The SA Boerperd is a true South African breed, with a long and illustrious history intimately interwoven with that of civilization in South Africa. Its lineage can be traced back to shortly after the landing of Jan van Riebeeck in Table Bay in 1652, and the establishment of a halfway post to serve ships of the Dutch East Indian Company. The first phase of its history covers the period from van Riebeeck to the Great Trek northwards into the interior of the subcontinent in 1836. The first horses imported into the fledgling Cape colony were cross Berber-Arabian ponies imported from Java. Although breeding was initially slow, by 1665 sufficient numbers were available to sell to the free burghers. Continue reading…