure-footed on rock and sand, and calm enough for a first-time rider. Importing larger breeds would be easier and would miss the entire point.
Visit the stable, meet the horses, and ask us anything you like before you book.
