Introductions.

[Martin Coetzee]

Maybe everyone here must introduce themselves and tell us a little more about themselves and their horses.

[Debbie Marshall]

Brilliant idea Martin. Thank you. Will you start?

[Alex]

Hi everyone! I am 33 years old and have 3 horses, 2 children and a husband. I live in George and have been here and around the Garden Route since I was 16. I started riding when I was 12 on the shetland ponies at the Joburg zoo where I got hooked. My children are both boys and are 6 and 8 yrs old, so far neither of them have shown a great interest in riding which suits me as my riding time can be my time out.
I have a welsh pony who is 15 and I lease him out to a family with horse mad little girls! I also have a 2 1/2 yr old Appaloosa X Arab filly whose photos are on this site and she is for sale.
My special boys' name is Bobby ( Royal Game Astronomer). He is a 9yr old S. A. Warmblood bred by Debbie and Claire Marshall. If it wasn't for his riders' limitations, he would probably be doing Grand Prix dressage by now, but you all know how it goes!!! He puts up with all my nonsense and is my best friend.
With 2 small children, my 'horsey time' is limited, but I also find time to do a bit of teaching, mainly just dressage lessons although I love helping with young horses off the track as well - very rewarding!

[Debbie Marshall]

Thanks Alex for getting the ball rolling!

[Tamasine Smith]

Hi Everyone,

I am Tamasine and have been involved with horses for over 20 years. I started very conventionally jumping, hunter trials, XC events, dressage and so on. I also at one stage (with a partner) had a number TB's to look after for point to pointing! After changing from English style riding I took up Western riding and started competing in pleasure, trail, versatility, versatile horse, cattle work and other activities while still taking part in various English style classes. After some set backs with a number of young horses and searching for something different by way of a better way of training horses I discovered Natural Horsemanship and so started a new journey.

At this time my (now husband) and I moved to RSA from the UK which was around 8 years ago. I continued my studies but could find no consistent and reliable help in South Africa. I decided to go looking and discovered Silversand Horsemanship. This discovery took me to Australia to a young horse starting course and on to become an Associate Instructor for them in RSA. I return regularly to study in Australia and Europe as well as organising courses and clinics around South Africa. I also bring overseas trainers and colleagues to teach here including teachers in related disciplines in order to help students understand more about horsemanship, horse psychology and equine learning theory. I offer a support group called the Comfort Zone for students studying Silversand writing articles, giving e-mail support and producing newsletters and study DVD's. NHZA is based in Robertson and is currently the home of Silversand South Africa. We started up almost 4 years ago and hopefully we are helping to bring a different understanding to people about horses and how to work with them. There is nothing more satisfying than helping a horse and human build a partnership together and this is even more rewarding when the relationship seemed like it would never happen due to the usual problems that people run into when trying to understand their horse. Putting horse and human back together after a breakdown in their communications and helping them go forward together is one of my favourite things.

I have 10 horses of my own including 2 Paints that I bred over the last year and take horses for training and re-training, starting and handling as well as giving lessons and clinics. This kind of horsemanship is a "method of training" and is applied to all riding disciplines so I use it in jumping, dressage, western riding, outriding and so on and all types of riders come to study - from carriage drivers to endurance and dressage to fun riders. I feel very fortunate to have my passion and my hobby as my job. More can be found on www.nhza.com and www.silversand.com.au.

[Ash]

Hi all.
I live on a farm about 50 klms outside Plettenberg bay, where we breed S.A Sport horses and warmbloods. We currently own 22 horses and have six Warmblood mares in foal. Out of our 22 horses, 2 of them are shire quarter t.b which are both mares. We have a Percheron x Shire stallion who is just so divine and a T.Bx Shire stallion who is huge and makes the most stunning babies! we cross breed with Nooitgedacht, arab and T.B. our aim is to breed large x breeds (16 hands high)
If there is any one out there who is a capable rider and is younger than 14 i have a top sport pony for sale or am looking for some one to ride him. He is 14.2 hands high and is a legend! i need a competitive rider who is willing to take that risk in the jump off as that is what Bronze thrives on! his daughter is also evadable. she is a amazing little girl with huge amount of potential.
I have just bought a Warmblood gelding for myself as my jnr horse, and he is a real sweety, but i am still looking for a x-country horse so if any one knows of one out there.
i am 16 now and am planing on going A grade in show jumping and competing in the higher grades in x-country. i am not so interested in dressage but it is important in the training of your horse.
i love riding and some times ride up to ten horses a day. my fav thing to do on a horse is to go swimming, i also love galloping!
i started riding since i was in my moms tummy and when i turned 5 my mom leased me a little white welsh pony, who i rode all day long bar back and in a halter.
i love horses and all the rest of the animals you get, except ostriches! i don like em, their nasty things!
i also love playstation.

[Jana]

Hi all! I'm 26 and married to Francois, 29 and have a boy, Wynand of 18 months. The next boy(Ruben) is on his way and due to make his arrival on 16 Sept. We live outside Riversdale on the way to Ladismith (western cape) on a Little Karoo farm which belongs to my dad. He does Nature/Field Guide training and has a Training College here on the farm, we also train Equestrain Nature Guides. Myself and my husband are both big horse lovers, he grew up with Welsh Ponies and then went over to horses as he got to big for them. I started riding lessons in subA (living in Kruger Park) and then when we moved to the city it was to expensive for me to continue. So I always took the change to go for a ride when and where ever I could find a horse! When I was in grade 11, I went on a commando ride in Malmesbury with friends, riding one of their horses. The whole group was going for a canter and my horse must of tripped or stepped into a hole, but all I could remember was that we came down very hard and she fell on top of me. After the fall I couldn't get up and they had to take me to the hospital. It turned out that I tore my one kidney with the fall. So I was in hospital for two weeks and of riding for a long time. Till I met my boyfriend of that time(about 2 years later) and he also had horses. I started riding again slowly. Had a bad fall again and lost all my confidence. So I stopped riding until I got a job about 4 years ago as a Nature Guide and I suddenly had to start again, because there was no one else to take the toutrists on rides.

When my dad got the farm I took my change and got myself a horse from the farm next door. He was a thoughrough bred cross saddler, or so they said, and about 17hh. Way to big and scary for me. A friend sold him to someone in Cape Town, and apparently the girl is jumping with him and doing good, his name is Hunters Moon. I'm still very nervous and not yet as confident as I was, but slowly but surely I'm getting there!

So the horse bug bit my mom to, she does not really ride, but just loves them. In the past few years we've bought a lot of horses and sold a lot to that were totally wrong for us, or just could not refuse an offer. About 3 years ago we startes breeding wioth SA Boerperde which is our main horse bussiness at the moment. Then my mom has a few arab she also breed with. All together we have about 32 horses. My husband and myself are also starting to breed with the SA Boeperde, but we only breed black, or try to! My hubby also starts young horses and usually people bring problem horses to him for training.
We also do trail rides on the farm and have a Lodge/Guest House that I run where our guests can overnight. I am looking forward to start riding again, hopefully by November, so that I can compete in our show in Riversdale in Feb. 09. It is our provincial show for the SA Boerperde and quite a big one too. Go have a look at their website at www.saboerperd.co.za

[Hannie Claassens]

Hi I'm Hannie.I grew up in Upigton. We had a farm in the Kalahari. I am 16 and I am currently one of Angie Bevan students. I had my own pure blood Arab mare but she died of horse sickness. She had a rather specialty in jumping and because in her bloodline she has a advantage in long distance run without getting tired. I love jumping better then dressage and don't ask why I don't even know. I love and adore all animals but horses are my specialty. I come from a bloodline of horse breeders and people that did horse shows. Thanks to my dad that was a horse breeder he gives me old methods on how to treat and how to handle horses when they are out of character.

Here is a funny story: My grandfather {in the terrible draught} had to move his animals around constanly for food and water. One day one of his horses got sick and he didn't know what to do. Just by a thought he gave it a bottle of brandy. By the next morning the horse was cured!! There the horse stood looking healthy! Now I am still stund who would of thought that a bottle of brandy can cure a sick horse

[Flea]

Hi I live in Pretoria on a smallholding approx 22.3hrs, with my two little girls and husband. I have 8 horses of which 6 are mine, 4 dogs twocats rabbits, guinea pigs, geese and other birds. I work as a cash book clerk in town,so you can guess that my poor beetle's engine really takes a knock because in and out it's 70ks a day. I have been riding on and off most of my life, and am contemplating now having "live out' liveries just to get more life here. My two favourite horses out of the 6 is Flea and Que. (my real name is Kathy :) I love my reality shows and horror movies, and I love Freinds (I have the whole collection) Music wise its the Beatles (no pun intended)

Flea is 24 this year and he is a Dark Bay TB. Sagi is 10 and he's achestnut, with a nice nature just green and really attached to Flea. Blondie and Gemini are two ponies of unknown origin that are really just pets here as they are both blind in one eye. Blitz is a boerperd type, that we bought for the kids, as he's great with them.
Then there are my two boarders Fireworks a 27yr old saddler x and Flicka a tbx yearling. My biggest problem is I get attached to all of them. Thats me. Pretty boring

[Nevenka van Niekerk]

Hi, I am Nevenka. I live in George and I have been riding since the age of 9. That makes it 23 years of riding. When I turned 10 (after a year of riding lessons), mom and dad bought me my first pony, Nonnie. She was the best pony any child could wish for. She was only 3 and I had to back her. She was brilliant. When I moved onto horses, she taught numerous children to ride. She had so much patience with the kids and she was legendary. Unfortunately she developed Cushings Disease and had to be retired and I had to put her down 6 years ago due to a ruptured gut. I was heartbroken to say goodbye to my old friend. My big boy is a Blood Bay TB gelding. I think he is absolutely gorgeous and he is the apple of my eye. He excels at showing (Show Hack) and is elementary dressage at present. He was a rescue case from Cape Town. But he is now happy as Larry. He was registered on the track as Bold Winner, but is Flynn to his friends. My baby is a 15month old SA Sporthorse - Allegra which means happy in Italian. She is lovely and very affectionate. We can just see what the future will hold and what she will turn a hoof to. I am hoping that with the Lippizaner line she has that it will be dressage, but if she wants to jump, thats it - jumping it will be. I live with my husband of 18 months and my cat Mr Kitty Miaauwington. My husband is not a horse lover, but cares for them and takes me to shows and is always there with the video camera, but not keen to ride. I don't complain as long as he supports my riding and can listen to me for hours carry on about them, I am happy.

[Karen]

I've just turned 40 and am divorced with a daughter of 12. We live on a 17h farm in the Crags, Plettenberg Bay, with our animal family. My own 2 horses, another 2 who belong to a friend, 5 cats, 5 dogs, 3 mice, 2 snakes, and lots of chickens! I've recently added my story to my page so I won't repeat it all here. I work at the Horse & Hound Vet Shop in Plett, so I'm in my element, get to talk about horses and dogs all day!

[LLT]

Hey all! I'm Kelly but I use LLT or luvlaratreun as a nickname on most forums. I'm a Cape Town girl, born and bred. I've been riding since the tender age of er...well I've had lessons since I was 9. I can't afford to keep or lease a horse, so I exercise other people's horses for them.

At the moment I'm working three horses. Flamboyant Charlie, a 15hh 16 year old TB gelding. He is the horse jumping in my profile picture. Beautiful boy who loves showing off and acts and looks like a four year old.
Next is Comme Il Faut, a 17hh 14 year old bay TB. He is stable mates with Charlie and is frankly a big teddybear. Along with that, he can be a big baby. He is only a hack due to old injuries, but wow what a handsome chap.
Last but not least is Rannoch, 5 year old dark bay Warmblood. I've been given this awesome opportunity to ride him by his loving mommy. He is an absolute star and a very different ride from my fiesty TB's!

[Laura]

Ello. I have been riding since i was about 5. Unfortunatly couldnt afford formal lessons so i used to groom, muck out feed.... etc.... at yards to earn rides. I used to be quite the cowgirl but have settled down and now enjoy show jumping and dressage.

2 years ago i completed the SANEF stable management course as well as the pony club "B'' exam. Both have really helped with overall knowledge of horses.

I have 1 horse (War smoke) and a pony called Jazzy. Both are absolutly amazing. Smokes is my soul mate and best friend, Jazzy is the little madam of the property.
The we have Melindi as a livery, she is a chestnut saddler mare.

We have one chicken, various guineafowl, fish, one cat and one dog. I currently give riding lessons and work part time at a vet practise.