SANEF was formed in 1957 by a number of regional equestrian bodies. Today SANEF is made up by the following five members: The Horse Society of Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Northwest (THS), KwaZulu Natal Horse Society, Western Province Horse Society, Free State and Northern Cape Horse Society and Eastern Cape Horse Society. Individual members of the five regional equestrian bodies are automatically members of SANEF. In total SANEF has approximately 4750 individual members.

SANEF is a non-profit sporting federation. SANEF is governed by the SANEF Management Committee, which meets twice a year. The Management Committee consists of the five regional chairmen as well as the President and four elected members currently comprising the SANEF Executive Committee. The SANEF Executive Committee has been given the mandate to run every-day SANEF operations with the help of the Secretary General and the staff at the SANEF offices. The SANEF Executive Committee meets once a month. SANEF governs the following equestrian disciplines: showjumping, dressage, eventing, driving, equitation, showing and vaulting through the respective National Discipline Committees. SANEF is responsible for compiling and amending the rules and regulations for each discipline within the boundaries set by the FEI. SANEF publishes rulebooks and all test descriptions and forms related to the different disciplines.

In addition SANEF

• Liases with government, the National Olympic Committee of South Africa (NOCSA) and the FEI
• Obtains funding from government sources and the FEI
• Provides funding for capacity building initiatives
• Issues press releases and publishes articles in the horse trade press
• Educates and awards qualifications to sporting officials such as judges, course designers and stewards
• Awards SANEF Colours and South African National Colours (i.e. Protea Colours)
• Awards trophies for outstanding achievements in equestrian sports
• Provides an official ranking of South Africa's top children, junior and senior showjumpers
• Provides an official ranking of riders partaking in the FEI World Cup Qualifiers
• Awards qualifications through the National Instructors Plan
• Liases and affiliates with other equestrian bodies representing a number of equestrian disciplines and special interest groups
• Publish a National Calendar of major events
• Is responsible for the FEI Coaching Clinic
• Is responsible for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) training programme
• Facilitates for overseas training and international participation by South African equestrians
• Is responsible for turning South African equestrian sports into a "More Medals" and "More People" sports
• Assists regional bodies in obtaining sponsorship for major shows
• Administrates the SANEF Development Programme and is committed to get more Previously Disadvantaged Individuals involved in competitive equestrian sports
• Works to enable top-ranked equestrians participate in major international events
• Organises the annual SANEF President's Ball and the SANEF Development Ball
• Markets equestrian sports to members, other equestrians and the general public
• Works to unify and grow South African equestrian sports and SANEF membership numbers to gain recognition and negotiating power with government, corporate sponsors and the media.

SANEF head offices are centrally placed in Midrand, 30 kilometres north of Johannesburg in the middle of the most horse dense area of South Africa .