The thundering sound of hooves fills the air. A horse charges down the field. The steed’s rider is armed with a sword, his sights set on a small white object.
He suddenly leans to the side and stabs. He pierces the piece of polystyrene and holds it up for judges to see. Admiring spectators clap, as the judges nod their heads in admiration.
A staggering 140 riders are currently participating in the annual inter-provincial tent pegging championships. The riders and their noble steeds hail from the nine provinces across South Africa. Their mission is a simple one, to prove they are the best and to ensure their province comes out on top.
The event started on Monday, October 1, and ends on Friday, October 5. “This is an annual event and it is a senior competition, meaning it is only for riders 18 and over,” explains Roland Collyer, chairperson of the KZN Equestrian Club.
Collyer explains the event is held at a different location every year, with the honours falling into Newcastle’s favour this year. “Next year, the event will be held in the Eastern Cape.”
During the week, the equestrians will need to face a serious of challenges. They will be judged according to how they perform, their horses perform and how the rider and the horse work together.
“There will be 10 items they have to take part in over three days,” explains Collyer.
This includes section lance, section sword, Indian File lance and Indian file sword.
While the event officially began on n Monday, October 1, a prize giving was held that same evening at Ferrum High School. The prize giving sees the best performing riders rewarded for their riding abilities.
In the Interprovincial division, North West clinched first place in the section lance. This is thanks to its team, Annas van Graan, Stian van Graan, Conrad van Rooyen, Riaan Lotter and Morne van Rooyen’s excellent horsemanship.
The Northern Cape took second place, closely followed by the Free State team in third place.
The win for the section sword division goes to the Northern Cape team, which is made up of Maartin Grobbelaar Snr, Basie Nel, Andre van Niekerk and Maartin Grobbelaar Jnr.
North West took second place in the division, followed by the Western Cape in third place.
Gauteng dominated the Indian File Division. The team, Gert van Wyk, Suritha Venter, Paige Kelly, Glennyth Meyer and Chris Liebenberg performed exceptionally well.
KwaZulu-Natal secured second place, with Mpumalanga in third place.
In the Indian file section, Mpumalanga rose to victory. Its team consists of Norman Mostert, Lukas Swanepoel, Janine Prinsloo, Marco Breytenbach and Mlali Mtebe.
Northern Cape and Western Cape took second and third place respectively.
In the Interprovincial Merits division, Free State took first place. Ananje Schutte, Hesmarie Buys, Roslyn Strydom and Carla-Lee Greyling proved to be a force to be recking with. The Eastern Cape follows in second place and the Northern Cape claims the third place.
For the sword division, Free State continued its winning streak by taking another first place. The Eastern Cape and Northern Cape followed in second and third place respectively.
In the Indian File Lance section, Free States clinched first place yet again, with the Eastern Cape in second place and Western Cape in the third position.
Eastern Cape took first place in the Indian File Sword section. Jacolien Brits, Pye Cloete, Lize Engelbrecht, Charlize Venter and Cathy Brits of the team performed exceptionally well. The second and third place went to the Free State and KZN respectively.
The John Coetzee Floating Trophy went to the Free State team, for the best section. The Tony Blackwood Memorial Shield for best improvement went to the North West team.
The Taylor Gymkhana Floating Trophy goes to Northern Cape, while Free State takes the Dordrecht Club Floating trophy Victrix Ludorum.
The John Coetzee award for Best Ladies At Arms went to Hesmarie Buys, while the Wilkinson Sword Cape Show Best Man at Arms award, went to Base Nel.
Well done to all the teams who secured provincial pride for their teams. On Friday, October 5, the South African teams are going to be selected.
Be sure to check out the equestrians riding their magnificent horses at the Newcastle Show Grounds. The relationship between the rider and the horse is stunning.
