Cape Boerperd: Peacock from the South

by Ezelle Marais

JJ Mara is in the saddle. (Photograh by F Tojan)

When you speak to horse lovers you will often hear the phrase, ‘the horse that can do it all’. That is the Cape Boerperd. The Cape Boerperd is one of four indigenous horse breeds in South Africa that developed from the legendary Cape Horse (fi ve, if you include the Basotho Pony of Lesotho). The idea to develop this breed originated in 1948 among a group of enthusiasts who were all lovers of horses and who realised that the horse was fast disappearing in our mechanical age – especially with the advent of the bakkie. The Cape horse These people realised how popular and sought-after the Cape horse was throughout the world. These horses had been exported to Australia and were the fi rst to land there. They were also exported for mounted duty in large numbers to India where they were regarded as some of the world’s best.

Roughly, 85% of the horses that were used, were Cape horses. The Cape horse was famous for its hardiness, endurance and its capacity to work hard on minimum feed, yet still maintain condition. Furthermore, these horses were comfortable to ride and carry a heavy rider over diffi cult terrain for long hours. It was all these outstanding characteristics that made this group of people want to raise a breed that would display all the good characteristics of the Cape horse. They wished to refi ne and improve it without sacrifi cing any of its attributes. The appearance of the Cape horse made it ideally suitable to meet the harsh and extreme conditions of South Africa.

It had to be a horse for pleasure considering its easy-going temperament. Furthermore, it needed to show off well in the showring. Conformation and type Breeding animals with the required conformation and type were selected from the small stock of remaining Cape horses. An essential problem, however, was the acquisition of suitable male stock for breeding purposes. Stallions of other breeds which conformed to the required characteristics of the envisaged breed and could in any way improve the breed e.g. the Arabian, American Saddler, Flemish and Hackneys were used. These stallions of other breeds were used until their progeny exhibited all the requirements and standards of the new breed. The record books of the Boerperd were closed in 1964 and after this no foreign animal was taken up for registration.

Kaptein with Marlise Muller. Kaptein is also the current South African Champion single-carriage horse (Photograph by Fotojan)

In 1981, SA Studbook accepted affi liation of the Cape Boerperd. Since 1981, stallions of other breeds have been eligible for recording in the stud book. In 1993, however, it was judged that the Cape Boerperd was losing its identity. It was then decided to use less horses from outside breeds. Breeders Society members then nominated stallions of other breeds, which could promote the Cape Boerperd. Such stallions and their existing progeny were inspected and in 1994, only eight outside stallions were considered worthy of improving the breed. Breeding policy The Cape Boerperd is a developed breed with the books fi nally closed since 1999.

All foals are registered at birth in the ’foal book’. All horses are inspected at the age of three years before being accepting into the registry of the Cape Boerperd. The horse is of average size (14,2 to 16 hh), strong yet not clumsy. It has plenty of quality, especially in the legs. The Cape Boerperd is used for hard, demanding farm work. Therefore, it must be a hardy animal with plenty of stamina, be agile with fi rm tread. The Cape Boerperd is comfortable to ride, with enough speed at various gaits to make it a pleasure horse for all to ride it. It possesses enough style and action to compete favourably in the showring in any breeding, harness or riding class.

The Cape Boerperd is a horse with a proud and spirited head carriage. It moves with action, style and grace, ride with comfort and possesses a good temperament. It is not easily excited or frightened. It keeps in good condition on minimum feed. If is adaptable and can work hard day after day for long hours on end and carry a rider tirelessly over uneven terrain. It is an outstanding horse of pleasure, while faring excellently in the show ring. During the past fi fty years, the Cape Boerperd has gone from strength to strength.

Breeders are scattered through the whole country but are mostly concentrated in the Eastern, Western and Northern Cape as well as the Free State, KwaZulu- Natal, Limpopo and Namibia.

Amateur union In September 1990, a long awaited dream of some members of the Cape Boerperd Breeders Society was realised when the South African Boerperd Amateur Union was formed and was allocated amateur status by the department of sport. This is the sporting body to accommodate horse sport using the indigenous Boerperd. It brought new life to the industry, as the Boerperd breeds can now compete as an entity on its own, not only at inter-provincial level, but also internationally. Riders can earn provincial colours as well as national colours. The country was subdivided into regions and sub-unions (provinces) each with its own team, which are selected on merit and performance to compete at national level. The sub-unions compete at club shows and regional shows. A provincial team is then selected in each province to compete at the national championships. A national team is selected annually. The SABAU national team has competed successfully against Namibia as well as against the SA Saddle Horse and even an American Morgan Horse equitation team in the past.

Showing The Cape Boerperd is shown in six divisions.

• The three-gaited horse is shown at a walk, trot and canter. The walk is a fl at-foot walk. The trot is performed at moderate speed with extreme brilliance. The horse must be collected and stylish with high action, front and back.
• The five-gaited horse is shown at a walk, trot, canter, slow gait and rack (triple). Speed at the trot is very important. Form and balance must be maintained at all time. Action should be bold, sensational, powerful, aggressive, stylish, and fl owing with great impulsion and propulsion from the hocks.
• The slow gait is the fi rst of the two manmade gaits. It is a lateral, slow, animated, highly collected and showy four- beat gait with an unevenly – cadenced beat, in that the hoofbeats are not evenly spaced. The hindfoot on one side, strikes the ground a short interval before the fore foot on the same side, resulting in two sets of two beats each.
• The rack or triple is a lateral, fast, animated, collected four-beat gait, with an evenly cadenced beat, in that each foot strikes the ground separately at exactly and regularly spaced intervals. Speed is very important.
• The fi ne-harness horse is shown at a park trot and walk. The park trot is performed at slow to moderate speed. It is a rhythmic gait of great brilliance – a rolling, extremely collected, high, clean and decisive, light and airy, elegant, graceful and showy gait.
• The single-harness horse is shown at a walk and trot. The trot is at first a collected trot performed slowly and stylishly with presence and animation. The horse is then asked to ‘drive on’. There is no limit to speed as long as the horse stays in form and does not lose style, action and set.

Since 2008, a three-gaited and five-gaited performance team is selected annually to compete against other breeds in the showring. The Cape Boerperd teams have done very well in these competitions.

Equitation For showing a Cape Boerperd, the ’Saddle Seat’ method of riding is used with a cutback saddle, positioning the rider towards the back of the horse, giving the added advantage that the neck of the horse appears longer, the front is better seen and the knee action is enhanced. The distribution of weight to the rear ensures that the hock can be forced well under to maintain the great showiness and peacock carriage, which is the hallmark of the Cape Boerperd.

The objective of the Cape Boerperd Society is to conserve and upgrade the true characteristics of the Cape Boerperd, to breed a multi-purpose horse for all South Africans. The Cape Boerperd must meet the requirements of all people under all circumstances as a pleasure, sport and work horse. The Cape Boerperd – a horse from South Africa for South Africa.