Local riders excel at Sanesa
It was a treat to watch the horse and rider combinations as they flew over complicated and testing jumps, or executed well-practiced moves in the dressage arena.
“Riding is a partnership. The horse lends you his strength, speed and grace, which are greater then yours. For your part, you give him guidance, intelligence and understanding which are greater then his. Together you can achieve a richness that neither can alone.”
These famous words of author Lucy Rees rang true at the first leg of the Mpumalanga Equestrian Schools’ League (Sanesa).
The show started with the equitation classes and wannabe champions showed they might just have what it takes to get to the top as they were either led around the course by an instructor, or bravely cantered around doing it on their own in the higher grades. Once the graded classes started the heat was on, with serious riders pulling out all the stops for that coveted red rosette.
In the lead-rein equitation classes it was Ayla Willemse from Laerskool Laeveld on her black pony Midnight Moon, all dressed in pink, who stole the judge’s heart and walked away with first place.
Jacomie van den Berg (Curro Nelspruit High School) riding her new horse, Eye Candy, rode an impeccable riding test and was the obvious winner in a large and strong class. This combination has really grown in the past few months and the trust between them is obvious. Aniska Smit, also from Curro, had a fantastic show and was in all the line-ups in all her classes with both her horses. Mieke Slabbert (NHS) riding Keeversfontein Bandolier had a great first Sanesa show and won several of her classes including dressage and working riding.
Sanesa is a vibrant and dynamic organisation, acknowledged by the South African Equestrian Federation (SAEF) and Sascoc, and has dedicated itself to promoting all forms of equestrian sport within the South Africa’s schools’ community.
Sanesa has 15 diverse equestrian competition disciplines. Each province in South Africa has representation and some provinces are also broken up into regions. Every province/region holds up to four multi-discipline competitions in the first seven months of the year. The eight riders with the most accumulated points in each discipline go forward to represent their province at the annual Sanesa National Championships during September and October.
