Riba Stables rider is the only South African vaulter to qualify for the World Equestrian Games

Chelsey Gertenbach (22) of Riba Stables in Kyalami is the only South African vaulter to have qualified for the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) World Equestrian Games.

But she needs help getting there.

The games, to be held in North Carolina in the United States of America in September, is equivalent to the Olympic Games for the non-Olympic equestrian discipline and is held every four years.

Gertenbach has to pay for all her expenses herself.

Her horse transport alone will cost 15 000€ (more than R237 000), and then there are also flights, accommodation, rental car, food and more.

Gertenbach has been a vaulter since she was five years old, and her mother, Barbie owns Riba Stables.

Gertenbach has been preparing for the games for the past two years and in April this year, she achieved her qualifying score for the games at the Competition Vaulting International (CVI) in Ermelo, the Netherlands.

A week later, she competed in another three-star CVI competition in Belgium, achieving another qualifying score.

Then on 20 June came the official letter from the Vaulting Association of South Africa informing her that she had been selected to represent her country in North Carolina.

Gertenbach currently lives and trains in Cologne, Germany, so she can optimally prepare for the games. Not only does her potential horse live there but also the best coaches and lungers.

To make this journey possible, Gertenbach’s support team is asking for financial help.

Those interested in supporting her can send an email to Adine Strashun at adinestrashun@gmail.com.

Also read: There is no height that two Kyalami vaulters cannot reach https://midrandreporter.co.za/198014/vaulters-supreme/

If you know of sport stories you would like us to publish, let us know about them on our Facebook page.