Introductions.

[Martin Coetzee]

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

[Chelsea]

Hi there Everyone... My Name is Chelsea and horses are my life!!! I don't know what I would do without them!!! I have two horses of my own, Just Paddy is a chestnut with a blaze and my other horse, Mystic Knight is a dark bay with no markings. My mom has one horse, Bohemian Rhapsody is a chestnut. They are all Thoroughbreds and all such sweetie pies!!! Just Paddy does mostly Show-Jumping and Equitation and abit of Dressage and Mystic Knight does abit of everything and also loves his jumping!!! Rhapsody, my moms horse, does awsome dressage and abit of showing. I have been riding ever since I was able to be put on a horse and led around. I have been off riding for over 2 months now due to a bad fall that my horse and I had a while ago at a jumping show, can't wait till I can start riding again, another 3 weeks!! ;-( But, unfortunately falling comes with horse-riding and this had to happen sometime or the other, but the main thing is that my horse didn't get hurt and understands totally why I am not able to ride him. We own 2 german shephards, one sausage dog, and a new rotwieler puppy that is still nameless, so anyone with ideas, please help!!! He needs a name!!! I live in Plett on a smallholding, and ..... ummmmmmm....... what else is there to tell about me.....?? I have lessons with Debbie, she is such a great teacher!!!! ;-) and thats about it from me...

[Charlene]

Hi My Name is Charlene. Since I can remember I loved horses and never had much lessons just riding whenever I can. Studied Agriculture at Elsenburg then worked on a greenhouse farm for 3 years went to England for a year and a half and finally at 25 decided that horses is what I wanted to do, So I did a field guide course at Jana's parents and they needed someone to help with the horses jippeee for me. I worked for them for about 7 months when I got my current job. Stud Manager at Calcrete Quarterhorse Stud. I look after 51 one beautiful horses we have about 10 breeding mares. Had a great flock of foals 9 fillys and 1 colt. Currently I am backing and schooling youngsters for our production sale in November. We are also going to start showing western which I am really looking foward too. I can't imagine never working with horses, its just the most rewarding thing to do,

[Vicci de la Harpe]

Hi everyone! I'm 20, and I've been horsey ever since I can remember - my dad imprinted me by putting me on a horse before I could walk! :)

Sadly I've never had my own horse, but I've gained so much because of this that I won't complain! I learned about tack because I would pay for lessons by cleaning it; I learned about grooming because I would go out to the KZN Wildlife Parks and groom their horses to quench my thirst for them; I've read too many horse-care and how-to books to keep track of; I've learned how to deal with the horses that nobody wants to ride (because they're "mean" or "crazy") because I'd grab (and still do grab!) any opportunity to ride or be with horses! Because of this last point I've become very interested in horse psychology and spend most of my horsey time doing ground-work that involves Parelli and Join Up...

I plan to do diploma courses with Lingfield Correspondence (UK), or SANEF in horse care, stable management, etc and to get into the natural horse-training world! Ultimately I aim to open my own livery/training yard where I will teach natural horsemanship techniques and work with so-called 'problem' horses...

If anyone knows anybody who needs somebody to help them out in East London from 2009 onwards, please let me know!

[Angie]

Hey! i started riding when i was about 11/12 years old. Went out riding with my best friend and the rest is history really. over the years i collected all different types of personalities. first was my old lady Gracie, who was 28 years old when i got her, bless her soul she was a sweet old girl, next came sky( little welshie) lovely little thing but a typical moody mare, then came silver a rescue pony desperate needing a home, took me four hours to catch the little bugger but since then he has become the best little riding pony i could ever have asked for, rambo was given to me and had a realy bad reputation, i soon found out why he bucked me off the second i asked him to trot, but he soon came round to being normal!!!!!!! Willis is my dear old tb who was dumped on me by a woman who wanted him put down and i didnt have the heart to put down 2 healthy horses(oh did i forget to mention the dear old lady Mona) she too was dumped on me, so there i was feeding too old people! King is my darling boy that my mum bought for me not knowing a thing about him but simply bought him because he was cute! he is my baby and i love him loads! would like to event with him but am having difficulty so we will see about the dressage and perhaps only jump him! After king came Raffiki otherwise known as Racheekals! he is a darling and will keep me smiling all day as he is just so ful of character! i also have two livery horses, max who is a boereperd cross youngster who needs ALOT of work and the other is Bambi who belongs to Kat Hemmis. lovely lovely mare!
without the above mentioned horses my life would not be nearly as entertaining and i would have loads of spare time on my hands! but wouldnt swop them for the world!
i have been riding with Debbie and Claire for quite some time but only now am i having regular lessons, they are yet to make a dressage rider of me! I love to hack and enjoy a good gallop about so controlled riding is what i need! I will soon be out there competing! so watch this space lol

[Suzanne]

Hi all! Glad to meet you! I'm Suzanne, and I've been a horse owner for 31 years. For the first 15 of those years I boarded my horse in Dallas, where I was born and raised. Then, in 1992 my husband and I moved here to Indiana. We have 24 acres about 5 miles southeast of Warsaw. So, now I am able to keep my horses at home - something I'd always dreamed about.

I now have two horses, VS Golden Desperado, aka, Indy, a 10 year old chocolate palomino Morgan gelding, and Ami, a bay 17 year old Quarter Horse/pony mix. Also have quite a few barn cats!

I've done just about everything over the years - dressage, Competitive Trail, pleasure trail, parades, you name it. I never competed in dressage, I took lessons because I think dressage is the best training for both horse and rider, no matter what your ultimate goals are.

Trail riding was always my first love, and that's what I mostly do these days. Indy was totally green when I got him in '02, so we've just come along slowly together. Indy is so much fun to be around, whether training from the ground or saddle, grooming or just hanging out.

We just wanna have fun. ;o)

[Melody]

Hey i am 18 years old finished school last year. I lived in clanwilliam on a farm all my life and i am half afrikaans. Now i have moved to cape town to work and study and i hate it because i hardly ever see my horses.

I have 2 horses a 11year and a 4 year old. The 11 year one's name is Sky Dancer she is my everything, friend and everything that i could ask for, we do small shows but just for fun more just a PLEASURE ridding horse. My other one Casey is a nice loving horse have only started training her i hardly get time because they are both still in Clanwilliam i can't aford to bring anyone of them down. Miss them alot! But would love to one day do dressage. Casey is what i think would make a nice dressage horse.
I have too sell her now because my mom says that i am wasting her she is to far away from me so unluckly i have to let go of her.

Other than that i would love too find some horsey friend around cape town this place is like hard too make the right friends.

[Enzo]

Howdy! Just a bit about me. I rode as a kid for 2 years when I was about 14, gave up horse riding for 15 years and the bug bit me 6 years ago, have not looked a day back since then. I have 2 horses and a pony. Zeus is my bomb proof go anywhere hacking horse, Bingo on the other hand is going to be by competition horse, plan to do western riding with him. Spirit I bought as a companion for Zeus. My horses live with me on a plot on the outskirts of Joburg. Have attended numerous clinics at Cowboy School AKA Diamond-X and now am busy with a distance-learning horsemanship programme through Institute of Horsemanship.

[Debbie]

Hi Everyone!

We started off with horses during 1997. Our very first horse was from the KZN Horse Rescue Unit.

We now have two horses that I keep at a yard in Cape Town. A TB gelding and a Lipizzaner X gelding.

The TB is tired now. So he is not ridden very much anymore, my daughter takes him for little walks every so often, and the rest of the time he rests and gets spoiled rotten.

I bought the Lipi in PE. I was told that he is schooled, but wasn’t in work at all for about a year, so I wasn’t very sure of exactly what I was buying. But he was so good looking! I know you don’t buy a horse for his looks, but I just couldn’t resist this guy!

He had no name, so I couldn’t follow anything that he might have done in the past. I named him Kalilah. Roughly translated it means ‘beloved’. And he has proven to be just that, my beloved, gentle and kind horse.

I had to leave him in PE for a while because of AHS, so he has been home for about 2 months now. My daughter rides him, has lessons on him and the very first (training) show they went to together, they came home with 3 rosettes! A first place and two places. I was thrilled to bits. He obviously has had schooling. Today they did some jumping in their lesson, and he can jump too! So, with the help of our Fabulous instructor, they should do very well together.

[Jenna* Roll Right Up*]

Hey ya'll!
I'm jenna and WOW i just read neally all of these comments! :) i'm 14 years old, i live in knysna in Simola Golf and Country Estate where i keep my horse "Have A Go Navahoe" right below my house in Harmony Stables... I have a thoroughbred called "Roll Right Up" who i ride during the week in P.E cuz i board at Woodridge Colledge. My dad was a very good show jumper back in his day and all the girls in my family ride too! My dad has bred a herd of skewbals in the Katberg mountains, they run TOTTALY free and it snows there!!! Me and my dad had to bring the herd into our stable yard in Katberg because of a drought, the foals werent doing too well. Anyway so thats where i got Navahoe, and if u think he is pretty u should have seen "Sudam Le Sain" the stallion of the herd! WOW he is AMAZING! We backed him and he can jump 2 m!!! I have a special bond with every 1 of those horses in that herd...

Our 4 main mares are allways carrying foals and they turn out big and strong! My life has got horses in it all the time! When i do sport its mostly Horse ridding, When i do projects they mostly on horses or the body of the horse ect., when i read i read monty roberts, when i shop its at horse ect or Hack and Tack for jods, boots and acsesories and when im on the computer im on lets talk horse:) so horses are my 24/7 and i love it! it brings me down to earth!

Thats me:) Jenna Kaschula***