MEET ELLAH COETZEE

And her special string of horses!

Photography | Megan Wright

Hi! My name is Ellah Coetzee.

I am a 14-year-old, Grade 8 pupil. I am privately schooled by Meagan Fulford (who also shares my love for horses and is my work rider). Being privately schooled enables me to attend to my academics whilst also having the flexibility required by the sport.

My riding history

I have been riding since I was four years old, and I love every minute in the saddle. I do showjumping and I would like to do equitation when my schedule allows for it.

My passion for horses became evident when I was between two and three years old. I had two imaginary horses, Oli and Lili and entertained my parents with everything horse owners need to deal with on a daily basis, without any exposure to real ponies!

I was introduced to real ponies when I was four. I started attending pony camps at a riding school in Randjesfontein, called Capriole Stables. I bought my first pony, Drambuie, from Karin who ran the stables. I took part in my first training show when I was six and I competed for my school at SANESA from Grade 1. Karin is a gentle and patient trainer and learning with her taught me that riding is demanding work; it requires commitment to overcome disappointments, perseverance, and most of all love for the animal. My first ever award I received was the ‘Brave Heart’ Trophy.

As time went by, I also got my family into appreciating the sport and the animals. My dad rides recreationally and both my parents support me and are passionate about the horses and the sport. In 2020 we moved permanently to Beaulieu and this brought me closer to the equestrian fraternity and meant that we could stable the horses in our yard and have more time in the saddle.

Yolande de Wet was my instructor from 2021 to 2023. She was a great coach and introduced me to graded shows and got me through the lower levels.

My riding now

My instructors now are Annette Rossouw and Rainer Körber. I love riding with Annette because she knows so much about horses. Her knowledge is crazy. She helps me a lot with technique and confidence and she is so fun to be around.

Ray is amazing; I really like the way he teaches. I learn so much every time I go there. I really look up to him as a rider and as a coach.

I have also established personal relationships with all the riders who inspire me to be the best possible athlete, equestrian and horse owner. These riders include Nicole Horwood, Lisa Williams, Meagan Fulford and, of course, Annette Rossouw and Rainer Körber.

My grooms, David, Melos and Alpino mean the world to me; they are always calm and professional and attend to the horses 24/7. They claim to love the horses more than I do, but that’s impossible!

My personal goal is to win the 1.5m SA Derby and to represent South Africa at a national level. I would also like to jump internationally in the big classes; hopefully with Capital Addison.

Lessons learnt

By the age of 14 I have learnt a lot of lessons associated with the sport:

1. Be patient when trying out new horses.

2. New horses should be vetted properly – always get a second opinion.

3. You cannot always be on top of your game, due to circumstances that you can’t plan for.

4. Sometimes horses will get injured, and it takes time for injuries to heal.

5. It takes time to bond with a new horse.

My ponies and horses

Howzat

The real turning point for my showjumping was when I got Howzat in 2018. Howzat is an Appaloosa gelding and he protected and looked after me. He was the perfect pony to instil confidence and develop my riding skills. Howzat is not the most athletic pony but he is renowned for his honesty, and also his sharp turns! Howzat is the perfect horse for eventing and won two SANESA national titles and was ranked by South African Showjumping (SASJ) as the number one pony for 70cm in 2022 as well as the number one pony for 80cm in 2023. I have also received Gauteng Colours twice with Howzat. Howzat means so much to me and he will always hold such a special place in my heart. For now, he is going to help two little kids develop their love of the sport. Thanks to Regenesis Vet for helping to keep Howzat on top form.

Lorelock Belcanto

In 2021, at the age of twelve, I got my first horse, Lorelock Belcanto. We call him Bellie. Belcanto means ‘beautiful singing’, but he is more of a rockstar in the arena than a singer. I got Bellie as a 14-year-old schoolmaster and have a couple more years to enjoy his ‘gung ho’ attitude in the arena, as he is now turning 17. I love competing with Bellie but I always have to make sure that Howzat is next to the arena to keep a lid on Bellie’s excitement. Our ranking with SASJ was third for the 80cm classes in 2022 and third for the one metre classes in 2023. Some major achievements on Bellie were winning the Championship Class at Gauteng Champs and Maple Ridge World Cup as well as placing second at Nationals in the Championship Class.

However, the biggest achievement on Belcanto was not only that I was ranked 36th in the world for the FEI Jumping World Challenge in 2023 but also that I had the fastest time worldwide for competition two of the series. This year I will remind my parents to enter me into the ‘Children’s’ World Jumping Competition though.

A couple of months ago, Bellie unfortunately tore his tendon but thanks to Dr Jeanne Botha and Lisa Williams he is 100% and back to doing what he loves so much - competing and being a real show off.

Solar Flare

In the middle of 2023, I was ready to move up to the 1.1m classes and we bought Solar Flare. With the second try-outs I easily cleared 1.3m with her. She is amazing, and she jumps everything for me, even if I do not get my striding 100%. I love her so much; she means the world to me. My goal with her is to go to 1.30m.

Callaho Con Charisma

Callaho Con Charisma is truly the sweetest horse I have ever met. We went through a bit of a confidence knock but we are taking it slow and building our bond back up again and I am certain we will be back to our winning ways in no time. Janine Coetzee has been helping me with her, which I really appreciate.

The Capital Stud horses

Owning a Capital horse has been a dream of mine ever since I got to know Nicole Horwood especially when I saw her competing with Capital Night Star in the Derby.

I like clear goals and the following is my plan with my Capital horses:

Capital Aurora

Capital Aurora made my dream of owning a top Capital horse come true. I still thank my mom and dad every day for buying her for me. My goal is to jump the 1.30m with Aurora when I am sixteen. I really like the Alicante babies because of their movement and personalities. They are very quick learners with solid mindsets, like Aurora. She is a very well-behaved young horse, although all Alicante babies are bouncy in the canter, but Addison is not as bouncy as Aurora.

Capital Calvert

Janine Coetzee is in the process of producing Capital Calvert. He has one the cutest personalities ever. He is an extremely sensitive and sharp horse but has a very bright future ahead of him. Calvert was awarded the title of the five-year-old with most potential in a recent Young Horse Performance Series. Janine had this to say: “He feels like a floating pony with endless amounts of power and talent. When you sit on him you can really feel the power in his canter, and he makes you feel like you can jump anything and everything that is put in front of you.”

Capital Addison

I will be producing Capital Addison with the help of Annette Rossouw and Meagan Fulford. Addison has one of the kindest hearts ever and reminds me a lot of his half-sister, Aurora. I have not had him for long, but I love him more every day. My goal is to jump up to the 1.5m classes with him. Hopefully, Addison will be as well behaved as Aurora.

Capital Mon’ami

This one is a little firecracker and pocket rocket. Annette Rossouw is going to be producing her to be the next Capital My Lady. We all are extremely excited to see them take on the big grades in a few years. Annette says: “Capital Mon’ami feels super easy and takes you to the jumps which is what I like. She seems pretty straightforward, confident and uncomplicated. She feels like dynamite but once you can control that, she’ll be incredible to ride.”

Final thoughts

Lastly I want to say a huge thank you to HQ for the opportunity to be interviewed and tell you all about myself and my incredible string of horses.