Allied Equine

Since our trip to South Africa in early 2007, we cannot seem to shake the urge to turn around and go back to a country and people that we found incredibly friendly and hospitable. Now of course most people realise the problems South Africa is trying to overcome in it’s bit to build a democratic and stable society. And the problems are very real, from mass poverty, crime, unemployment, and the gap between rich and poor. However, not once did we ever feel unsafe or in the wrong place, and we carried on our daily lives just like we would in Australia, albeit with a touch more awareness in everyting we did, from doing our shopping at the mall on a Monday morning, to fueling up the car at a service station.

One can be forgiven for being intimidated when arriving in Africa for the first time. We had travelled around Africa once before, so we were prepared for what lay ahead, but we were on holidays then, and not living in South Africa. Johannesburg is considered by many to be one of the most dangerous cities in the world, and yes, you do not walk alone in the CBD, if at all. Many of the surrounding suburbs hold a plethora of jewels however, and we uncovered a few whilst we carried on our everyday business working and training at the Cellehof Equestrian Stud, in the Blue Hill area of Kyalami, approximately 30km from the CBD.

The equestrian community in South Africa is incredibly bouyant, and I was told that the highest density of horses anywhere in the world is in Guateng province, essentially Johanesburg, Pretoria and surrounds. It’s not entirely suprising that South Africa has such a rich equestrian history, considering the mix of cultures including early settlers from Germany, Holland, and the UK.

Cellhof Stud is run by husband and wife team Dominey and Karen Alexander. They specialise in breeding, training and competing dressage and showjumping horses, predominantly of imported bloodlines from Germany and Holland. For the uninitiated, arriving from Europe or Australia can be an eye opener in a yard such as this. Each groom is assigned 6 horses, and they are responsible for feeding, grooming and stabling. Cellehof hires between 10 and 30 staff at anyone time, including housemaids, gardeners, grooms, and maintanence staff.

We had a fantastic time working with all these guys, even if it was a little foreign to have everything done for us, from polishing our boots in the morning, to cleaning and grooming after work.

The strength of competition and the number of shows on any one weekend surpasses that of Australia, and the sheer number of competitors in all disciplines ensures all competitions are well attended. We were extremely suprised at the quality of horses and riding in South Africa, but can be explained by the great number of imported horses in the country, as well as regular training and competition visits to Europe by many of the top riders.

One of the unique breeds competed by many in South Africa is the Namibian Warmblood. They are a hardy type, and have an old fashioned build, and they need to be. Most of the youngsters are set free to roam in the wild on many of the private games parks. Of course this would be fine, except that they have to not only fend for themselved for food and water, but dodge lions and jackals. Some don’t make it, but the ones that do are certainly tough.

We’ll certainly return to Africa when we can.  The people, landscape, atmosphere and dynamics of the place are like no where else on the planet.