South African Adult Eventing Championships sees SA’s best
KNOPPJESLAAGTE – A 51-year-old championship returns to Inanda Country Base with much pomp.
The cremé de la cremé of equestrian riders competed in the South African Adult Eventing Championships.
The event returned to Inanda Country Base after an eight-year break and saw exceptional dressage, showjumping and cross-country performances on 23 and 24 November.
Riders had to prove their skill across these three disciplines and could not leave it down to the strength of one or even two of them, if they wished to stand on the podium in their division.
Knopjeslaagte, like the rest of Joburg, received much rain in evenings over the weekend but was sunny and dry whenever the riders took to horseback.
“It was a fantastic event, I am very chuffed with how it went,” said event organiser, Linda Philo.
“The highlight for me was seeing all the people happy. We had excellent feedback and the weather played its part. We had some small sponsors and a mini-market and it worked very well, giving the event a lovely atmosphere.”
At the end of the weekend, Lexie du Toit from the Western Cape, riding African Tiger, was the overall winner. Ernst Holtz, who won the championships back in 1968, presented her with the Whitebread Cup.
Two Gauteng riders followed Du Toit on the podium: Daniella Machiné riding Just Evangelic came second and Sarah Aitchison riding Jamada Jester came third.
Philo said there was one case of a horse contracting African horse sickness and a couple of riders from the Western Cape decided not to attend as they would have had to put their horses through a three-week quarantine. However, more riders chose to put their horses through quarantine and attend the championships than those who chose to stay behind.
Philo explained that the championships was first started at Inanda Country Base back in 1965 and it spent many a decade there until the rest of South Africa got a taste of it at different locations.
Inanda Country Base will now host the championship for the next two years after this event, with the option of taking it for another three years.
“We hope to get a name sponsor next year and it will be bigger and better.”
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