It is with great excitement and anticipation that the SA Boerperd Breeder’s Association are looking forward to the possibilities that were created for saddleseat riders through the successful negotiations with SANEF. It only takes people with vision and passion to create opportunities, and in this case especially for our young riders to build an industry worth competing in on international level.

The SA Boerperd is particularly well suited for saddleseat equitation and performance riding as the traditional movers of the breed has high knee action with a ground covering stride and their temperament, size, conformation and work rate is ideal for children and juniors to compete within the newly created SANEF saddleseat classes. The typical SA Boerperd can easily step in underneath himself which enables him to carry his forehand and neck in a relaxed and elevated position, with the head on the vertical and softness in the mouth. Saddleseat equitation requires precision training where horse and rider must be in perfect balance; where the rider sits slightly back and encourages the horse to ride strongly from behind and free up its shoulders.

The SA Boerperd is straightforward, very trainable and accepts their work with ease. They have a sensible mind and willingness to please their rider comes naturally. All of this put together with athletic ability and balance; the ideal saddle seat horse.

After long negotiations and behind the scenes work, Saddleseat was approved as a School sport at the end of 2009. This is a major breakthrough for Saddleseat as a sport and will open many doors throughout the country in future. Saddleseat can through this channel be developed on a mass scale to produce larger talent pools that can in turn be leveraged by ESSASA (Equestrian Saddleseat Association of South Africa) to improve the quality and level of the sport. Saddleseat will be available as a school sport on both the Equitation and Performance riding levels through the formal provinces in the country. Initially only 3 gaited divisions will be made available, but the vision is to expand this into 5 gaited divisions as well.

SANEF Schools’ Equestrian would like to hook onto the SASCOC (South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee) purpose statement “to transform sport and unleash the full sporting potential of all South Africans” with our own being that no child in South Africa with any access to a horse should be barred from equestrian sport, and thus the entry requirements should be as low as possible (in respect of skills, costs and quality of mount and in order to encourage grass roots mass participation WITHOUT compromising rider safety and horse welfare). On the other hand, the higher levels of the sport should be sufficiently challenging to reveal the talented riders who could be developed through the Federation into Team SA — in short: To let our children ride.

These two objectives are achieved entirely through a schools-based team system, in which individual interests are subordinate to the school team requirements.

In pursuit of these objectives, the characteristics of the League are:

1. The league competitions are open to any bona fida learner in a South African school and riders at every level, may participate.
2. The team system emphasises the interests of the school over those of the individual.
3. Costs are kept to a minimum.
4. The potential barrier of horse ownership is addressed in part by the acceptance of riding school ponies.

The structure allows for the development of equestrian sport at all levels; including judges and other officials, suitability of venues, grading of ponies/horses, consistency in the application of rules and rule changes, coordination of competitions, funding and fundraising, and safety critical matters.

Pupils can advance through SANEF Schools’ Qualifying shows to inter-regional (called Finals), inter-provincial (Nationals) and international schools’ competitions and ultimately strive for excellence and participation through
SANEF and SASCOC at the World Equestrian Games and the Olympic.

The basic levels and turnout rules that will be used in the Saddleseat Schools League competitions.