Kirsten Armitage brings holistic thinking to her activities

The riding instructor, Ms Kirsten Armitage, had the honour of giving birth to the fifth generation of Armitages in the Standerton district.

Alistair who farms alongside her husband, David on Weyden Farm, and Claire, who teaches in Bloemfontein, are the offspring.

Kirsten, a girl from Johannesburg, was grounded in her formative years at a Waldorf School, institutions based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy.

“It strives to develop learners’ intellectual, artistic, and practical skills in an integrated and holistic manner,” she contributed.

“We did sewing, painting and woodwork, even the girls as well.”

It was onto the University of the Witwatersrand after school for a BA in History of Art, followed by a qualification in Industrial Sociology.

She met David at a horse and carriage-driving event in 1990 and set foot in Standerton in 1992, becoming part of a close-knit farming community.

Enters horse riding, competitions and teaching.

Both the children competed in show-riding and obtained provincial, testifying to their skills and Alistair also excels in polo-cross, with a junior Protea-jacket in his cupboard.

Kirsten now teaches about 15 children on the farm.

“I haven’t entered competitions for the past two years,” she said.

She is a showing judge and was chairman of the South African Equestrian Federation for a period of 10 years and first in line, will be a competition in Badplaas this year.

The Armitages farm with cattle, pigs and crops and Kirsten attempted to grow spinach this winter.

She has her own vegetable garden and fresh produce is the mainstay of the family.

Kirsten used to have chickens and at one stage, Polish Bantams were to be fed.

She believes in applying a system of complementary medicine called homeopathy, where ailments are treated by minute doses of natural substances that in larger amounts would produce symptoms of the ailment.

From the everyday to the exotic, travelling is not be sneezed at, especially the art and architecture to be seen at foreign destinations.

Come to think of it, reading matter dovetails with her interests and historical novels and biographies fall to her taste.

Kirsten also enjoys the novels of crime authors such as Kathy Rice and Patricia Cornwall and as for music, contemporary rock ballads are the way to go.

Come Christmas, a big family get-together with at least 25 people will sit down to a traditional dinner on Christmas Eve.

“I am a morning-person,” this woman said who made it for an 11am appointment.