SA Lipizzaners honour their hard-working grooms
KYALAMI – The South African Lipizzaners thank their hard-working and caring grooms Alexander Moyo, Caleb Moyo, Izaak Chima and Maxson Kgole.
The South African Lipizzaners, based in Kyalami, wish to honour their hard-working grooms this week.
Volunteer Gina Boxley said without the grooms they would not be able to present the weekly shows. “They are all very special people who have a connection and empathy for the Lipizzaners,” said Boxley.
“The horses love them and you hear them neighing when the grooms bring their breakfast and take care of them each day.”
Boxley added that the grooms lived on the premises and were available 24/7 for anything that may go wrong, day or night. “If a horse is colic or needs special medication, dressings or just comfort when they become restless as the storms hit, the grooms are there for them like parents looking after their children.”
Boxley said each day, the horses are groomed, checked for any injuries and watered before they are tacked up for their daily training sessions. The stables are thoroughly cleaned out and the sawdust is replaced when needed, giving the horses a thick bed for comfort.
She said on Mondays the horses knew they were at rest and waited to be put out to enjoy a day of relaxation. “Again, the grooms are there to take them out to their paddocks and bring them in for their feeds. They also have times when they are taken on outrides to relax and enjoy the different sights and sounds and stretch their legs and necks.”
On show days, the grooms are responsible for all the care, meticulous grooming and tacking up of all the stallions that will perform. “They are there to hand over each stallion as the riders scurry around to get from one horse to the next for each sequence. When the stallions have completed their show, the grooms untack, wash down, cool them down, check legs and again make sure there are no problems with each stallion.”
Boxley described the grooms as fantastic. “They work in a wonderfully regimented manner and know what is expected of them and sometimes everyone is so used to their knowledge of horses that they become a moving cog in the wheel that is taken for granted. “I would like to say a huge thank you to each one of them for all they are to our amazing Lipizzaners and their riders.”
The grooms to be honoured include Alexander Moyo, Caleb Moyo, Izaak Chima and Maxson Kgole.
