Issue 27 SPORTING HORSE
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SPORTING HORSE Issue 27
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CONTENTS 12
32
REGULARS 4 4 6 38 42
Letter from the Editor Advertisers Cover story: The 8th Annual Callaho Auction Rider Profile: Govett Triggol Yvonne Bolton Horse Profile: Callaho C-Ultra Yvonne Bolton
THIS ISSUE 12 28 32 46 52
LIFESTYLE 20 23 30
Equestrian Essentials Midfeeds Fashion File Lifestyle Essentials
62 65 70
Success Breeds Success Estelle Sinkins Moët Party Day Artist feature: Gavin Doyle Lizzie Philpin and Yvonne Bolton Rockethorse- a wild new breed of racing Barry Armitage The SA Boerperd Dr Petro Grove Duneside Stud Performs Friesians Shine In 2016 Young Horse Dressage Series Altie Clark Coaching Clinics Sarah Arnot
ABOUT THE COVER Cover Photo:Tracy Robertson
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CONTENTS THE TEAM
Johan Blom Editor
Pieter Hugo Managing Director
Marie Chin Advertising Executive
Marguerite le Roux Senior Designer
Gasnat Jaffer Office Manager
Nikki Kellogg USA Sales Executive
70 THIS ISSUE 74 77 82 86 88 92 94
Talking Mental Strength Caroline Malan Loose Movement & Free Jumping Frances Cheboub Determination To Succeed Caroline Malan National Equitation Seminar Pat Pohl THE 2016 ERREPLUS President’s Cup Verity Combrink The Philip Smith Memorial Equitation Championship 2016 Jane Sheppard FEI Classics™: Michael Jung Makes History At Kentucky Kate Green
PHOTOGRAPHERS
www.spor tinghor se .co.za EDITORIALS: Johan Blom johan@silvermane.co.za Cell: (+27) 83 324 3709 Pieter Hugo pieter@silvermane.co.za
DESIGN: Marguerite le Roux mleroux@silvermane.co.za
ADVERTISING: Marie Chin marie@silvermane.co.za Cell: (+27) 82 497 4475 Nikki Kellogg nikki@sportinghorse.co.za Cell: (+01) 413 207 1209
ORDERS & INVOICING: Gasnat Jaffer gasnat@showhorse.co.za PO Box 7872, Hout Bay, 7806, South Africa Fax: (+27) 21 790 8047
www.silver mane .co.za
H2 Photography, Tracy Robertson, Diana Bloemendal, DN Photography, Equine Sport Photography, FEI Photographer, T&B Images, StockImagesServices.com/FEI, Martin de Kock, Dressage Africa, Lana van Heerden, Charisma Photography, Shane Rorke, Louis Heemstra, Kobus Visser, Krizelda Carelse Photography Published by: SilverMane Media www.silvermane.co.za
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
W
elcome to our mid-year edition of Sporting Horse Magazine. With Winter in full swing, it’s always a bit of a challenge to spend as much time either in the saddle or at the stables, but we know you will find the time and brave the cold, wind and rain and make sure your best friends are warm and tucked in. What has become a pilgrimage for many, the Callaho Auction, was once again a highlight of the South African Sport Horse calendar. Slick organisation, beautifully put together jumping and dressage performances topped off by the adrenaline of a great auction. If you have not made the trip, try to do so in 2017.The Callaho 2016 Auction is our Cover Story on page 6. Sisters Catherine and Megan Berning are flying the South African flag where they have been training in Holland and competing in Europe. Estelle Sinkins takes a closer look at these fine ambassadors and their exciting project with international brand, Hermes on page 12. Frances Cheboub, Breed Manager of the South African Warmblood Horse Society reports back on the Loose Movement and Free Jumping Competition held recently at the magnificent Manor D’Or on page 77. This year saw such high standards that the judges had to award two first place ribbons in the two year old division. Altie Clark takes a look at the newly established Young Horse Dressage Series on page 65. With feedback from judges to trainers and public after each test, the main aim of this series is to bring young dressage horses up to the FEI standard. Dr Petro Grove looks at the myths and the facts of the uniquely South African Boerperd on page 52. As they say, “If it is not branded, it is not a Boerperd”. There is a lot more to get through,The National Equitation Seminar,The Philip Smith Memorial Equitation Championship, we profile Govett Triggol and Callaho C-Ultra, along with a look at Namibian stud, Duneside Stud, and of course there is coverage of the President’s Cup. I won’t keep you any longer, get those pages turning. Keep warm and I’ll see you around the arena.
ADVERTISERS 17 60 81 60 FC 21 5 91 69 64 37 45 31 11 IBC 27 59 59 61 1 22 18 51 OBC 73
Ardmore Ceramic Art Bartholomeus Klip Berghof Stud Calista SA Boerperd Stud Callaho Warmblood Sport Horses Cheval Liberte Horseboxes Cipla De Stal Smidt Doorndraai Friesian Stud Duneside Stud Epol Equimax International Equineonline Equipage Fine&Country Fulvic Health Goedgedacht SA Boerperd Stud Goudhoek Stud V-Tech Manor DÓr Midfeeds Misty Meadows Rockethorse Racing Western Shoppe Workpoints
Johan Blom
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Copyright for all original published material is vested in SilverMane Media and may be reproduced only with the permission of the Editor. All opinions expressed in the articles appearing in SilverMane Media are those of the authors and are not necessarily subscribed to by the editorial staff of SilverMane Media. Authors of articles are compelled to acknowledge all sources of information (if any) used in the compiling of articles and are therefore liable for copyright transgressions. SilverMane Media accepts no responsibility for claims made in the advertisements and will not be held liable for any damage resulting from the use of any of the information published in SilverMane Media.
www.ciplavet.co.za Reg. No. V26531 Act 36/1947 Reg. No. V18135 Act 36/1947 Reg. No. V25006 Act 36/1947 CIPLA VET (PTY) LTD Building 9, Parc du Cap, Mispel Street, Bellville, 7530, RSA. Tel: 021 943 4200. E-mail: info@ciplavet.co.za.
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Text: Brigid Thompson | Photos by Tracy Robertson
The 8th Annual Callaho Auction
CHARACTERISED BY MAGNIFICIENT GREYS Callaho Stud’s 8th Annual Auction was held on the studfarm, near Christiana, on 4 June 2016. The Callaho Auction has become an annual pilgrimage for many local horse lovers. The record attendance at this year’s auction (over 750 people) reflects the ever-growing popularity of the auction, not only as a forum for buying a first class horse, but also as a social event of note.
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s Mark Rashid tells us, a good horse is never a bad colour, but the 2016 Auction will be remembered for its large field of striking greys -eleven in total.The two top-priced horses, Lucetto (R730,000.00)and Coneisha (R600,000.00) were both magnificient greys, highly rated for jumping. Other eye-catching greys were Livida (chosen as cover girl for the catalogue) and Lloyd, who both sold for R390,000.00. It was therefore fitting that this year’s ‘Harry the Horse’ (a toy horse that is auctioned each year in aid of the Highveld Horse Care Unit), was a grey, after foundation Callaho broodmare Cerise – who herself had no less than six progeny on auction. Of the four dark bays, the striking and elegant Liantos (R510,000.00) and Lady Benjamin (R430,000.00) were also highly sought after and fetched top prices, with flashy chestnuts and bays making up the rest of the auction pool. The 2016 Auction was by and large a buyers’ auction, with excellent value for money and some great deals for lucky buyers. A total of fifty two horses were up for sale (forty one riding horses and eleven broodmares), representing some of the best bloodlines the world has to offer – as evidenced by the fact that several buyers from Europe showed strong interest in the collection.
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There were clear favourites among the buyers, and the horses which were highest ranked with a natural aptitude for jumping were certainly in greatest demand (the four top-priced horses were all rated as having exceptional jumping talents).There were, however, also many very good buys among the remaining top-rated jumping horses– of these, Connair, Franceska and Contendi all sold for under R200,000.00. Among the best deals to be had were undoubtedly the dressage prospects. Four auction lots were deemed by the Callaho training team to have exceptional natural talent and potential to excel at the highest level in dressage. Of these, the two sons of Benicio sold for R220, 000.00 (Bendino) and R260,000.00 (Billy Rose), and the two Lissabon offspring, Livingstone and Lorenza, sold for R380,000.00 and R370,000.00 respectively – an excellent investment if you consider the superb quality of these equines. The taller horses overwhelmingly fetched higher prices, and buyers we spoke to emphasised that size was an important criteria in choosing a horse, coupled with the horses’ breeding and overall aptitude and athleticism. On the flip side, to the delight of many
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buyers, the majority of the horses under 16hh sold for under R200,000.00, which meant there were many talented and wellbred- albeit slightly smaller- horses available at very affordable prices.
discuss and pore over the X –rays and other vetting information.
Buyers made full use of the many opportunities to assess the horses before purchasing. Most buyers had been to the try-outs and tried out as many as twelve to fifteen horses before making a shortlist. An amazing number of buyers actually managed to buy the horse that had been their first choice after try-outs. These included Kim Harding (Lliandro), Jenna Barrow (Lord Cassini), Chatan Hendricks (Lucien), Barry Taylor (Coneisha), Shawné Goetsch (Lucetto – for daughter Paige), Weisu Freight (Concudo) and Taylor Shipper (Contano).
In terms of rideability, buyers on the whole preferred the more straightforward horses and there was far less demand for horses deemed by the Callaho training team to require a professional rider, even those horses rated as being exceptionally talented. Of these, Lord Cris, among the three top-ranked auction horses for jumping and standing 16.2hh, was an excellent buy at R220,000.00. Connair, also 16.2hh, rated exceptionally highly for jumping and also displaying significant potential for higher level dressage, sold for just R120,000.00. Also adjudged a professional ride, the eye-catching mare Lizna (highly rated for showing and dressage and standing 16.1hh) sold for an incredible R80,000.00.
Buyers also paid careful attention to the free jumping display and the presentation of each horse under saddle to help them decide which horses to bid on. The free jumping was very well attended, with buyers making good use of this opportunity to evaluate the prospects of each horse. Buyers who had not attended try-outs and based their choice of horse on watching the displays and talking to the Callaho training team included Nico du Plessis (Fortuner), Amanda Eardley (Lloyd) and Tamara Rueda (Liantos).Tamara had also had her heart set on Coneisha but, outbid by Barry Taylor, was delighted to secure the other horse at the top of her list. The veterinarian’s office was also humming throughout the day with buyers making full use of the chance to
As far as the Callaho sires go, Lissabon remained the firm favourite. Of the sixteen Lissabon progeny on offer, ten were among the fifteen top-priced auction lots (including top-priced Lucetto and third-highest Liantos); Lissabon’s offspring also fetched the highest average price (R328,000.00). Con Coriano had ten progeny on auction, including the second-highest priced horse, Coneisha, and his progeny fetched an average price of R252,000.00. Lord Z’s four offspring were also popular, attaining an average price of R277,500.00 (Lord Callan, a son of Lord Z, fetched R480,000.00 the fourth-highest price of the day).The average price for the two exceptional Benicio geldings on offer was R240,000.00 – possibly the steal of the whole show!
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Buyers of broodmares were very discerning, and bidding was fierce for the more popular bloodlines. Prices indicate that broodmare buyers this year placed greater emphasis on the mares’ breeding than on the stallion they were in foal to. Top-priced broodmare Bella Rose fetched R165,000.00. Buyer Linda Mohr was keen to acquire this exceptionally-bred mare (sired by Benicio and out of Rosengirl), both for the outstanding pedigree of the mare, and also for the Lissabon foal she carries – hopefully a future top dressage horse for her daughter Nichola.Top imported Holsteiner mare A’Capella, in foal to Chiletto, fetched R130,000.00, and For Romance sold for R70,000.00.Tumi Mosiah, buyer of For Romance, chose this For Joy mare for her exceptional jumping bloodline and for her Con Coriano foal – Tumi is hoping that the foal will be a top jumper in years to come! The sweetest sale of the auction must surely be that of broodmare Rosengirl, bought after fierce bidding by Magda Fourie for her husband Jaco. Jaco and Rosengirl were a South African dressage sensation a few years ago, winning amongst other titles the SA Grand Prix Championship and the SA Intermediate I Freestyle Championship in 2008. Finally reunited with Jaco, Rosengirl is bound to be a great asset to Jaco and Magda’s Areoin Stud in Kathu. Jaco’s touching twitter post the day after the auction stated “she might make a come-back to the ring, or she might remain a broodmare, but either way, now here at Areion to stay!”The other seven broodmares sold fetched prices of between R30,000.00 and R60,000.00 – an excellent investment considering both the mare lines and the quality of the stallions they are in foal to.
One of the sport horse mares, Franceska (by For Joy) was also bought as a broodmare for R150,000.00. Buyer Norman Hornby informed us that he had bought Franceska for her superb bloodlines, and that he planned to breed her to Diamant de Semilly (currently ranked as the number one jumping sire in the world). Among this year’s auction-goers were many who were attending their first auction. All those that we spoke to were very taken with the integrity of not only the auction process, but also of the stud itself. Buyers appreciated the transparency of the entire proceedings, such as being able to visit the horses in the stables to assess their character on the ground, personally inspect them or have them trotted up, the opportunity to speak directly to the riders and trainers during the day, being able to discuss each horse’s x-rays and medical prognosis with the stud veterinarian, and the ample opportunities for trying horses out before the auction and watching their performance in both the free jumping and ridden displays.Top SA farrier, Robbie Miller, attending for the first time, was struck by the honesty of the auction process and the full disclosure of all information relating to each horse. He was also really ‘grabbed’ by the presentation of the horses under saddle, and the compilation of the very informative brochure. Attending the auction for the first time this year was SA showing doyen Monica Marcus of Windrush Equestrian. Born in Oxford in 1932, Monica has been involved with horses from a young age -
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The fifteen top-priced horses at the 2016 auction:
first in England, later in Kenya and Northern Rhodesia, and finally in South Africa - and has a lifetime of experience training horses and producing horses and riders for the show ring. Having attended many horse auctions overseas, she told us that she was most impressed with the professional organisation of the auction. She praised the presentation of the ridden horses and the spectacle created through careful placing of horses in the line-up, as well as the beautiful turnout of all the horses on display throughout the day. Monica commented on the exceptional value to be had in the broodmares on sale, which included mares from superb bloodlines, all in foal to top stallions, which she felt would be a great investment. Callaho’s most charismatic stallion, Lissabon, was earlier this year entrusted to the Marcus family for Monica’s granddaughter Alexandra to produce in the show ring. Monica, still keenly involved in the running of the stables, described how Lissabon’s generosity of spirit and loveable nature had captured the hearts of all at Windrush, describing him as an “amazing gentleman” and an “absolute delight”. Internationally-renowned Irish instructor Niall Quirk was also at this year’s auction. Niall was most impressed at the superb organisation of the event, and the friendliness and professionalism of the Callaho team. He complimented the presentation and skilfulness of the Callaho riders and felt that the horses were of a very good standard and were good value for money compared to what is available internationally. Niall was very impressed with Callaho’s excellent breeding programme, commenting that Callaho was 12
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Place
Lot No
Horse
Price
Sire
Dam
1
29
Lucetto
R 730 000.00
Lissabon
Cassina
2
23
Coneisha
R 600 000.00
Con Coriano
Geisha
3
43
Liantos
R 510 000.00
Lissabon
Welingan
4
50
Lord Callan
R 480 000.00
Lord Z
Cerise
5
55
Lady Benjamin
R 430 000.00
Lissabon
Remade Hostess
6
41
Livida
R 390 000.00
Lissabon
Gemini
6
28
Lloyd
R 390 000.00
Lissabon
Cerise
8
31
Livingstone
R 380 000.00
Lissabon
Shooting Star xx
9
27
Lorenza
R 370 000.00
Lissabon
Ramona
10
13
Concudo
R 310 000.00
Con Coriano
Emotion
10
3
Lliandro
R 310 000.00
Lissabon
Ryanne
12
25
Fortuner
R 300 000.00
For Joy
Trijntje
12
1
Lavisho
R 300 000.00
Lissabon
Satine
14
54
Con Zidrio
R 290 000.00
Con Coriano
Zidria
14
53
Lorado
R 290 000.00
Lissabon
Grace
breeding from first-rate bloodlines and that the introduction of more thoroughbred blood was spot-on and in keeping with trends overseas. In the long-term, based on his assessment of horses from previous Callaho auctions which he has trained around the country, Niall believes that these horses will mature into serious competitors at the top levels of the sport. In the eight years since the auction’s inception, it has become a well-oiled machine and it was a privilege to watch the synchronised efforts of the whole Callaho team while the auction was in progress. The atmosphere of the staff is always friendly yet professional, and the horses are content and clearly enjoy much positive interaction with people (judging by their love of attention!)This positive attitude is also evident in the horses’ apparent enjoyment of their work, and their trust in their riders and handlers. Many people commented on the solid basic training of this year’s crop of riding horses, and instructor Maud Aarts was commended for upping the training level and producing confident young horses who clearly enjoy their work. Barry Taylor commented on the “massive improvement” in the quality and training of this year’s auction crop, which included many more horses with potential to make it to the very top than in previous years. Clearly, after seventeen years of purposeful breeding, Callaho is right on track - following the trends in international sport horse breeding and setting new standards in South Africa.
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Photo credit Matthew Wilman
La March du Zambeze on stallion Kuda Insurance’s Desperado.
SUCCESS BREEDS
SUCCESS
By Estelle Sinkins
ELEGANCE AND PRECISION ARE AMONG THE SKILLS WHICH RIDERS NEED TO EXHIBIT IN DRESSAGE – AND TWO KWAZULU-NATAL RIDERS ARE SHOWING THEY HAVE ALL THE CLASS NECESSARY TO COMPETE WITH THE BEST RIDERS AT HOME AND ABROAD.
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isters, Catherine and Megan Berning, who are based in Caversham, had a phenomenal 2015 and have carried that form into 2016.
They also won a class in Darmstadt, Germany and had the thrill of hearing the South African National Anthem being played during prize giving.
Catherine has been training in Holland on her horse, Kuda Insurance’s Brisbane and the pair have in recent months ridden in the Grand Prix and campaigned in Europe and Great Britain, riding for the South African team on two occasions and allowing Catherine to earn her Protea colours.
More recently Catherine and Brisbane competed for South African in Nice, France where they achieved 66,14% and then flew with Catherine’s trainer, Joyce Heuitink, to compete against the best in the world at a five-star event in Doha - all expenses sponsored.
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Megan Berning winning FEI Prix St George Challenge on Pauline Young’s Ultimate Stv.
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Kuda Insurance Brisbane competing in the Grand Prix in Nice, France 2016 with Katherine.
“It was an experience which I will treasure for the rest of my life,” she said. “We won sixth place in the Grand Prix Special and enjoyed the lap of honour in the biggest indoor arena that I have ever competed in.” These results show that in less than a year, rider and steed have proved they can hold their heads high in international competition. Commenting on her achievements, Catherine said: “I love what I do and I hope to inspire all athletes to dream big. If you are determined, dedicated and disciplined, the world is your oyster! “Our motto at Ardmore is ‘we are because of others’ and this has very much been the case in my life, I feel very privileged and I am grateful for the care and help from all the people whom have supported me. “ Back home, Megan has enjoyed her most successful year ever on Pauline Young’s Ultimate Stv, and in a short space of time has brought him up from Novice to Prix St George, making him one of South Africa’s top dressage horses. International judges and trainers all believe Ultimate has 16
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Grand Prix ability and with Megan on board, the combination has won the KZN Prix St George Championship, the KZN Freestyle Championship and KZN Victor Ludorum, the SA Advanced Championship, and the CDI Prix St George Championship. They were also selected for the South African team at the FEI international in October and were the highest scoring Prix St George combination (69%) 10% higher than any other rider in Zone 1, which includes Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. A delighted Megan said: “Ultimate had the most incredible competition year! Thank you to Pauline Young for letting me ride this incredible horse and to Niall Quirk and my mother who have always believed in us. Ulti and I have grown together through the dressage ranks and he steals my heart each and every day.” Megan also cleaned up in the Novice ranks with her Mossandi grey, Night Fever, and Kuda Insurance Quantico went on to win the Novice South African Championship in a field of 85 top young horses with Catherine on board. They too were placed on the South African team at the FEI International. It was the first time the two sisters had ridden together for South Africa.
Megan wearing Ardmore designed Hermès Scarf with her Great Dane, Perla.
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Kuda Insurance Night Fever with Megan wearing La March du Zambezi Hermès scarf.
Catherine and Kuda Insurance’s Desperado - another of Charne Pestana’s magnificent stallions that has been entrusted to the Berning girls to bring on - also shone in the elementary classes, winning the elementary FEI challenge with the top score in the challenge.
and The Savana Dance which shows a Vervet monkey being chased by a leopard, giant King Protea flowers and symbols of Zulu culture. “I am so fortunate to have both my daughters share my passions of art and horses,” says Fee. “We make a strong team and pick each other up when the going gets tough and celebrate our victories with equal joy and enthusiasm ! “
They say success breeds success, and away from the dressage ring the Berning sisters are enjoying another equine-related achievement: an international collaboration between Ardmore Ceramic Art, which was founded by their mom, Fee Halsted, The collaboration is a perfect marriage for the Berning sisters and their mum because it satisfies both their love of all things and luxury brand Hermès. creative and their love of horses, for whom Hermès began Three years ago, while at a ceramic fair in Paris, Fee and designing high-quality wrought harnesses and bridles in Paris Megan were approached by a designer from Hermès who in the 19th century. expressed an interest in using African-inspired designs from The company was started in 1837 by Thierry Hermès and the Kwazulu Natal-based arts collective on their products. under the control of his son, Charles-Émile Hermès, moved Catherine set to work with several other Ardmore artists to to 24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré where Hermès come up with a selection of intricate and colourful designs continues to operate to this day. for Hermès’ famous scarves. The results are nothing short of spectacular and capture the playful, colourful designs which The first Hermès bag appeared in 1922 and the first Hermès have earned Ardmore fans across the world – not least scarves in 1937. Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren. Hermes has drawn inspiration from paintings, books, and Designs currently available from Hermes stores include La objets d’art – and now, thanks to the collaboration with Marche du Zambeze, which features imagery of a central Ardmore, Africa. And for Catherine and Megan, it offers elephant surrounded by other creatures of the Zambezi, another reason to celebrate being proudly South African. 18
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Casco Helmets
Founded in 1989 CASCO ranks among the market leaders in the design and production of high-end helmets.Their efforts have led to numerous patents and awards. CASCO is ISO-certified, which ensures a quality control at every step of production. The Spirit – 6 sets new standards in terms of comfort. At the same time the interior is fully changeable and wash-able, so the helmet is, in connection with CASCO’S helmet-care products, always hygienically clean and odourless. For the widest range of CASCO helmets in South Africa go to Equineonline. Email natalie@equineonline.co.za or go to equineonline.co.za for more information.
Pegaquest
Long acting specialized dewormer.Treats roundworms (including encysted stages of small strongyles), tapeworm and bots. Available from your vet or leading tack shops. www.ciplavet.co.za
Calmeze Eq
A nutritional supplement to help calm excitable horses. Can be used for competition to help reduce anxiety and thereby maximize performance. Contains 3 doses for a 500kg horse. Available from your vet or leading tack shops. www.ciplavet.co.za
HRP Wing Saddle Pad
HRP were awarded the BETA Innovation Award 2016 Saddlery and Tack for two models of their innovative WING® Saddle Pads.These are proven to reduce the pressure on the horse behind the saddle, over the lumbar spinous processes.This means significantly less pressure in all gaits when compared to conventional saddle pads. The saddle pads are available in a range of styles to suit all disciplines exclusively in South Africa from Equineonline. Email natalie@equineonline.co.za or go to equineonline.co.za for more information.
EQUESTRIAN ESSENTIALS Leovet Leather Foam
“The All in one Foam” Creamy grooming foam that cleanses all leather, replenishes oils and protects against mould formation and wear. A definite “must have” product for away shows! Dries within minutes.
Leovet Frogade & Brush
Intensive care for the treatment of Thrush. Active ingredients protect frog and sole from further rot. Attached brush smooths texture and aids to stimulate blood circulation. Great results. Visit www. equimaxint.co.za for a Leovet stockist near you or contact 082-785-9017.
De Niro Galileo Long Boot
The Galileo System Project is the core of the Galileo line, which combines technological research, comfort and design. The boots feature elasticated leather inserts, waterproof and breathable material, and an ergonomic design. They have a snug fit, yet still allow complete freedom of movement. All models of the boot are built on Galileo’s Ride Sole, with its innovative design that promises safety in the stirrup. The range is stylish, safe, light and comfortable. Available from Tack n Togs @ Midfeeds. For more information call 011 468 1824 or email sales@tackntogs.co.za.
Jade Hooke Sports Clothing
Gold Touring
The Gold Touring can be ordered with custom features, with a tackroom compartment, or with front off loading ramp.With Pullmann II suspensions, Cheval Liberté trailers are perfectly adapted for SA road conditions. Floors 5 years Guarantee. A new best seller in Europe. Jules Chevat - Cheval Liberté South Afric.a +27 (0)71 687 9889. www.cheval-liberte.co.za
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This Elite Jade range comes in Grey and black and is R275. Postage not included.Email Jade Hooke for orders jadehooke@icloud.com Instagram: @jadehookesportsclothimg Facebook page: Jade Hooke Sports Clothing
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Amigo Insulator: 150g rug designed and manufactured exclusively for the South African market by Horseware Ireland, the world leader in blanket design and technology.
Rambo Fleece Dog Rug
ece: High quality double Rambo Newmarket Fle e. bonded, anti-pilling fleec
Rambo Waterproof Dog Rug: 100g thermobonded fiberfill
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PURVEYORS OF THE EQUESTRIAN LIFESTYLE
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Photography by H2 Photography / Clothing supplied by Tack ‘N Togs / Models Shari Navra, Laurence Mowatt, Kiara Burn and James Burn
Fashion
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Kiara Animo Smeralda Baciami Polo shirt Animo Peonia Norda breeches Kentaur gaiters Freestyle jodhpur boots James Animo White Menard breeches Animo Navy Adam shirt Animo Junior Timm Navy socks Shari Animo White Fresca t-shirt Animo Peonia Lowisa Padded Vest Animo Jeans Ninon breeches De Niro boots Laurence Animo White Polo shirt Animo Brown Hore leather belt Animo Jeans Marion breeches De Niro boots
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ABOVE James Animo Navy Adam shirt Animo White Xmas tie Animo White Menard breeches Freestyle jodhpur boots Shari Animo Rosso Pinka competition shirt Animo White Nixon breeches Animo Navy Helin leather belt De Niro boots Kiara Animo White Baciami shirt Animo White Nose breeches Kentaur gaiters Freestyle jodhpur boots Laurence Animo Ombra Artic shirt Animo Brown Hore leather belt Animo White Micron breeches De Niro boots
LEFT Carlotta Horseware Ireland Gold Newmarket Fleece Horseware Ireland black leather halter
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RIGHT Laurence Animo Ombra Artic shirt Animo Ombra Irto jacket Animo Brown Hore leather belt Animo White Micron breeches De Niro boots KEP Chromo M helmet Fleck whip
Shari Animo White Bene competition shirt Animo Bluette Lovis competition jacket Animo White Nixon breeches De Niro Boots Carlotta Horseware Ireland Chocolate/Raspberry Jersey Cooler Horseware Ireland Black leather halter Issue 27 SPORTING HORSE
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RIGHT Kiara Animo White Baciami shirt Animo Ombra Lavita jacket Animo White Nose breeches James Animo Navy Adam shirt Animo Grey Itaco Competition jacket Animo White Xmas tie Animo White Menard breeches
BELOW Shari Animo White Bene competition shirt Animo White Nixon breeches Animo Navy Helin leather belt De Niro Boots Ari Horseware Ireland Atlantic Blue Jersey Cooler Horseware Ireland black leather halter
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Grazia Editor - Zanele Kumalo
Shashi Naidoo creates her Moët star
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Minnie Dlamini in the Moët bath
Bridget Masinga & Lee-Ann Liebenberg
MOËT PARTY DAY
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11 JUNE 2016 SAW THE WORLD UNITE IN AN UNFORGETTABLE MOËT & CHANDON GLOBAL CHAMPAGNE CELEBRATION
une 11 2016 was not just a glamorous Moët & Chandon champagne party in Johannesburg. It was a moment in champagne history, never to be forgotten, as 35 cities worldwide celebrated in a perfectly synchronized champagne celebration.
…not to mention in 2006, when Moët & Chandon dazzled the world with a spectacular illumination of the State of Liberty.The event celebrated both 120 years of the statue, and 120 years of Moët & Chandon’s White Star champagne in the US. …and of course in 2013 when Moët & Chandon celebrated its 270th anniversary in style in New York with global brand The 24 hours on June 11 saw the world’s largest global ambassador Roger Federer. champagne party taking place, as fellow bold and vibrant Moët & Chandon life enthusiasts from Mexico to Paris to Hong Kong And why June 11th? Because June 11th is also a milestone to London to Lagos celebrated the NOW. in savoir-fête history. On that day in 1967, the celebratory champagne spray was born at the 24-hour Le Mans race in Moët & Chandon has been spreading savoir-fête, or Moët & France. American driver and winner Dan Gurney did something Chandon’s legendary sense of celebration, for more than 270 unexpected when he was handed a Jeroboam bottle of Moët years and the global Moët Party Day this year also marked the & Chandon on the podium: he sprayed champagne over the 10th iconic moment in Moët’s history: crowd! And just like that, a joyous new celebration was born. …it was there for Moët & Chandon’s 250th anniversary in 1993 when the hot-air balloon The Spirit of 1743 made an The glamorous star-studded Moët & Chandon party which took extraordinary global voyage. It stopped to visit the world’s most place at the Four Seasons The Westcliff, saw South Africa join breathtaking sites, including the pyramids of Giza and the Great countries all over the world to make champagne history on June Wall of China. 11, a day never to be forgotten.
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THE ORIGINAL LOW WEDGE BOOTS
Hunter introduces the new Original Low Wedge for the fashion forward grunge glam personality.This new take on the iconic Original boot features a unique low wedge sole, which comes in a tall or short boot. The Original Low Wedge Hunter Boots range will be available at selected stores nationwide. For stockist information please contact 021 510 4428 or visit www.hunterbootsa.co.za
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Grey Hack - Painted for Ferdi Ladeira 34
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Mares and Foals - Wilgeboschdrift Stud, Piketberg
R E N OW N E D A RT I S T O F H O R S E P O RT R A I T S
GAVIN DOYLE By Lizzie Philpin and Yvonne Bolton
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G
avin Doyle is well known throughout South Africa for his paintings of animals, both domesticated and wildlife; but it is most certainly his portraiture of horses for which he is most renowned. Gavin does not just paint a horse – he paints your horse and he does it with such insight and attention to detail that you, as the owner, are captivated.
the wilderness and a commitment to the animals that lived there. I often hiked to the top of a mountain where a rock with inscriptions dating back to the Boer war told me I was camping overnight on the exact spot where British soldiers had bivouacked . There was even a draughts board etched into the flat surface of an ironstone rock.
My schooling began at the local Preparatory School and then was followed by my senior years at Queens College in Those of us lucky enough to have one of Gavin’s paintings Queenstown. School holidays were spent sketching whatever hanging in their home know that it is a daily pleasure to walk subjects were available and willing. In fact, after leaving school some of these sketches were submitted to an Advertising into a room and catch sight of his work. Agency in Port Elizabeth, which led to my employment in How he came by these talents is something of a mystery, their Art Department. since there were no family tendencies to art recorded in his However, having spent three years there with little ancestry. opportunity of advancement, I decided to move to Nevertheless his story begins some seventy years ago in the Johannesburg. At the time, the only work I could find in Johannesburg was with an engraving company designing Eastern Cape of South Africa. labels for fruit boxes. Needless to say, that job only lasted “I was raised on a sheep farm adjoining the Mountain a year! It did, however, give me the opportunity of looking Zebra Park in the Cradock district of the Eastern Cape. The round for something more challenging, which I found with untamed freedom while growing up evoked a passion for Lindsay Smithers in their Creative Department.
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Dachshunds - Painted for Neville & Helen Schaefer
Whilst working for Lindsay Smithers, I found myself drawn to horse shows over weekends. I had a limited knowledge of horses, my only previous contact having been with the stock ponies that were used to herd the sheep on my parent’s farm. At one of the shows, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to David and Charlotte Stubbs, two of the most respected and knowledgeable horse personalities of the equestrian fraternity in South Africa. It was shortly after our meeting that I became their first tenant, when they offered me a cottage to rent on their property. Surrounded by horses my latent passion for them flourished. I had never been happy working in an office and shortly afterwards I resigned from Lindsay Smithers and spent the next five years working for David and Charlotte at Waterfall Kennels.
of a horse’s anatomy and to assess the physical attributes of individual horses. I was persuaded by David and Charlotte to take the exams conducted by the South African National Instructors Plan and this led to me being invited onto several judges’ panels. Happily, I was still able to spend time sketching in between riding and judging at the shows. An opportunity presented itself for me to take over the stable yard at the Inanda Club and it was here that I established the Inanda Stables and Riding School, which I ran for the next eight years. It was during this time that I received my first commission to paint a horse. Torch Sign, a rather plain chestnut gelding, had just won the South African Show Jumping Derby for the third year running and was about to be retired. Painted in 1973, the painting still hangs in the Inanda Club today.
My daily routine included riding some of their horses and I was also fortunate to have lessons from Charlotte who Further commissions followed and so I decided to concentrate was an expert on the conformation of horses. As a result, on being a full time artist. One of these commissions was I was able to gain invaluable knowledge on the finer points initiated by an old pupil of mine, Andrew Irwin, an eminent
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Two Kings and a Princess - Horse Chestnut | Fort Detianu | Dogwood
surgeon in the UK now, who introduced me to the owners of Politician who were looking to have a portrait of their remarkable race horse painted. Politician, trained by Syd Laird, had achieved 14 Stakes Wins, which included winning the Metropolitan Handicap twice and also the Durban July and all carrying top weight which was an extraordinary feat.
the ever-present security cameras. From time to time Horse Chestnut would come over and put his muzzle on the sketch pad for a moment and then once again return to his haynet!
I was also commissioned to paint another champion from the Oppenheimer’s Mauritzfontein Stud, in Kimberley, a magnificent filly called Cherry on the Top, who won the Triple I knew Mary Oppenheimer through riding and via David and Tiara for Jessica Slack, Mrs. Oppenheimer’s Granddaughter. Charlotte Stubbs, subsequently meeting her parents, as well, Another Triple Tiara winner I painted was Igugu for the highly at the races. Commissions for Mary and for Mrs Bridget successful trainer Mike de Kock. Oppenheimer followed. Initially these were of their dogs but subsequently I painted several of their top horses. One of the I always like to observe each horse at close quarters, picking finest was Horse Chestnut who brought his South African up their mannerisms and that certain expression which is career to a close, culminating in an unforgettable triumph, by unique to the individual. That is what I am looking for and winning the Triple Crown at Gosforth Park in 1999. I did several what I endeavour to capture. For me that is the challenge that comes with each painting, to catch that quintessential paintings of him for his owner, Mrs. Bridget Oppenheimer. expression which defines the subject. I do use photographic reference for my paintings, but prefer to get to know the subject, which is often not possible with My preferred medium is painting in oils, but often I have a horses in training. I had a fair idea of Horse Chestnut’s amazing request by the client for pastels, particularly with portraits of ability and conformation, since I had watched him winning on dogs. Horses are still my favourite subject, but as a change I several occasions but few of the top horses would permit enjoy painting wildlife and I have done several canvasses for me to study them at close quarters, With Horse Chestnut it game lodges. When opportunity knocks I am off to the bush was different. An unusually kind temperament allowed me to to rekindle my passion for the wilderness and those wide sketch this remarkable horse in his stable, under the gaze of open spaces the animals call home.”
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HORSE RIDER PROFILE PROFILE
Callaho C-Ultra at Midrand World Cup Qualifier 2016
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HORSEPROFILE RIDER PROFILE
GOVETT TRIGGOL By Yvonne Bolton / Photos by T&B Images
Midrand World Cup Qualifier 2016
Tell us a little about your younger years growing up and riding in Middelburg? I grew up on a farm in Wonderfontein, which is about fifty kilometers east of Middelburg in Mpumalanga. Even though our household was in a permanent state of severe recession and money was an optional extra, I had the good fortune that my parents loved horses, so there was always a good supply of farm ponies to ride.
grandfather’s cattle truck. The Johannesburg kids were amused to see the ponies jump on and off the truck.
Who first influenced your interest in equestrian sport and did you compete in the Children’s Classes? My grandfather and my dad were both Springbok Gymkhana Riders, and my mom was very passionate about Warmblood breeding, so my brother and I were both encouraged to ride.
I then got a helping hand from the Alzu Stud and got the ride on ALZU Conqueror (full brother to ALZU Talisman). Even though he had one eye, he won many JA classes.
We traveled to Johannesburg once a month for shows in my
After spending a year in Middelburg I wanted to get some
Who assisted you to purchase your first Junior horse/ horses and did you continue to ride in Middelburg? My first junior horse was a thoroughbred by Noble Chieftan that my dad played Polocross on. He ended up jumping JA within a year.
My best junior horse was a thoroughbred called ‘Strike’. He was given to me at the Junior SA champs in George as he repeatedly Gerrie du Toit, the founder of the Alzu Stud and a family friend, stopped at walls. He ended up getting me short listed for the used to host all the Pony Club events on his farm. I started Gauteng team and was placed frequently. competing at the age of 8. At which point did you relocate to Johannesburg and were Do you have any fond memories of ponies who were you able to continue your riding career, whilst achieving the impressive list of degrees you have attained? special to you at that time? Piccolo, a little black mare with a severe case of ringbone was Because of this big love I had for horses, I had the romantic idea my first competitive pony. Our finest moment was winning the that I wanted to be a vet. Fortunately my mother knew better Transvaal CD (90cm) Championships! When I turned twelve, and during the October break in my matric year I spent a day my grandfather bought me a CA (1.10m) pony called Dior with our farm vet. After he lanced an abscess on a cow’s hock I who was very competitive and managed to get me into the realized that my romantic veterinary career was over!! first ever Transvaal Children’s Team. Once again Mr Gerrie du Toit from the Alzu Stud came to the Who was your instructor when you were competing in rescue! At very short notice he managed to get me a job as an the Children’s Classes and did you travel to Johannesburg articled clerk with his auditors in Middelburg and bought me a car so I could get to work and back. to compete in shows there? Pat van Reenen was my first instructor. Pat would be horrified to see that I still round my shoulders and stick out my left elbow, So in January 1990 at the age of seventeen, I started my articles especially in jump-offs! All those tiresome equitation classes and studied part-time through UNISA, and most importantly earned my first paycheck of R690. were wasted on me.
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HORSE RIDER PROFILE PROFILE
Cayleigh and Callaho Louisa at Rider Tour Grand Prix Midrand World Cup Qualifier 2016
Tom and Callaho Konema, 1.20m at Midrand World Cup Qualifier
experience auditing bigger businesses. With the help of Tony Lewis who was jumping the Alzu horses at the time, I managed to transfer my articles to a firm in Randburg. The move from the country was very exciting and Tony Lewis kept two horses for me for the next couple of years until I qualified as a Chartered Accountant. When did you first travel to Germany with the intention of purchasing a jumper from Europe and what prompted this venture? With the introduction of the warmblood sport horse, South African show jumping has changed completely.The purpose bred showjumper has replaced the thoroughbred almost entirely. I firmly believe the days of winning classes on average horses is also coming to an end. There are just too many great horses around and one just has to look at the numbers coming out of quarantine to realize that unless you are continually looking for a better horse than your current best horse, you will fall behind. When I decided to start jumping again after a business and family break in 2000, I looked at the big classes and already the warmbloods were dominating.When I ventured overseas in 2003 my aim was to buy a horse that had the potential to be in the top five horses in South Africa. In this regard I was very lucky to be introduced to Hilmar Meyer by the Hanoverian Breed Federation. You have been coached by Barry Taylor for some years now, in what way has this impacted on your jumping career? Barry John Taylor PG21!!! Not for the faint hearted but in my 42
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Callaho Balabushka at Revil Stables World Cup Qualifier 2015
opinion the best in the business! He is a fierce competitor with a desire to be the best at everything he does. If you are prepared to listen (and can handle the feedback) and work hard, he will get you to realize your potential. After almost 35 years in the international classes, he still approaches every show with an unparalleled desire to win. Barry analyses every Course Designer’s building patterns and replicates what we will get in his training arena.There is always a grid to help the horse’s technique and as a rider you ride more difficult lines than you will find at the show. The lessons vary from 10 minutes to one hour depending on whether you do it right. He believes in keeping the horses sweet and confident. As a rider he focusses on the things that count i.e. balance, accuracy and rhythm. He is the first instructor that has not worried about my left elbow, I suppose he will get to it once he has fixed my other weaknesses. For me, Barry has become a friend who has my interests at heart, and I am still learning daily from this wise old horseman. Tell us a little about some of the other wonderful horses you have enjoyed success with over the last few years and how do you manage your hectic schedule as CEO of Reonet, along with competing at all the jumping shows on the South African circuit? I honestly believe that I am the luckiest man alive!!! I have had the privilege of riding a number of amazing horses other than Callaho C-Ultra. The mare that made me as a rider is undoubtedly Callaho Elektra. Like Barry, this mare wants to win and even when tracks have been
Govett and Callaho Elektra with Hilmar Meyer at Revil Stables World Cup Qualifier 2015
beyond her abilities, she has managed. Elektra has won numerous Grand Prix classes, been placed in World Cup qualifiers, S.A. Champs and the Derby. I doubt I will ever have a horse with such amazing fight and character. She is a horse of a lifetime. Callaho Louisa is another special mare that had to step up to the plate when Elektra was injured for almost a year.The bravest horse ever, she went from jumping 1.20m to jumping the Derby in eighteen months. She also helped me win the SA Riders Championship in 2012. Cayleigh incidentally jumped her first 1.50m Riders Tour Grand Prix at the WCQ show in Midrand, I am proud to say she beat me and only had a time fault. Currently Callaho Balabushka is making her way back to the 1.50m classes after a year off recovering from a suspensory injury. She was placed in every WCQ that she jumped in at the end of the 2014 season. I am hopeful that she will also win a WCQ one day.
Equestrian? I know people will not believe it, but Tracey is more passionate and dedicated to the horses and the sport, than I am!! Tracey has stood behind me in every aspect of my life. Without her, team Triggol will come to a grinding halt!! Thanks for everything Trace. Your daughter, Cayleigh, and son, Tom, also compete successfully in the jumping classes – do you find this exciting and/or nerve-wracking? I can’t watch!!! It’s terrifying. Fortunately I think they both ride better than I do, so the trauma is followed by pride! We are very fortunate to share this passion, as I said, I am the luckiest man alive!
Give us a little insight into your involvement as a Member of the Callaho Team? Ian Calender Easby and I are both passionate horseman and pedigree geeks. Ian has a vision to at some stage only breed from mares that have proven themselves in the sport. We both Reonet is my other passion. This little business has been so have an understanding that the mares are more important in good to me and continues to fund my OCHBD (obsessive the endeavor of breeding champions, than the stallions are. compulsive horse buying disease). Over the years I have only purchased mares to compete on, as my dream has always been to breed from them once their In the last year I have put together a strong management competition careers are over. I am of the opinion that it gives team in Reonet, headed up by my good friend Pierre Lepart, you a distinct advantage in terms of selecting the correct sire for which has given me a lot of flexibility to focus on my riding. the mare, if you have competed on the mare. The business and the horses really complement each other! The horses create the need for more money and the business is As we share this understanding of the importance of the mares, tasked with responsibility to provide it. combined with the fact that I do not have the time or facilities to run a proper stud, I have made my mares available to Callaho Does your wife, Tracey, also have an interest in all things from a breeding point of view. Issue 27 SPORTING HORSE
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HORSE PROFILE
CALLAHO
C ULTRA Govett Triggol interviewed by Yvonne Bolton / Photos by T&B Images
Where and when did you first view Callaho C Ultra and once you had ridden and jumped her, what made her special? What level was C Ultra competing at when you first saw her and did you try any other horses on this trip to Germany? Rayner Korber and Quinten Jansen were shopping at Hilmar Meyer and returned with videos of a couple of horses. On reviewing the videos with Ray I spotted this huge careful six year old mare, and I was delighted when Ray and Quinten decided on an older more experienced horse. So in short I never even sat on C-Ultra before buying her. The first time I saw her in the flesh was in quarantine in Germany. I couldn’t believe how big she was! According to her show records at the time she had jumped in three 1.30m classes. Tell us a little about your association with Hilmar Meyer and how long has he been sourcing horses for you? Herr Meyer was recommended to me by the Hanoverian Verband about thirteen years ago. Like most South Africans I didn’t know where to start looking for horses in Europe. As there are so many horror stories surrounding horse dealers, I decided to consult the Hanoverian Society, as they have a brand to protect and I would get comfort from their endorsement. In addition to this endorsement I get a lot of comfort from the fact that nearly all the horses that Hilmar sells he has a stake in.The fact that he is prepared to invest his own money in a horse gives me comfort, as opposed to a dealer that just takes a video of a horse and doesn’t take any risk himself. Hilmar has two distinct advantages over other horse dealers. Firstly he has a farm 10 minutes from Verden in the middle of the biggest breeding area in Europe. As he grew up in this area he has an in-depth knowledge of the mares and studs in the area combined with a good relationship with the breeders. Secondly he has competed in the International Classes for many years and has represented Germany at Nations Cup Level, and he worked for the legendary Gert Wildfang for six years.This gives him the understanding of what is needed in a horse for the big classes. 44
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HORSE PROFILE
To date the Triggol family have purchased in excess of twenty horses from Hilmar. I have total trust in Hilmar’s ability to find the champions and I hope to be buying horses from him for the next twenty years! What was C Ultra’s early history – where was she bred and who produced her? C-Ultra is a Holsteiner mare and was purchased by a breeder near Berlin on foal auction in Holstein. Due to her size they started her a year later than the other horses, hence her relative inexperience as a six year old when I bought her.
I started C-Ultra in the 1.20m classes in South Africa. She unfortunately struggled to acclimatize and could not get used to the grass that we feed in South Africa. She underwent colic surgery twice and I lost nearly two years of competition. Only once I had put her onto oat hay did the colics stop. It’s a miracle that she has managed to jump at the top level considering what she went through.
What qualities do you look for when considering the purchase of a new horse? I think that the sport has become so competitive and technical that a top horse has to have everything. But like most Does she come from a bloodline that has produced any international riders the most important quality is scope, which other good jumpers? C-Ultra has in abundance. Secondly you need them to be C-Ultra is by the world famous stallion Casall ASK. Ridden careful, again C-Ultra is blessed with extreme care. Thirdly rideby Rolf Goran Bengston he is one of the top horses on the ability is very important, in this department I have struggled with International Jumping Circuit. During the past years he reached C-Ultra. As she is nearly 18 hands tall and has a long back she the top 25 at all big championships, the 2012 London Olympics, struggles in the tight related distances. On top of that she is a the 2013 Europeans in Herning, and the WEG in Caen. At Caen very anxious horse with a natural inverted shape, which means he won team Bronze and was 4th individually. In 2014 Global she can really pull when her blood is up! champions tour he made it to the jump-off 6 out of seven starts, winning in Doha, Chantilly, London and Rome. Powerplay, A personal consideration I have to take into account when I Casselo, Cassalo Z, CT, Chesall and Cristallo A are all offspring of select a horse is size. At my best I can weigh 85kg and I am 6 Casall and international 1.60m winners. foot 3 inches tall so I can’t have a really small horse! The sire of C-Ultra’s dam is Carthago. Carthago competed for Belgium at the Olympic games twice and in all major championships under the saddle of Jos Lansink. He too is a prolific producer of international winners. Then comes Calypso 11 a fantastic jumper producer that stood in both Holstein and at the Celle State Stud who produced many sire sons including the great stallion Contender. After this comes Landgraf, arguably the best son of the foundation thoroughbred Ladykiller.
All top horses have some quirks – what are C Ultra’s and what is she like around the yard? C-Ultra is frightened of the world!! Outrides for her are extremely stressful on both of us. C-Ultra is firmly of the opinion that her life is at risk when a ground plover is in the arena.
When you brought C Ultra to South Africa did she acclimatize easily – at what height did you start competing her here in SA?
It is also particularly scary when the jumps in the arena at home are suddenly changed. She strongly believes that jumps should stay in the same place at all times.
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Even with sedation it is not possible to clip her legs resulting in her having the weirdest hair styles.
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ROCKETHORSE By Barry Armitage | Photos by Go Yonder
A WILD NEW BREED OF RACING
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ver the past six years Joe Dawson and I have spent much of our time riding horses vast distances. Be it recreating epic historic horseback journeys for our television series The Ride, riding endurance races, competing in the 1000km Mongol Derby or leading one of our long distance horse trails somewhere in South Africa. Along the way we have been privileged to ride through some really awe inspiring landscapes and experienced some pretty unique moments on horseback, but there is one special place on the eastern seaboard of South Africa, that remote rugged paradise,The Wild Coast, that keeps drawing us back.
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In October 2016, under the banner of our new enterprise Rockethorse Racing, we launch a new breed of long distance horse racing that blends the spirit of the frontiersman and the modern horseback adventurer: testing horsemanship, endurance, survival and navigational skills across this iconic wilderness. Race the Wild Coast will be contested by an elite field of international riders, each with a team of three South African endurance horses, competing for victory over 350km; navigating and pacing their horses through the challenging terrain and swimming rivers while keeping horses fit to pass the stringent veterinary checks at the end of each stage in what we know will be an epic test of horsemanship, courage, and endurance. Home to the amaXhosa people, the savage beauty of the Wild Coast immediately appeals. The landscape is wild. In the north, deeply incised gorges, cut through a sandstone plateau, run down to the sea edged by cliffs with few opportunities for beaches. In the south, steep undulating hills interspersed with long beaches are punctuated by rocky headlands.
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The reputation of its furious seas contributes to its mystique. Freak waves have plunged untold ships to the bottom of the Indian Ocean over the centuries or dashed them against the rocky headlands and cliffs. Add stories of the resulting wrecks and the travails of survivors, of undiscovered treasure and heroic deeds, and this place begins to put Treasure Island to shame. So there are good reasons why the Wild Coast, on the main shipping route to the east, earned its name and established its reputation. Since the day, toward the end of the 15th Century, that brave Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias first poked the bows of his small ship, São Cristóvão, around the Cape of Storms, seeking a direct route to the riches of the east, the horse was bound to play a significant role in the history of South Africa. It had to wait almost 200 years, however, until the Dutch East India Company established a halfway station at the by then rebranded Cape of Good Hope under Jan van Riebeeck; providing fresh provisions for ships travelling the now established route to and from Asia. A year later in 1653,
the first four horses, Barber-Arabian ponies, arrived in the fledgling Cape Colony from Java. Further bloodstock was introduced by the fortuitous stranding of a ship carrying 14 Arabian horses from the Shah of Persia’s stud after the horses managed to swim ashore and were caught by van Riebeeck’s men. More than a century on, the descendants of these horses, with the addition of further beneficial stock, developed and improved the colony’s horses into a recognised breed: the Cape Horse. Under British rule the Boers, descendants of the original Dutch and French Huguenot settlers, had access to English thoroughbred bloodstock which they bred to the local horses, further improving the breed to produce a horse with endurance, spirit, kindness and heart that could survive on meager rations and was at the same time an excellent riding horse. This horse became known as the Boerperd.
the British administration, pressure on grazing lands resulted in further conflict with indigenous people. During these conflicts the value of the horse was appreciated and became highly sought after by various tribes, most notably the Basotho and the amaXhosa, for whom the horse is now an integral part of daily life. Over this period southern African history is littered with stories of epic horseback journeys that shaped the country; men who rode seeking new territories to graze livestock or to warn of impending battle, of military disaster or simply to gain territory and wealth. It was the Boerperd that carried these men and helped form the modern South Africa, a South Africa most critically shaped by that great conflict over control of the gold fields in the Transvaal: the Boer War. During this war many hundreds of thousands of these horses perished, but in the aftermath and the controlled breeding program that followed, the Boerperd grew stronger once again.
With the Cape Colony expanding under British Colonial rule and Boers trekking into the hinterland to escape the yoke of
Race the Wild Coast honours the proud history of our South African horses while showcasing our contemporary
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Boerperde and Arab endurance horses in a race format that will reward a horse with the traits of the Boerperd as much as, if not more than the all out athleticism of an Arab. Early settlers bred a horse for this landscape and climate for hundreds of years and this may well be the ultimate test of the complete adventuring horse. Joe and I had ridden the rugged northern section of the Wild Coast with our five boerperde during the making of our first television show about Dick King’s famous ride from Durban to Grahamstown in 1842, and I was impressed enough to remark on camera that “If God rode horses, this is where he’d do it!” A year later we rode four horses, two of them Boerperde, 2200km from the Midlands of kwaZulu Natal to Cape Town, in the process riding the second section of the Wild Coast from Port St John’s to Kei Mouth. It was this inspiring experience, more than any other, that entrenched our passion for the somewhat lost art of journeying long distance on horseback. Our two outings
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on the Mongol Derby cemented our obsession with long distance adventure racing, as well as our conviction that the Wild Coast is a world-class destination for this kind of event. Race the Wild Coast was born out of our determination to share this destination with the world, and specifically the challenge and elation that it offers: a unique opportunity for rider and horse to traverse a wilderness, discover the place and hopefully something about themselves. It is also our hope that Race the Wild Coast offers part of a viable and sustainable alternative to the mining that looms as a very real threat to this paradise. The local communities have far more to benefit from high value eco-tourism events that do honour to their environment than an industry that threatens it. After all, it is in such a wilderness that we have the opportunity to find ourselves as humans. Without them we are less. Without such places we are all poorer. Entries are still open for Race the Wild Coast.
For more information please go to www.rockethorseracing.co.za
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By Dr Petro Grove
The SA Boerperd
If it is not branded, it is not a SA Boerperd!
THE ULTIMATE PLEASURE & SPORTING HORSE ® The myths and the facts 54
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he history of the SA Boerperd and the development of the breed is closely related to the development of our country’s modern history since 1652. The initial genepool started with Javanese ponies, otherwise known as BarbArab crosses. In these early times, many horses of vague origin swam ashore after their ships have been shipwrecked around the southern point of Africa on their way to India. During the 1750’s, Andalusians were shipped to Southern Africa, which added to the mix. Through natural selection, only the bravest and hardiest of horses survived the harsh conditions of Africa. When the British came into rule in 1820, Thoroughbred stallions were introduced. The horses bred from these lines were very popular and also exported to India and Australia, South Africa being a main trade route at the time. The Australian Whaler developed from these imports. Other breeds that played a further minor role in the development of the modern SA Boerperd, were the Friesians and Flemish horses, as well as Hackneys, Norfolk Trotters and Cleveland
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bays.The SA Boerperd is indeed a blend of different formerly outlandish breeds surviving a tough selection process by man and nature, where only the best horses survived and withstood the test of time. The SA Boerperd received international praise during the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902). Initially the then British enemy looked down their noses at the SA Boerperd, however it soon became clear that they were much more suited to the harsh circumstances in Africa than the imported breeds. Its smaller, medium sized hooves, its naturally moderate to higher knee action, combined with an ability to survive on natural grazing whilst still working hard, made it especially suited to move easily over mountains and planes alike. There are many stories to be told of famous horses that were hidden in mountains during these turbulent times. Many horses didn’t survive because of the British scorched earth policy where all farms were burnt down and the South African population who did not approve of British rule, were pursued and women and children of all races put in concentration camps.
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Surviving all of the above, it comes as no surprise that the SA Boerperd is especially well suited to Endurance riding and is not prone to illness. Apart from being a very comfortable 3 to 5 gaited horse, the SA Boerperd also has a 6th and less well known gait, which it can maintain for hours at a time. This gait is something between a slow-gait and a walk, also called the amble (struik-gang). It covers ground, whilst preserving energy and being comfortable for horse and rider alike for hours. Through the years, many misconceptions have revolved around the SA Boerperd, one of them being that these registered horses are merely farm horses. Nothing can be further from the truth. Some SA Boerperd might belong to farmers, however it is not a farm horse at all! This unique and proudly South African breed was formally registered and internationally recognised in 1973. Since then, The SA Boerperd has become the largest and only internationally recognised indigenously developed horse breed in South Africa. Not only is it one of the fastest growing horse breeds in the RSA, it is also widely exported to our neighbouring
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countries that include Namibia, Swaziland, Botswana and Mozambique. Registered SA Boerperd are even found in Mauritius. A registered SA Boerperd carries the brand and mark of quality on the right thigh. Highly qualified inspectors evaluate each horse once DNA has been confirmed and the foals recorded – thus a dual assessment system. If it is not branded for quality, it is not an SA Boerperd. The SA Boerperd has proven itself as the ideal sporting and pleasure horse for Southern Africa. Each fully registered and branded SA Boerperd has undergone DNA tests as proof of registered parentage, as well as an inspection process whereby the horse was assessed and scored against the breed standard. Horses that show signs of inferiority, do not pass the inspection. All records are kept at SA Studbook. The SA Boerperd as a breed has become widely renowned for its’ even temperament, which makes it a suitable and reliable
companion for young and old. Together with other traits such as hardiness and bravery, this horse is indeed the ideal horse for equine disciplines such as eventing and endurance. However, as a highly intelligent breed, SA Boerperd are equally suited and more and more frequently seen in a wide variety of equine disciplines. During 2015, the SA Boerperd competing across all disciplines in the South African National Equestrian Schools Association’s league, made up 25% of the top 20 horses. These disciplines include show jumping, showing, dressage, eventing, equitation, saddle seat, Western riding, Western mounted games and English mounted games. This league starts off at the beginning of each year with ± 10 000 horses! In the Show Jumping arena, many a spectator has commented: “I didn’t know that the SA Boerperd could jump!” The exact opposite is the case. The SA Boerperd is athletic, intelligent and eager to learn. Long has the time passed where a SA Boerperd is regarded as a farm horse - they are equally comfortable in Working Hunter and Working Riding classes,
Don’t be fooled! If a horse is presented as an SA Boerperd, it will definitely NOT have the following features: • • • • •
• •
Be smaller than 14.2hh for a mare and 14.3hh for a stallion; Be an albino; Excessive white in the eyes; Are paint- or have any other colour markings on the body; Have a white face and/or blaze that stretches past the eyes and cheeks; Have a white snip covering all of the nose area; Have four white legs that stretch past the knees.
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What, then can you expect from an SA Boerperd? • •
• •
•
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The BRAND OF QUALITY on the right thigh; Versatility – the ideal all rounder, with a regal and proud appearance; Symmetrical conformation and a strong skeleton; Athleticism with medium knee action and long strides with cadence that cover ground; Fine and dense coat in all shades of bay, black, roan, chestnut, grey, dun and palomino, with well pigmented black skin
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as in the Show Jumping, Dressage and Cross Country aspects of Eventing. Other disciplines where SA Boerperd are well known include tent pegging and gymkhana. The SA Boerperd is living proof that bigger isn’t necessarily better! Traditionally, the SA Boerperd has been known to be between 14.2hh and 15.3hh. For this reason, the SA Boerperd is well known for its effortless fast jump off rounds through its ability to cut corners in the Show Jumping arena. Modern breeders are more frequently succeeding to produce horses of 16.1hh and higher in this dynamic and very versatile breed. It is sad to watch imported breeds shown at exhibitions while our only indigenously developed and very versatile horse breed is overseen and not given its rightful place. This is also the question asked by many internationally acclaimed judges and coaches visiting South Africa. Find your ideal sporting and pleasure horse all in one right here in our own country with the SA Boerperd – proudly South African.
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DUNESIDE STUD PERFORMS AT CENTRAL LICENSING OF NAMIBIAN WARMBLOOD HORSE SOCIETY
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Photos by M&D Photography he annual Namibian Warmblood Horse Society Stallion Licensing took place on the 17th of May 2016 at the premises of Dr. Wolfgang Späth; owner of the Seeis Warmblood Stud, situated in the Khomas Region of Namibia.
The licensing committee consisted of local breeders Mr Thodo Garbade, Mr Reinhardt Voigts, Mr Rolf Barth, Mr Heiko Freyer and Mr Claus Kock. The committee was headed by Dr. Axel Brockmann, State Stud Head at Celle; the main breeding centre for Hanoverian horses in Germany.
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Stallions presented for licensing are judged on conformation, type, correctness of paces, movement, jumping scope and jumping attitude and technique. If the stallions are successful in this test they are registered as Namibian Warmblood Stallions and may be used for breeding. Five stallions were presented to the committee on Tuesday, two of which belong to Duneside Stud which was recently bought by Mr. Keith Keating and Ms Yolanda Meyer. The two Duneside stallions, bred by Mr Fonk Genis (previous owner of the stud), were accompanied and presented by Mr Riaan Verster, Stud Manager and Trainer.
(From Left to Right: Mr. Thodo Garbade, Mr. Fonk Genis (Breeder), Mr. Riaan Verster (Stud Manager and Trainer), Mr. Reinhardt Voigts, Mr. Rolf Barth, Mr. Heiko Freyer, Dr. Axel Brockmann and Mr. Claus Kock.
Duneside Mission
Duneside Cloud Nine
Duneside Mission is a seven year old Arabian stallion out of Eks Maranello (sire) by Kairo-Star Muzri (dam). He was successfully presented and accepted into Warmblood breeding for refining purposes. Dr. Brockmann mentioned his exceptional jumping performance (not typical to Arabian horses); as he cleared an obstacle of 140 cm high by 120 cm wide, himself only measuring 153 cm’s. He scored an 8.5 out of 10 for his jumping attitude and technique.
by Duneside Clarion Call (dam). He was licensed with an average of 7.94 out of 10; this being a very good rating for a stallion.
Duneside Cloud Nine is a four year old Warmblood stallion out of Tanzpar tner (impor ted Trakehner stallion)
This is an indication that Warmblood breeding in Namibia is at a high standard and internationally comparable.
Duneside Cloud Nine scored 9 out of 10 for jumping attitude and technique. He received the award of Champion Stallion of the year. Dr. Brockmann commented that Duneside Cloud Nine would have easily passed a stallion test in Germany as well.
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Adelprag Alwin. Photo credit: Jacqui S Photography
FRIESIANS SHINE IN 2016 YOUNG HORSE DRESSAGE SERIES By Altie Clark 2016 saw the introduction of an exciting new ‘Young Horse Dressage’ series. The aim of the series is to bring young dressage horses in South Africa to the international standard of the FEI. The National series that takes place in Gauteng, the Western Cape as well as KZN has been very well received and supported and with International judges presiding the standard is extremely high. There are four different age categories. Four year olds, five year olds, six year olds and then seven to nine year olds. The main aim of the series is to uplift the level of young horses in dressage and this is ensured by the judges giving feedback on the horse’s performance after every test to the rider and the public. This helps the trainers and riders to adjust training as needed and determine if training is on track and moving in the right direction. 4 Year olds ride DSA Prelim 2013, 5 Year olds ride
DSA Novice 2010, 6 Year olds ride Elementary 2010 and 7-9 year olds ride DSA Medium 2010. After competing in at least two qualifying shows during the series each province will have five top horse & rider combinations that will be filmed. The videos of the top three in each age group will then go through to the National Championships. Videos are sent to the two FEI Young Horse judges in Europe as well as to two judges in South Africa from where the accumulation of all the marks will result in a National Champion for each age group. This competition has proved extremely exciting for the South African Friesian community with a large number of young Friesians achieving great marks showing that the Friesian is Issue 27 SPORTING HORSE
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Jason van Doorndraai. Photo credit: Equerry Photographers
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Adelprag Orlando van Doorndraai. Photo credit: Jacqui S Photography
becoming a breed not to be overlooked when it comes to equestrian disciplines such as dressage. The star of the show so far has been Adelprag Orlando van Doorndraai owned by Niekie Pienaar from Adelprag Friesian Stud and ridden by Chere Burger. Chere made history in 2015 when she was the first rider to take part with a Friesian Horse at the World Equestrian Games with her stallion Adelprag Ander 415. At the end of 2015 Adelprag Orlando van Doorndraai moved to Adelprag at the young age of 3 after Chere and Niekie spotted his talent when he dominated a number of the classes at the FPSSA National Show. Orlando achieved the highest marks of the entire series to date at the leg held at Hollybrook Farm on the weekend of 28 May when he received a phenomenal 84% for his 4 year old test. Adelprag Friesian Stud has more Friesians entered in the series with Adelprag Laes fan’t Alddjip ridden by Chere Burger and Adelprag Alwin ridden by Wium van Huysteen who are also achieving remarkable scores regularly over 70
and 80%. (See full results on next page) The other great performer taking part in the KZN leg of the championships is owned by Mariska Botha. Also bred by Marlise Botes from Doorndraai Friesian Stud, 4 year old Jason van Doorndraai showed that Friesians are a force to be reckoned with when he achieved 80% in his 4 year old test. Jason is Mariska’s first Friesian and after backing and schooling him herself she says that it is the most talented horse she has ever worked with. Coming from a predominantly warmblood background, it is very exciting that an accomplished rider like Mariska Botha chooses a Friesian as her breed of choice to do dressage with. Jason took part in his first dressage show in February at the first round of the Young Horse Dressage Champs at the Durban Shongweni Club, where he won with a score of 75.4%. He went on to win the second leg of the competition with a staggering 80.4%. Debbie Rangousis from KZN also achieved good results with Eli
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Vincent the Viking. Photo credit: Hamrat Image Workx
Jolanda van Doorndraai. Photo credit: Jacqui S Photography
FIRST QUALIFIER GAUTENG Adelprag Orlando van Doorndraai (4yrs) 4th with 74% Jolanda van Doorndraai (4yrs) 5th with 70.4% Adelprag Laes fan’t Allddjip (5 yr) 1st with 79% Adelprag Alwin (7-9yr) 3rd with 65.71% FIRST QUALIFIER KZN Jason van Doorndraai (4yrs) 1st with 75.4% SECOND QUALIFIER GAUTENG Adelprag Orlando van Doorndraai (4yrs) 2nd with 77.6% Lennerd van Doorndraai (4yrs) 4th with 71.3% Jolanda van Doorndraai (4yrs) 5th with 70.9% Adelprag Laes fan’t Alddjip (5yr) 1st with 81.6% Adelprag Alwin (7-9yr) 1st with 68.52% SECOND QUALIFIER KZN Jason van Doorndraai (4yrs) 1st with 80.4% THIRD QUALIFIER GAUTENG Adelprag Orlando van Doorndraai (4yr) 1st with 84% Adelprag Laes fan’t Alddjip (5yr) 1st with 82.8% Adelprag Alwin (7-9yr) 3rd with 64.56%
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Adelprag Laes fan’t Alddjip. Photo credit: Jacqui S Photography
of Millford in the first qualifier in Gauteng finishing third in his 6 year old Elementary class with 59%. In the third qualifier in Gauteng Farris of Millford also achieved a great score of 73.6% finishing third in his 6 year old class in Elementary ridden by Karen Keller. At the first qualifier in KZN he finished second with 73.8% ridden by Sarah Perkin. Another very exciting young horse is locally bred Vincent the Viking owned by Tania Denny. At the third leg of the Young Horse championship he came second in the 7 to 9 year old class with a mark of 65.3%.Together with Tania,Vincent has also achieved the prestigious ‘Sport’ title which shows his talent and great potential as dressage horse. Seeing more than one Friesian in the overall National Championships is starting to look like a real possibility and isn’t it exciting that this wonderful breed is coming to the forefront showing that Friesians are multi-talented sport horses. We hope to see a lot more Friesians in this competition next year and with ambassadors like Chere Burger and other exciting and talented riders the breed will go from strength to strength.
Altie Clark - Sales
083 299 1356 - altieclark@yahoo.com
Marlise Botes - Owner
083 263 7800 - botesm@mweb.co.za
Jolanda van Doorndraai Stb Star is a modern four year old Friesian mare with great dressage and sport potential. She received a first premium during the 2015 KFPS inspection and achieved 79 points for her ridden IBOP test. She also achieved over 70% in her Prelim dressage tests at the first and second leg of the Young Horse Dressage Championships held in Gauteng. To make a viewing appointment or for more information on other horses for sale contact Altie Clark on 083 299 1356. DOB: 26/09/2011 - Dam: Uma van Doorndraai - Sire: Tjalf 443 ‘Sport’ DS: Feitse 293 - Height 163cm
FOR SALE
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International Coach Niall Quirk discusses dressage with 1* Eventer Sarah Arnot. Photo credit Tracy Robertson
COACHING CLINICS
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he Western Cape Eventing Association (WCEA) is lucky to have a thriving population of eventers devoted to our sport. We have incredible supporters and show holding bodies who give us the opportunity to compete our horses to the highest standards of safety and modern course design. WCEA exists to promote the sport, ensure that eventing is run within the rules and to develop officials. We also want our sport to thrive in our province and to operate on a level with the rest of the world. To this end we develop riders and officials through local and FEI development programmes. The opportunity to expand our approach came up last year with generous sponsorship from Tiletoria, fantastic friends and supporters of our sport and of our ethos of fun, family eventing weekends. We decided that some of this sponsorship should go towards training our eventing coaches, so that the benefit of training reaches the widest possible audience.
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By Sarah Arnot
We kicked off in November 2015 with 4* International Eventer Bill Levett. Bill has a wonderful quiet style and huge depth of horsemanship and eventing knowledge. He spent two days coaching coaches at Thandeka Stables using their excellent arena and cross country schooling facilities. Participants included Cape Town based coaches and Eastern Cape coaches Maria Waters and Pat Pohl as well as Linda Squair from George. Bill focused primarily on riding safely over cross country fences: he explained his view that in our sport we have a responsibility to understand what it takes to ride safely to a solid fence, at all levels and at all ages. His message is balance, control and contact. Your horse has to listen to you, and you must be able to choose the pace and stride you want at any point, whether in cross country or in showjumping. For more detail see the article “6 Things We Learned From Bill Levett� on the WCEA Coaching Coaches Clinic Facebook page. Bill was particularly good at problem solving, especially when it came to the classical cross country challenges of skinnies,
International 4* Eventer Bill Levett. Photo credit Fiona Scott-Maxwell
corners, ditches and water. He has an effective system that worked time and time again, with very different horses. Eventing Coach, Showjumper and FEI SJ Course Designer Brendan Silen said “it gives you the chance to understand how to solve problems and the confidence to do it when you see them in your daily coaching work.” The success of Bill’s clinic made us keen to continue and our next opportunity was to tie in with Eric Winter’s course designing trip to Kurland in February 2016. Eric has one of the most impressive CVs you are likely to see in the horse world. He has show jumped and evented at international level. He is a 4* Eventing TD and Course Designer. He is responsible for training all officials in the UK. He teaches international coaches clinics and officials clinics, and he particularly enjoys coaching showjumpers. He has just been appointed Course Designer for Badminton Horse Trials. Fortunately for us Eric likes Cape Town, so when we asked
him to add a day to his Kurland trip in order to run a show jumping clinic for eventing coaches, he immediately said yes. CVRC kindly offered us their venue, which was perfect for this clinic and Amy Baines stepped in to organize it. Amy runs the Ostrich Ranch Eventing Show, now in its third year and one of the most popular venues in the Western Cape. She is a master of organization and efficiency and did her usual outstanding job with Eric’s clinic. Eric considers the canter stride the fundamental basis of all jumping. He makes the point that if you don’t school in a forward, engaged, medium canter, how will your horse know what to deliver in the ring? He has seen thousands of horses and riders over the years and his ability to assess combinations quickly in order to help them is phenomenal. His coaching clinic focused on his system, and on assessment. The coaches enjoyed his positive, engaging style. 3* International Eventer and Coach Inge Silen said “it’s wonderful, we may be far
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Niall Quirk with dummy rider Sarah Arnot and her 1* event horse Callaho Flippit at the Dressage for Eventing Coaches clinic Photo credit Tracy Robertson
Tiletoria’s generous sponsorship made the coaching coaches series possible. Photo credit G Photography
from Johannesburg but working with coaches like these, we are close to the world.” One positive outcome of the coaching clinics has been that the eventing instructors feel part of a team that can problem solve together. “It has helped us unify as coaches,” said 2* International Eventer and Coach Nikki Thurgood. “It’s created more team spirit within the group. It’s not a failure to say I’m battling with something and to share knowledge.” Next up was dressage for eventers, given by International Dressage Coach Niall Quirk in June 2016. Niall is one of the most experienced trainers of coaches in the world. Mike and Paulette Doo lent us their beautiful farm in Rondeberg near Europa Equestrian and Paulette organized the clinic. She is a perfectionist of note and we were fabulously well looked after for the day. Niall started with FEI Level 1 coaching theory, to which he was an original contributor. His teaching style included group activities that immediately got people involved. 2* International Eventer, Coach and top showjumper Daniela Smit made the point that “because all these coaches are FEI trained, the message is very consistent.” 74
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Eric Winter giving a Course Designers clinic at Kurland.
When it came to the practical teaching, Niall talked about assessing the horse and rider so that you can make a plan for the lesson, decide what you are going to work on and which exercises you will use with the horse and rider. He has an amazing ability to engage both with the rider and with the coaching group so that everyone stays involved the whole time. He worked with horses and riders from medium level dressage to novice and as the group pointed out “he made a huge change in every single horse.” Everyone talks about going forward to the bit, coming through from behind and riding to the outside rein, Niall showed which tools you can use to achieve that for riders at different levels. “You get three different people from three different countries,“ says International 3* Eventer and Coach Linda Squair who travelled from George to attend every one of the clinics, “and all three of them are so humble and so keen to help us to learn. This has been an amazing opportunity. “ WCEA and all the coaches would like to thank the clinic organisers, the coaches, the riders and above all,Tiletoria for the sponsorship that made these clinics possible.
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Talking
MENTAL STRENGTH
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By Caroline Malan, The PR Machine | Photos by Jessica Roll Photography
aving started riding in Namibia at the age of 7, Lorette Knowles started competitions a mere two years later. Between the ages of 13 -17 years she competed as a junior, representing South West Africa in Equitation.
That is the nice thing about Toni – she is a woman, and a wife, as well as a mom – she is also clinically trained alongside her sport psych accreditation. She was a professional tennis player who played for many years on the international circuit – so for me, she has all the facets of a great life coach.”
Her family moved to Gauteng in early 1992. In 1993 her father purchased an adult A-grade for Lorette to complete her junior career with. She smiles when she recalls how young and carefree she was in her early days, “I never worked on my mind in terms of having a sports psychologist or anything. I was young and carefree and rode ‘off the seat of my pants” and never really considered having a psychological approach – I just rode! If I won, great, if I didn’t, well… ‘môre is nog ‘n dag!’ “
Now an integral part of the Team Nissan Show Jumping team, Lorette doesn’t believe that she’s the most self-confident person in the world, “But I am a very hard worker. I do have a ‘little me’ at times – which thanks to Toni, I have learned to manage. I have also learned that most people, probably all people have a ‘little me’ too – which is the doubt in your head. I have learned that it’s how you manage your little me that counts most and the management of this will make you a winner! When I’m feeling low in confidence I have a pity party for a little while, maybe even a cry, then tell myself to get my act together or better yet, Barry tells me to pull myself together, and if all that still fails, then I pay Toni a visit. The thing is that even after a bad or nerve-wracking fall, you just have to get right back up in that saddle – sore or not, bruised ego or not! If I’m worried about a crash at a fence with a specific horse – I will practice it a little and give the horse confidence again which in turn helps my confidence.”
Now, however is a different story as the girl with a B.Compt Honours degree to her name says she works with a sports or clinical psychologist, “I have been seeing Toni Gaddie on and off for about the last 4 years. I have also attended a mental toughness workshop with her and her sister before Derby 2 years ago. When I have a situation I’m uncertain about then my husband, Barry, is my first go-to. My Dad is still a massive influence in my life (sporting and other) and I still often seek advice from him. I will also meet with my sports psych – to ensure that my ‘little me’ stays where she should, and by “little” I mean the times when I am feeling low in confidence, and when life is a little overwhelming.
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When asked if there are ever days when she wants to give up or not deal with horsey people, the good hearted Lorette laughs as when she says she often doesn’t want to deal with horsey people!
“There’s days I can’t deal with certain people, but I also remind myself that this is what I do and that sometimes you have to just grin and bear it! Smile and wave…smile and wave as the saying goes! Shows do take a lot out of me though – mentally and physically (my competition, Barry’s competition and then all our clients competing at the same show and then add Ashlee into the mix now too – it can be extremely stressful riding for sponsors and owners). I do find that people have very little respect for some time-out so I will go completely offline when I need to – turn my phone off, keep the lap top turned off, and stay away from social media for a day or two – and then I’m usually good to go after that. I also love a massage at a spa with Barry – a spa half-day is a real treat. Yummy foods with family also help me recharge.” The former South African number one says that her motto is “Be kind to everyone, especially your horses, always stay humble, work hard and never ever give up!” “Growing up, my role model was always Gonda Betrix – she still is one of the best lady riders of all time. As a young girl I got to have dinner with her at her home (I was so nervous the week before, not knowing what I was going to talk to her about and that Saturday morning I won the JA class at the Junior Derby – so at least I had something to tell her over dinner!). After dinner I asked her if she would sign my copy of her book – I was so chuffed. Since she has retired, my hero has become US show jumper and
many times US Olympic team & individual medallist, as well as US WEG team member finishing in the top 4, Beezie Madden – she is cool, calm and collected. She is a winner: she is stylish and rides really fast when she needs to – she seems humble and a real hard worker too. Everything I aspire to be.” The feisty fun-loving Lorette is then stumped when asked what is her greatest mental asset as a professional athlete – what gives her the edge over her competitors, “Honestly – I’m really not sure – I train really hard so that makes me confident 99% of the time (obviously if you have practised you generally tend to stress less). I am naturally a fast rider, so I think that sometimes scares the competition because even when I’m not ‘going for it’ my competitors think I am!” But it’s not all smiles all of the time for South African (George, WC) born Lorette, having one of her most challenging shows at the recent Equidome FEI World Cup Qualifier at the end of May, “Although I had 3 wins, I had three falls off three different horses during the week-end.Then coming to the last fence in the World Cup Qualifier on the Jansen’s Nissan Catwalk 22, I missed my approach and attempting to keep me in the saddle, Catwalk threw his head, smacking me in the mouth, cutting the whole inside of my mouth and giving me whiplash. I then left the arena and had to have my boots checked: it was then that I burst into tears - I was incredibly sore and I think most of all completely relieved that
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I hadn’t fallen off again. I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed, and then went to the warm arena to cool down and sobbed some more. After the debacle with the rules of the class as to whether all were to take part in the jump off or not – part of me thought well if ‘I don’t get to jump off its probably not a bad thing’…and then Ashley announced all 4 –faulters would ride – something in me just went ‘stuff it, I’m going to give this jump off my all’ and I did just that - jumping a clear in the 3rd fastest time of the night.The power jumping competition is always a firm favourite of mine and I wasn’t worried about the height (1.70) of the new sponsor’s fence – Nissan Titanic is very brave, super scopey and big fences don’t faze him – but the narrow Workpoints branded planks are quite difficult to clear – as one tip with his hoof and the whole fence falls – which was exactly what happened at the 1.90m attempt, unfortunately.” Having been in the equestrian game for over 30 years, Lorette says that youngsters struggling with self-confidence must talk to their trainers first and foremost,“You can’t be made to feel better if the person in the know doesn’t know what you are feeling! I would also try to find a mental coach/sports psych that you feel comfortable with. They are trained in this sort of stuff – and most of what they can impart is invaluable not just to your sporting life but your everyday life too! I’ve certainly had my challenges too, but I’ve never thought of stopping riding! I was very close to stopping competing after I had Ashlee…I got back into the saddle very early after my Caesarean and was at a novice horse show when Ash was 5 weeks old (this was in January 2005) things were 78
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all good and I was back to my super competitive self immediately until I had a sore fall off my little mare, Rhythm of the Wind, at the 2005 Presidents Cup class when the arena was still grass. I was galloping to win the 1.40m champs and I turned to the last line and she caught herself with her stud in the turn and got to the tall plank and put her nose down and flew like a bullet. After that my nerves were completely shattered and I remember, a month later, crying before going into the arena at KEP in a 1.30m class on Danelaw (who was my WCQ horse at the time) and I felt fear for the first time ever. My Mom (who has always brought me up to be a toughie) saw me at the in gate and said, “oh Lorette pull yourself together!”. I went in and jumped a clear round and came out and burst into tears and sobbed for about half an hour (walking around KEP on top of old faithful, Dan) which I think was again from sheer relief!! I promised myself after that that I would give it all up if I was ever scared like that again.” The much loved athlete, wife, mother and friend of many draws the interview to a close as she smiles at the question on how she would like to be remembered, “As a humble, worthy champion – that could be likened (if ever) to Gonda Betrix – as one of the best lady riders ever.” May the thousands of riders out there continue to learn from your strength of character, kindness to the horse, energy and general zest for life Lorette, and may you continue to thrive both on the horse and off it as you’re an absolute inspiration to all those who know you. Best of luck for the remainder of 2016 and beyond.
Seduction (Sonnentänzer - Weltmeyer) owned by Gerhard Pretorius. Photo credit Stafford Robinson
LOOSE MOVEMENT & FREE JUMPING
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AT MANOR D’OR By Frances Cheboub, Breed Manager SA Warmblood Horse Society
n a mild autumn day in late May, the South African Warmblood Horse Society held a Loose Movement and Free jumping competition in the beautiful indoor arena of Manor D’Or Equestrian facility. We were pleased to have Candice Hobday as our judge for the Loose Movement and her positive comments and efficient running of the arena lead to happy competitors. In our first class Under One year olds, we saw three foals at foot, all from Kellow Stud. They were beautifully handled and well able to cope with their outing. The self confident, pretty Kellow Sabrina (Sandro Hit/ Weltmeyer) out of the mare Eagles Cazarak (Casanova/ Anschluss) was placed first, followed by the interestingly bred colt Kellow Eddison (Edward/ Fabriano) out of the mare Kellow Valencia (Valentino/ Johnson). Kellow Valencia is already the third generation of breeding for Kellow Stud and it is interesting to see that they kept a touch of jumping lines in this colt’s pedigree.
The next class was One year old class and was made up of 10 strong entries. Kellow For Ever by Furst Nymphenberg out of Kellow Samba, their home bred mare by Andre La Conte’s Sanletto, took first spot by showing great elasticity in paces. Questria by Compton House Quantico out of Callaho Wasabi (Weltmeyer/ Sabastian), owned by Gerhard Pretorius created a beautiful impression and was second. We had a tie in third place with Compton House Flash Dance (Five Star/ Sandro Hit/ Akzent II) owned by Alex Page and Diamond Skaramar (Waldemar/ Carrick/ Cascade). Lynda Rabie’s exciting young stallion import Cornet Damiro (Cornet Oblenski/ Dacro/ Ramiro) showed maturity for his age and as a jumper, did well to take the fifth place. The Two year olds had the judge so impressed that there was a tie for first place. They were Fillipa Dane (Uphill/ Don Primaire/ Solo Landtinus) owned by Britt Matchet, a filly with a super elastic canter; and Kellow First Love by Furst Romancier out of Kellow Samba showed a great trot. Kellow Samba was also the mother Issue 27 SPORTING HORSE
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Reserve Champion: Sandero owned by Jacki Supra. Photo credit Jaco Wiid.
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Peter Perlé giving Championship to Kellow Sabrina (Sandro Hit/ Weltmeyer). Photo credit Jaco Wiid.
of Kellow For Ever who won the previous class. In third place was Seduction by Sonnentanzer out of Callaho Wasabi owned by Gerhard Pretorius.This youngster had also done well earlier at Horse of theYear. In the Open Breed section Ambeck Furstinbella by Furstenball out of a Highwell Flambard mare was very striking and took first place for her owner, Alexandra Becker.
going. In second place was Kellow Valencia owned by Kate Johns. This mare is by Valentino out of a Johnson mare and showed suppleness and was a modern type.
We then held our first ever class for older horses 5 to 7 years olds. Here Kellow Superstar had correct uphill movement and paces to take first place. In the second place was Spemoza The Three year olds saw a big change in the size of the horses. Santika by Sandreo out of an Ubergabe/ Sydney mare and Here Jacki Supra’s tobiano stallion Sandero by Special Effects out owned by Rose Meehan. In the Open Breed section every of Hakahana Annabelle proved a towering youngster and eye one’s hearts were lifted by the extrovert Friesian Gustav van catching indeed with a good uphill way of going and took first Doorndraai who moved around the arena as if it belonged to place. The correct and attractive Neuland Marylin by Florimon him. He took first place and is owned by Debbie van Breda. and owned by Britt Matchet, took second place. Third place went to a beautiful type Fenix Dane by Uphill/ Don Primaire To give the final placing for Champion and Reserve Champion stallion out of the mare Jenica Dane who herself won the loose Loose Mover we had all the first and second placed horses from movement classes in 2012 when Jens Meyer from Germany was the various age groups come in. Our judge, Candice Hobday judging. In the Open Breed section Nicola Herholds’ Herbush was then joined by Peter Perlee of Stal Perlee in Holland so that Leshem by Legacy Agrando got first place with the judge saying we had a fresh eye to view them. Peter Perlee went on to select it was a well rounded sport horse. the uphill and energetic mover Kellow Sabrina, the foal at foot as the Champion.The Reserve Champion went to Sandero the big The Four Year Old class had Lynda Rabie’s Branic Strangely Grey moving, three year old, tobiano stallion belonging to Jacki Supra. by Sandreo out of a Latano mare take first place; the judge saying she was a beautiful modern type with an excellent way of The variety of dressage blood lines coming through in the horses
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Berghof Eragon (Edward/ Metternich/ Graf Grannus). Photo credit Stafford Robinson
that entered the Loose Movement showed a big jump forward in depth of mare lines being used. Also clearly knowledgeable use of frozen semen as well as local stallions onto locally bred mares is plain to see. Our Free Jumping section had small entries partly because we had already held the main competition in March at Maple Ridge Equestrian Farm’s President Cup; and also the World Cup Qualifier was on at the Dome. However we were still treated to some super jumpers and our judge Arnold Botha was very complimentary on what he saw. Kellow Q-Estelle won the Two year old class with her bold approach going into and through the jumping lane. This filly is by Quintender out of a mare by Cardento/ Branic Bellini D’Or. Again Quintender showed his worth when in the Three year old class, Kellow Quintally out of a Branic Bellini D’Or / Acclaim mare won her class. In the Open Breed section Herbush Leshem by Legacy Agrando got first place. This horse showed a super attitude and promise of being a good sports horse. The Four year old class ended the day on a high for all of 82
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us when two really exceptional and talented horses showed themselves off to the crowd. First to enter the arena was De Bruyn Equine’s Libanon, an imposing bay gelding by Lissabon out of a Pilot/ Romer mare. He lacked experience in the line but learnt quickly and showed scope and flexibility. His attitude was very good in that he was only recently brought up off the farm and had never been in an indoor arena before. When we thought we had seen the best of the day, Berghof Eragon came in. He is a young stallion already licensed by SAWHS and Hannover by Edward (Escudo/ Fabriano) out of a Metternich/ Graf Grannus mare and owned by Stafford Robinson. Released from the lead, he lifted himself into his best showmanship and floated around the arena in trot and canter while being warmed up. Every horse in the holding area had their ears pricked and at full attention. He went down the line barely taking notice of the jumps as he watched the mares in the holding area.The jumps were put up and again he cleared everything, basculing better as the jumps got higher. He was the winner! Nevertheless Arnold Botha said both were to be given a highly commended status because these were the type of horses that we needed to be bred in South Africa.
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Photo credit Investec
By Caroline Malan, The PR Machine
DETERMINATION TO SUCCEED One of the youngest top riders on the circuit, 25 year old Jeanne Engela chats to us about her determination to compete against the best and how she really will stop at nothing. “It’s a lot easier to work hard at something if you love it,” says the Western Cape born athlete. “I wouldn’t be able to identify only one thing that I love most about riding: there’s so much that I love about it. First and foremost, seeing my horses’ faces each day: just being with them and trying to be on their level makes my day. I like that every day is different and every day is a challenge. I love exercising as well as being outdoors, as I sit in an office for 8-9 hours before I get to the stables each day, so it’s really nice to be outdoors for 2-3 hours thereafter as it certainly keeps me sane from the pressures of everyday life.” “I’ve never had a mental coach as I haven’t had a particular situation that I have needed to work through with a coach. When I do need mental coaching I am lucky enough to have my parents or my trainer nearby – all of whom are experienced in the psychology of our sport. My trainer Dominey Alexander has been by my side for 4 years now and has been amazing for my riding. He’s patient and committed to all of his pupils and I am truly grateful for everything he has done for me and my riding.” When asked if she’s ever given up, Jeanne says only once that she can recall, “It was with Vodacom… but I’ll spare you the story! I love to succeed, but for me success is not defined by winning, winning is just a result, the result of everything you strive for in yourself and your horse on a daily basis. What drives me to succeed is fairness to my horse, the opportunity to do my horse proud and the unnegotiable of doing everything possible to give
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my horse the best chance at every fence and make it as easy as possible for both of them. Let me divulge: 1. Fairness- the horse must be fit enough and strong enough to compete. If your horse has been out for whatever reason and you have not had time to prepare for the show, then scratch this one and prepare for the next one. Similarly if your horse needs to rest for whatever reason, rest it rather than masking the problem and continuing to work them. 2. Do your horse proud- ride well. Work on yourself and work on perfecting yourself to see the result in your horse. If your horse is not responding, you are probably not asking the question correctly. 3. Make it easy- maintain a good rhythm and place them well. The reason I put these three points in this order is because generally speaking if you are able to maintain a good rhythm then you should automatically be placing them well without having to adjust and look for your distance, this is however easier said than done. The horse must be well schooled and between your hand leg to be balanced at a jumping canter (350-400m/min) and the rider must respond fast if anything interrupts your rhythm. The above three things are all closely linked and I practice them every single day with my horses in various techniques and training methods.”
Jeanne and Chanel clearing the Nissan panels at the 2016 Nissan Easter Festival. Photo credit Jessica Roll Photography
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Jeanne Engela patting Investec Chanel van de Zeshoek at the Nissan Easter Festival. Photo credit T&B Images
The Investec sponsored athlete says that she’s never felt as if her only option was to give up, “Show Jumping is the greatest leveller. Of course I have gone through ups and downs but never felt as if my only option is to give up. When I am asked to give advice to youngsters wanting to jump in the open grades, I tell them to look for learnings from every situation. Learn from the people around you. Learn from the good, the bad and the ugly. Watch your lesson buddies and learn from them too. Learn from yourself. Listen to your horses and develop your own philosophy of show jumping that you find strength and confidence in, so that at home when you are training alone, you always train with purpose and you are always working on something. Also for the times that you don’t have your trainer at a show, so that you have confidence in your ability to walk the track, warm-up and jump a clear round. Be disciplined. 90% of your result at a show is owed to what happens at home on a daily basis. Always train hard enough at home so that when you get to the show venue you just ride the wave, and if you have been doing the right thing at home then that wave should be a fun one. During your journey to the top- don’t forget where or why you started. Stay grounded and kind to your horse.” Investec Chanel vd Zeshoek and Investec Inferno are Jeanne’s
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two special steeds, “Both of my horses show that they have BMT (Big Match Temperament) by going into the arena focused and listening, and finding another gear at the base of the jumps. Horses deal with the pressure differently, as do people but there are a few things I do to train BMT in my horses. There are confidence building and trust exercises and once again, this happens at home. As a rider, if you have confidence and you trust your horse, then BMT comes naturally and this works in the other direction as well. Riders know they need this but your horse doesn’t know they need it until you give it to them.When I am waiting to go into the arena to jump, I work hard at remaining focused. Excitement and exhilaration generally comes when I am leaving the arena after the first round. I always get a flood of feelings and emotions when I leave the arena after jumping a big class and this might be because I ignore them or place them on hold from when I walk the course, through my warm up and through my round. The way I see it is that there is a job to be done and I need full focus to be able to do it. Of course afterwards it’s fun and looking back my memories of it are happy and fun memories, but that moment as you stand waiting to go into the arena to jump a big class’ is no joke, its game on. If focus is dropped then you spike the chance of something going wrong. I believe that full focus is only fair to your horse.” Working full time as a Business Analyst at Investec Private Bank, Jeanne says she takes her career very seriously, “I drive myself
Jeanne clears a large oxer in her first SA Derby – 2014. Photo credit Kevin Loney
as hard in business as I do in riding. I have clear goals and aspirations and plan to get to where I want to be. I love my job and my company. As with most people, I have my fair set of daily challenges, with time being my biggest one: the race is on from the moment I wake up until I get home. I often feel like I am in the wrong place: like I should be at work when I am riding and at riding when I am at work, so I have to balance it very carefully to keep my mind at ease. Generally speaking my routine works well and both my team at riding and my team at work are very understanding if I need to shift my time because of a priority in either direction, such as training for a World Cup Qualifier or one of my work projects about to go live.”
seems like a better option but eventually I can see the reason why my round didn’t go according to plan and learn from it. My greatest challenge in riding is that I tend to over-think things and it’s getting harder and harder to keep it simple. As I get older and more experienced this becomes more of a challenge. If you watch the young up and coming riders, they aren’t equipped with a full toolbox yet, so they only use what they have got and keep it really simple and are very successful this way. As you acquire more tools for show jumping, you have to be able to choose your tools wisely and not use them all at once.This selection is what I find to be the greatest challenge in my riding at the moment. That and keeping a rhythm.
My family is also extremely important to me – they have pushed me but not in a bad way, they raised me to have a strong work ethic and emphasised the importance of not just doing things, but doing things properly and to never leave a job half finished. These types of values have made me an over achiever and taught me not to settle. I think I am harder on myself now than they are on me. This can be a good thing and a bad thing, but they mostly play a supportive role in my show jumping now and supportive they most certainly are!”
My goals for this year on Investec Chanel would be to win SA Champs – it’s something I have always dreamed of so it will be a goal of mine until the day I do win it. Other than that, I would like to be consistent in the World Cup Qualifiers. With Investec Inferno, my exciting young Belgian warmblood, my goals are for him to jump his first few 1m40 classes by the end of the year.”
Like all athletes, Jeanne has to learn to deal with failure and says that she always tries to remember that “sometimes you win and sometimes you learn. At times beating myself up about it
Jeanne smiles as she recalls what it’s like to win and you can see it in her eyes that there’s plenty more to come from this blonde ambitious athlete, “It’s rewarding and glamorous and simply fabulous! You feel really proud that your hard work has paid off, there’s congratulations all round and it’s absolutely awesome!”
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Delegates listening to Anne-Marie Esslinger
By Pat Pohl
Photos by T&B Images
NATIONAL EQUITATION SEMINAR
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he National Equitation President, Elaine de Verneuil, and her hard working team put together a comprehensive programme for a much needed National Equitation Seminar. The Seminar was held on the 19th & 20th March 2016 at Kyalami Equestrian Park and was well attended by Judges & Coaches from Gauteng along with many delegates who travelled from KZN, The Eastern Cape and Western Cape. The topics raised in the first Session, which was held in the Kyalami Park Clubhouse, were diverse and well presented over the two days with the important link between Coaches and Judges being emphasized by Claire Webb. Rogan Asken had earlier expressed his dismay at stiff, unfeeling riding being rewarded at the expense of the horse’s ability to use its back. However, this was vehemently disputed with both Judges & Coaches expressing the rewarding of “feel”, balance and harmony in the horse/rider partnership as being of paramount importance and to be acknowledged at all times. At the basis of it all is the rider’s control of their own body enabling them to maintain their own dynamic balance independent of their hands and of sitting heavily. Elaine de Verneuil reminded us all of Judge’s Protocol, which is well laid out in the Judge’s Handbook to be found on the SAEQA Website under Judge’s Information.
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On the Sunday, Anne-Marie Esslinger, was the Course Designer of the tracks for the Equitation Classes at the Nissan Easter Festival. With the main emphasis of the Seminar being on judging it proved enormously beneficial, when Anne-Marie proceeded to walk the tracks with all the Delegates. She gave everyone her thoughts on the correct riding of these tracks and then everyone attending watched the competitors along with Anne-Marie and assessed the individual performance of each rider. These group discussions proved to be of immense value to all. The application and interpretation of Equitation Rules was debated at length, along with the emphasis on using the full range of marks, what to look for in the correct riding of a show jumping track and the planning of Tests. Judges were encouraged to reward competitors who display an excellent “feel” and those who are quickly able to assess strange horses in Part 3 achieving a good tune out of them in a harmonious way. On the Sunday evening, Yvonne Bolton gave a brief overview of the Philip Smith Memorial Equitation Championship and expressed everyone’s grateful thanks to Mrs Mary Slack for her ongoing patronage of this unique and popular competition. The top four Prize Winners in the South African Individual Junior Open Equitation Championship each year are invited to participate. To all Junior Equitation Riders to attain an invitation to ride in the
Group of Delegates with Anne-M arie
e Equitation Class ner of the Adult Novic tha. Carly Patten, Win Bo old Arn and llie with Judges, Jenni Wy
Esslinger observing a class.
Philip Smith is seen as the pinnacle of their Equitation career and so many of the riders in both the WAS Supreme and the Philip Smith have gone on to be South Africa’s top Show Jumping and Dressage Riders. A most interesting and fascinating talk was given by Chad Cunningham on his recent trip to the USA and his visit with the legendary George Morris at his home in Wellington, Florida. This awe-inspiring trip has now led to exciting negotiations between SAEQA and the top USA Show Jumper, Chris Kappler, to have him present a Clinic here in South Africa for our top Junior Equitation & Show Jumping riders, Judges & Coaches. This successful and professionally conducted Seminar came to an end with an overview of how we can grow Equitation in the future. A huge thank-you must go to all who worked tirelessly to ensure that the two day Seminar was inspiring, informative and beneficial to all who attended.
Chad Cunningham, Kelly Noone and Danielle van Vuuren.
The National Equitation Committee would also like to express their enormous appreciation to Sports & Recreation South Africa for their invaluable funding and to the Management of Kyalami Park Club for the use of their facilities and for allowing us to host our seminar there, it is truly world class.
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Left to Right: Patrick Blakeway of Tack ‘n Togs, Roberto Rasia, Saddle Maker from Italy, Nicola Sime, Chris van der Merwe, Marlene Sinclair, Simon Burn of Tack ‘n Togs
MAPLE RIDGE EQUESTRIAN FARM HOSTS
THE 2016 ERREPLUS PRESIDENT’S CUP
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By Verity Combrink | Photos by CSW Photography
he first ever President’s Cup was held in the year 2000 at the beautiful Marquis venue in Honeydew, which was sadly unable to continue hosting this show due to unforeseen circumstances. Which meant for two years the event did not feature on the Show Jumping Calendar, until in 2003 Maple Ridge was awarded the honour of hosting this prestigious championship. Maple Ridge Equestrian Farm – set in the Cradle of Humankind, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, is about 50 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg and has now been the ‘home’ of the President’s Cup for the past 14 years. Initially, it was with some trepidation that they began to make plans, which commenced at the time with a wonderful grass arena with a built in water jump. It was here that they presented their first President’s Cup, which turned into a wonderful success with Anne-Marie Esslinger the designated Course
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Designer who set a high tone for the succeeding years. Since those early days the President’s Cup has expanded to include the South African Warmblood Horse Society. This was the brain wave of Tarryn-Anne Combrink, who felt that Maple Ridge needed to introduce classes for the young stock of the Warmbloods, who would surely be the future Champions of our sport. Her vision was enthusiastically endorsed by the SAWHS Society and the local Breeders and as a result Free Jumping and Loose Movement classes were included in 2008. The President’s Cup Young Horse Festival then expanded to such an extent it became necessary for it to be featured the weekend before the President’s Cup. It has now paired up with the first leg of the Young Horse Performance Series being a natural follow on for the young free jumpers classes. A most popular event, it has been increasingly supported by the local Warmblood Breeders and has hosted several
Chris van der Merwe on Kuda’s Domino van de Boswinning with Jean-Michel Turlot, Judge from the Congo and Roberto Rasia, Saddle Maker from Italy
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Chris van der Merwe with the President’s Cup Trophy and Judge Jean-Michel Turlot
esteemed judges from Europe to officiate at the show.
THE PRESIDENT’S CUP HAS NOW GROWN OVER THE YEARS AND INCLUDES 5 NATIONAL TITLES NAMELY:
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PR 1.10m President’s Cup
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Children 1.10m President’s Cup
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Junior 1.30m President’s Cup
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Adult 1.50m President’s Cup
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“Turnierstall Hilmar Meyer” Series for riders between the age of 14 and 21.
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Maple Ridge has also invited some prestigious World Class Course Designers to the President’s Cup most notably, Bob Ellis, who was Course Designer for the 2014 Olympic Games in London. It was with some misgivings that the invitation was initially extended to Bob. However, there was no need for any qualms, as he turned out to be the most charming and accommodating gentleman, who was delighted with Maple Ridge and Africa. So much so, that he returned for the following five years and was instrumental in introducing our SA jumpers to International Courses that are ridden worldwide. It was due to Bob and his influence that Maple Ridge continues to strive for excellence and higher standards all round. It was just five years ago that the Grass Arena was removed and replace with the awesome Martin Collins “Ecotrack” Wax Arena. This Arena is highly approved by the FEI and has been installed all over the world. There have now been five President’s Cup Shows held on this amazing surface. This year it was even more apparent that without this incredible surface, we would have been unable to continue, due to the huge amount of rain we had to deal with at the time of the event.
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Front Row: Rachel Slack, Elaine de Verneuil, Chad Cunningham, Gill Taylor, Kirsty Loots, Anne-Marie Esslinger, Bronwyn Meredith Short, Lisa Williams, Jane Sheppard and Kelly Slater Back Row Zahn Wanda Bosman, Sylvia Dixon, Danielle Lemmer and Daniella Machine.
By Jane Sheppard Photos by T&B Images
THE PHILIP SMITH MEMORIAL EQUITATION CHAMPIONSHIP 2016
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have always considered the Philip Smith Memorial Equitation Championship, along with its predecessor, the Witwatersrand Agricultural Supreme Equitation Championship held at the Rand Show, to be the ultimate test of our Junior Equitation riders. So I was delighted when I was invited to judge the Championship this year. This Championship is only open to the top four riders in the SA Individual Open Equitation Championship held annually at the SA Junior Championships. Just to be one of the riders invited to participate is, in fact, a huge achievement in itself. The first day entails riding a Flatwork Test in a Dressage Arena, on their own horse and is then followed by doing the same test on the other competitor’s horses. This entails that the competitors are quickly able to assess the ‘strange’ horses and achieve a good tune out of them in a harmonious way. The Jumping Phase on the next day follows the same pattern with the competitors only having two minutes to evaluate the other horses. The Jumping Course commences with a Gymnastic which is ridden One Hand and No Stirrups and was followed by a track, kindly designed by International Course Designer, Marco Hesse. All four competitors were a pleasure to judge and had put 94
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enormous thought into their tests with their riding being of an exceptionally high standard. This being the second time Sylvia Dixon had qualified, she possibly had a little edge over the other competitors, whilst Daniella Machine had the misfortune of being eliminated from one round when the horse she was riding left the arena prematurely. Sylvia Dixon was deservedly the winner of this year’s championship with Zahn Wanda Bosman in 2nd place, Danielle Lemmer in 3rd and Daniella Machine in 4th. The organisers put together a wonderful weekend, with the lunch on Saturday a highlight. It was a fitting tribute to have David Stubbs as a guest, in view of the fact that he and Charlotte, his late wife, were instrumental in the inauguration of Equitation in South Africa. In addition, David was directly responsible for obtaining the sponsorship for the Philip Smith after the regrettable demise of the Witwatersrand Agricultural Society. The President of the National Equitation Association, Elaine de Verneuil, summed up the event as follows: “Another successful Philip Smith Memorial Equitation Championship was held on the weekend of the 30th April and 1st May 2016. Equitation, once again extends congratulations to Yvonne Bolton and owes her a debt of gratitude for all
The winner, Sylvia Dixon on Eagle’s Cosi Bay
the hard work she put into this very special class. To the competitors – well done to each and every one of you. It is already an enormous achievement to be invited to ride in the Philip Smith and to Sylvia Dixon – the 2016 Winner – well done! We look forward to following the careers of all the competitors in whatever Disciplines they may compete in the future.” Finally a brief comment from one of the jumping judges, Bronwyn Meredith Short: “It was an honour to judge the Show Jumping section of the Philip Smith Memorial Equitation Championship 2016. I was most impressed with the high standard of ALL the competitors. They proved to be effective, sensitive and correct riders even on strange horses. An event of this calibre, that recognizes young talent in pursuit of excellence certainly bodes well for the future of our sport.”
with her Coach, Kirsty Loots Sylvia Dixon, the Winner on the Podium
It only remains to say a very big thank you to the management of Kyalami Park Club for very graciously allowing this event to be held in conjunction with their FEI WCQ Show. Our sincere appreciation must also be extended to Mrs Mary Slack for her ongoing patronage of this championship and to her daughter, Rachel Slack, for so kindly making herself available for the prize giving. Issue 27 SPORTING HORSE
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FEI CLASSICS™
MICHAEL JUNG MAKES HISTORY AT KENTUCKY Michael Jung
By Kate Green
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he packed crowds at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event (USA), third leg of the FEI Classics™ 2015/2016, roared their approval of Michael Jung’s (GER) back-toback victory on FischerRocana, realising they were in the presence of greatness. The world number one has an unbeaten record at America’s premier venue, having won on all his three visits, which includes the world title back in 2010. “I like this place a lot,” said Jung, smilingly acknowledging the crowd. “The people are very friendly and my horse, Roxie, likes it as well. She is getting better and better. I’m learning all the time from her.” Richard Jeffrey’s Jumping track proved influential and any hopes of applying pressure on Jung evaporated when he was left with four fences in hand to win. He did use up one, when the 11-year-old mare just clipped the second part of the double, but his winning 96
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margin of 13.3 penalties is thought to be the biggest in Kentucky’s CCI4* history. Lauren Kieffer (USA) will surely have done her Olympic selection chances no harm with second place – a repeat of her 2014 result - on another mare,Veronica.This was a rise of four places thanks to achieving the only clear round, albeit with one time penalty, in the top 14. Kieffer won the Land Rover Ride of the Day prize as the US rider nearest the optimum Cross Country time on Landmark’s Monte Carlo but a disastrous five rails down dropped that partnership from seventh to 18th. Phillip Dutton (USA) also plummeted, from second to 13th, with 20 Jumping penalties on Fernhill Fugitive, but he still finished fourth and fifth on Mighty Nice and Fernhill Cubalawn.
Michael Jung
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FINAL RESULTS Michael Jung
1 Michael Jung/FischerRocana FST (GER) 34.4 + 0.8 + 4 = 39.2 2 Lauren Kieffer/Veronica (USA) 43.9 + 7.6 + 1 = 52.5 3 Maya Black/Doesn’t Play Fair (USA) 45.5 + 4.4 + 4 = 53.9 4 Phillip Dutton/Mighty Nice (USA) 45.0 + 4.8 + 8 = 57.8 5 Phillip Dutton/Fernhill Cubalawn (USA) 48.2 + 7.2 + 4 + 59.4 6 Boyd Martin/Blackfoot Mystery (USA) 52.0 + 3.6 + 4= 59.6 7 Sir Mark Todd/NZB Campino (NZL) 43.2 + 13.2 + 4 = 60.4 8 Elisa Wallace/Simply Priceless (USA) 49.8 + 6.8 + 4 = 60.6 9 Buck Davidson/Petite Flower (USA) 46.7 + 7.2 + 8 = 61.9 10 Sinead Halpin/Manoir de Carneville (USA) 47.6 + 8.8 + 8 = 64.4
ABOUT THE WINNER
Maya Black (USA) enjoyed a career best in third place on the spring-heeled Doesn’t Play Fair. The scarcity of clear rounds at the top of the leaderboard meant that four faults was good enough to elevate Boyd Martin (USA) from 10th to sixth on Blackfoot Mystery, Sir Mark Todd from 12th to seventh on NZB Campino and Elisa Wallace from 14th to eighth on Simply Priceless. As attention turns to the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, Jung has now risen to taken the lead in the FEI Classics™ as well as setting himself up for the Rolex Grand Slam. His great horse La Biosthetique Sam is already en route for the famous English venue. “My dream is to win Badminton, of course, but we will have to see what happens,” he said.The rest of the world has been warned. 98
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Michael Jung (GER), 33, is the first rider in history to hold Olympic,World and European titles simultaneously and the first to win five championship titles consecutively, culminating in the European title at Blair Castle (GBR) last year on FischerTakinou. He first came to prominence in 2009, when he won the Luhmühlen CCI4*, the FEI World Cup™ Eventing series final in Strzegom (POL) and an individual European bronze medal in Fontainebleau (FRA), all on La Biosthetique Sam. The pair went on to win the world title in Kentucky (USA) in 2010, double European gold in Luhmühlen in 2011 and double Olympic gold in London (GBR) in 2012. In 2013, they were second at Badminton CCI4*, last year they finished third at Kentucky (USA) and then added the Burghley CCI4* title to their collection. Jung won a second European title, at Malmö (SWE) in 2013 on Halunke, and in 2014 finished second at Luhmühlen and won world team gold and individual silver medals on FisherRocana FST, also the winner of Kentucky in 2015. He lives in Horb, Germany, where his parents, Joachim and Bridgette, own a riding establishment. FischerRocana FST is an 11-year-old mare by Ituango XX out of a Carismo mare, owned by Joachim and Bridgette Jung.
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Fine & Country Equestrian Living is our specialist division dedicated to the marketing and sale of equestrian properties. We combine our local market knowledge and equestrian expertise to deal with any type of equestrian property, from those with stables and paddocks to riding schools and training yards.
For more information on our equestrian department or for a free valuation, please contact: Lindsay Steinhobel +27 (0)84 669 0148 lindsay.s@fineandcountry.com Elizabeth McKenzie +27 (0)71 612 2399 elizabeth@fineandcountry.com
EQUESTRIAN LIVING
Issue 27 SPORTING HORSE
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SPORTING HORSE Issue 27