BACKGROUND<\/p>\n
Historically, Eventing has not been a \u201cfront-line\u201d Equestrian Discipline in the Free State.\u00a0 The primary Disciplines being:<\/p>\n
With Children, Juniors and Adults competing at the highest levels,\u00a0 these Disciplines have been supported by breeders in the area with Warmbloods (most well-known Callaho), Thoroughbreds, Boerperds, Fresian, Appaloosas, Quarter Horses, Saddlers, and Arabians with a number of small emerging Studs supporting cross-breeding from Gypsy, Clydesdale and Irish Draught and Sport Horses.\u00a0 \u201cPonies\u201d are Basotho, small thoroughbreds (from Kimberley), Connemaras (from Clarens)\u00a0 and\u00a0 Welsh cross-breds.<\/p>\n
There is an emerging market for ponies and pony cross-breds particularly with children and juniors competing in Inter-schools however, most elite children are still purchasing from Gauteng or Natal rather than supporting the local pony market.\u00a0 Instruction in horse\/pony care, horse-mastership and formal English riding instruction is still restricted to the main Centres such as Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Parys, Welkom and in a small way Bethlehem with considerable geographical distance between them.<\/p>\n
Eventing has been continually marketed and promoted (for over 10 years) by Di Amour of Shumba Valley Equestrian Center and Guest Farm, Fouriesberg, \u00a0Eastern Free State but has yet been able to gain the support either locally or nationally.\u00a0 The rider community is widely distributed in the Eastern Free State and so transport cost is a continual problem and therefore entries are small to run sponsored shows.\u00a0 Being her own training Center she has a base of young students that have the use of her 80cm, 90cm 1.00m home-built tracks but due to time constraints has not been able to focus on developing a small Eventing \u201cteam\u201d.\u00a0 She has been supported by several National Eventing officials who have visited Shumba Valley (at her own cost) but more by British ex-pats in the area (riders that have settled in South Africa from the UK via Lesotho) and by small riding establishments and private facilities in Clarens (Ashgar), Clocolan (Dr Beeton) and myself and two others in Ladybrand, Eastern Free State.<\/p>\n
150km away there is a well-built training track in Bloemfontein belonging to Mrs Jill Spencer (national SJ Course Builder) who like the owners mentioned above, is a full-time business owner and therefore time course building at the weekends is a big constraint.\u00a0 However she has offered the facility for training and has shown keen interest in attending (and if possible gaining exams) Eventing Course Design Clinics and courses.\u00a0 She attends WEG and UK British Eventing Events every year and is keen to offer her knowledge to the Discipline.<\/p>\n
Jill Spencer, Di Amour and myself at Dipereng Equestrian Services have all committed to setting ourselves up as SHB and Eventing venues at the training and in Di\u2019s case entry levels and above.<\/p>\n
Venues throughout the Free State<\/p>\n
It was unfortunate that with the split of the Free State and Northern Cape that Harties, a well established riding Club near Welkom, was lost to the potential Eventing Community in the Central Free State.\u00a0 Eventing was supported by Bev Williamson who ran regular small Events throughout the year.\u00a0 Other venues are Goldfields Club (also near Welkom) holding small \u201cClub\u201d shows about 3 times a year over a home-built track with a mix of cross-country and show jumps. This is supported by Jo McGowan who has a keen interest in becoming an Eventing Accredited Coach.<\/p>\n
Arena Eventing and Rider Development<\/p>\n
Polo Venues at Oaklands (Van Reenen, Harrismith) and Franschoek (Eastern Free State) both have excellent arenas suitable for Arena Eventing and\/or ShowCross.\u00a0 Liaising through Polo Managers Free State Eventing\/EventingSA\u00a0 has the opportunity to start developing these two venues.\u00a0 Oaklands in particular have stabling facilities, horses for hire and a grandstand as well as hotel and an a la carte restaurant to support big events.\u00a0\u00a0 Being on the Border with Natal most of the riders in the Harrismith area compete in Natal or have children at school in Natal.\u00a0 It would be beneficial to build relations between the Natal venues and Oaklands in order for riders to attend clinics and events during the school holidays and compete on \u201cboth sides\u201d during the year.<\/p>\n
The Arena at Franschoek is well-built and accommodation and holding paddocks are offered at the venue \u2013 however accessibility is an issue and the horses available have been schooled primarily for polo whereas at Oaklands, Polo and Trail Riding.\u00a0 As the Arena is based at PoloAfrica. further discussion needs to take place re development of young riders and improvement in facilities and finding appropriate horses\/ponies for the young children.\u00a0 Di Amour hosted a very successful day at Shumba Valley for the senior Polo riders from PoloAfrica jumping her smaller track whilst gaining exposure to flat work and show jumping experience along the day.\u00a0 This was very successful for everyone concerned and is a development approach that could be nurtured for the future.<\/p>\n
SUMMARY<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n All the above venues have been self-financed by their owners who are business people with focus away from Eventing.\u00a0 None of the above are prepared to put more time, effort or funding into developing facilities for Eventing without support or benefit to themselves, their venue facilities or their Clubs.\u00a0 In other words they want to feel that they have support from their Provincial Equestrian\/Eventing Body and to fit into an overall or National Eventing plan in terms of mentorship and development.\u00a0 None of these individuals have spare time to sit on Committees or to become Officers for Free State Eventing unless they see results, once they are \u201cbought in\u201d to any initiatives they will be prepared to support any cohesive initiatives going forward.<\/p>\n Free State Eventing Chairman and Free State Eventing<\/p>\n HISTORY<\/p>\n I was co-opted to represent Eventing by Zelda Simon in 2013\/14 to assist with the transitional change from the Free State and Northern Cape Horse Society.\u00a0\u00a0 I had trained a young thoroughbred off the Kimberley track, to compete at the Spurwing Horse Trials Event in 2005 and 2006 at pre-novice level.\u00a0 I was assisted by an Advanced Event Rider from the UK who was with me on a year\u2019s contract.\u00a0 It was never my intention to represent the views or needs of the Riding community of the Free State or that this would be a \u201clong term\u201d position!!<\/p>\n To that time my riding career was purely Showing, teaching and horse training and development.\u00a0 I am a Project Manager by profession, gaining certification as a Project Management Professional in 2002, lecturing to Senior and Middle-Management on Project Management best practices and business strategy to the IT Industry.\u00a0 It was only after marrying and moving to the Free State from Gauteng that horses (until then my hobby) became my passion and I founded my company Dipereng Equestrian Services.\u00a0 Since 2005 I have been developing small businesses in the Equestrian industry which includes a small but very successful Riding School that provides riding facilities and lessons to ex-pat and local children from Maseru and Ladybrand and my own fully-operational Stud Farm (comprising 2 stallions in FS) ISH Kilshane Clover and Connemara Ashgar Cruising, 24 brood-mares (Thoroughbreds and ISH) plus riding horses, breeding Irish Sport Horses and Connemara Ponies with thoroughbreds.\u00a0 In 2014 my company Dipereng became a non-profit Organization, setting up the SA Connemara Pony Breed Conservation Program (which involved importing a Class 1 Connemara Stallion from Germany) and recently I have been appointed Program Manager of the Irish Horse Heritage Breed development Program in South Africa by the SA Federation of Horse Breed Societies.\u00a0 All of these businesses\/projects have been self-funded and sponsored by interested individuals and companies.\u00a0 Promotion of the initiatives is done through my company\u2019s website: www.dipereng.co.za<\/a> and my Facebook pages which also supports Free State Eventing and interacts closely with world-wide and local Provincial Eventing pages.<\/p>\n My understanding of interacting and communicating with Stakeholder bases and developing businesses and projects is extensive, however I do not profess to be an Eventer either as a rider or Subject Matter Expert other than horse welfare, horse mastership and riding instruction.\u00a0\u00a0 My career has been to develop organizations, businesses and run Programs and Portfolio of Projects.\u00a0 Having run the Stud for 10 years I also have a good understanding of growing, training and developing Horses and Ponies for particular disciplines! My time, resources and finances are stretched very thin!<\/p>\n Free State Eventing Committee<\/p>\n Having spent the past two years viewing the Introduction of Eventing into the Free State as a Project Program it is now ready to become operational and to be implemented.\u00a0 The Free State needs an Eventing Committee (whether I am to be part of it or not!) to develop and run ESA at a Provincial Level.\u00a0 A number of objectives have been put forward (below) and it is up to the National and Provincial Committee to uphold Eventing rules, regulations and the Constitution of ESA, SAEF and the FEI.\u00a0 None of the below can be implemented by one person alone but needs support from a representative Stakeholder community.<\/p>\n After two years of preparation it is perceived by the Free State Eventing Chairman that these are the urgent items for the agenda which need to be achieved for development to go forward and these are as follows:<\/p>\n If a representative committee cannot be established then the situation as it is will continue.\u00a0 As the geographical distances are so far without support of travel and accommodation expenses, each individual SHB\/Venue will continue to run their own informal small shows jumping poorly-constructed jumps in a dangerous environment with unfit ponies\/horses, in poor-fitting tack with children and adults riding in inappropriate clothing without proper equipment which is the current majority \u201cfarm rider\u201d culture in the Free State.\u00a0 As individuals who know better and understand the necessity for regulatory requirements it means that horses\/ponies bred for Multi-discipline riders have to be trained and sold to other Provinces and horses and riders will continue to compete and represent other Provinces.\u00a0\u00a0 Ironic that the Connemara Pony and Irish Sport Horses world-renowned as Eventing\/Multi-discipline horses originate primarily in the Free State but there is no market for their integration!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/strong>IN CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n The groundwork for introducing Eventing as an Equestrian Discipline into the Free State is completed.\u00a0 What work is needed to successfully introduce, market and sponsor it has been identified and Stakeholders approached with considerable, positive \u201cbuy-in\u201d response to the ideas put forward throughout the Free State.\u00a0 What resources are needed, when it is going to be implemented and how much it is going to cost, has yet to be established although a general estimate has been submitted as part of the Provincial budget.<\/p>\n My thanks to the Subject Matter Experts and Provincial Chairmen with supporting my efforts over the past couple of years and look forward to seeing Eventing grow nationally and more importantly here in the Free State in the future.\u00a0 My thanks to Richard Beck, Charles du Sautoy, Priscilla Young, \u00a0Linda Philo, Kate Peskens and Annie Smit for their support of Free State Eventing.\u00a0 Although we have at times, experienced a somewhat volatile relationship with some of my more radical ideas throughout the past couple of years, believe we have gained a healthy respect \u00a0for each other and wish you all every success for the future.<\/p>\n Zena Penfold<\/p>\n Free State Eventing Chairman<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BACKGROUND Historically, Eventing has not been a \u201cfront-line\u201d Equestrian Discipline in the Free State.\u00a0 The primary Disciplines being: Endurance (culminating in the Annual Fouriesmith National Event) Dressage Show-jumping Saddle-seat Tent Pegging and Gymkhana Inter-schools (SANESA) With Children, Juniors and Adults competing at the highest levels,\u00a0 these Disciplines have been supported 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