The Cherubim Nooitgedachter Stud was founded in June 2001 by myself and Winston Retief on the farm, Weissenfels, 110 km west of Windhoek in Namibia. A selection of registered Nooit-gedachter mares were purchased from the then Colihei Nooitgedachter stud just outside Pretoria, which became the foundation of our stud.

Our selection was made based on temperament and conformation. We wanted strong hardy horses that would survive on veld grazing with no additional supplements. The choice was excellent and the mares adapted well.

At the time the mares were purchased, no stallion caught our fancy and we settled on putting them to stud with our Quarter Horse stallion Heza Sugar Burner. The foals born from this cross, were strong, sturdy and exceptionally well-tempered.

In 2002 our first Nooitgedacht stallion, Arop Markus, was purchased from the Arop stud outside Grootvlei. A second stallion, Arop Reemus, was purchased from the Arop Stud in 2007. Cherubim King Arthur is our homebred stallion sired by Arop Markus out of Univers Kandas.

Breeding goals

A trademark of the horses is their strong backs and hard hooves. Their unflappable temperaments are an added bonus. They are sturdy and compact horses with a slight dish face profile with straight, well-formed legs and good gaits. Even during drought conditions they keep their condition and thrive on the Namibian grasslands.

All mares are trained and critically evaluated before they are put to stud. Mares with even the slightest deformities are trained and sold as riding horses. In our selection, temperament is the number one priority.

Young mares are only put to the stallion at the age of four years. This we believe will reduce the possibility of the mare suffering from nutritional deficiencies later in life, as they receive no additional feed during the months of pregnancy.

Mares are rotated so that they foal every second season. Mares giving weak foals are removed from the pool, trained and sold to riding schools. The stallions stay with their herds for nine months of the year and are only removed to attend shows or for training sessions.

During the foaling season each stallion receives one mare to pacify him and keep him occupied. In this period the stallions are kept in five-hectare camps, giving them ample space to move around, until the next breeding season starts.

By applying these methods we find that our stallions are relaxed and passive when visiting shows or during training sessions, where they have to work alongside mares. To date only one colt has been selected for breeding.

The life of a foal

Our foaling season is between February and April of each year. The foals are born out in 200-hectare camps situated close to the house. The mares and foals are monitored when they come in for water. If a mare does not appear with the group, riders are sent out to find her and check if the foal is in order.

Watching the foals at the age of a month is most spectacular. They charge and buck over the stones, racing each other down slopes, in total control of their legs and bodies – in total balance.

Although all mares are halter trained and handled after the birth, no foal is handled prior to the age of three years. They grow up in close proximity to humans, but have the choice of wanting to be touched or not.

What amazes our guests, is the fact that one can move through the herd without them scattering in all directions. They will come up close, some will allow us to scratch them, and others will just try to nip a shirt or nibble a shoe. The shy ones will stand some metres away just watching.

Training

By the age of three, the foals have established their place in the herd, have developed their own personalities and are total free spirits who respond to training with vigour and enthusiasm. They are interested in each new step introduced by the trainer. Their days are filled with all kinds of interesting obstacles, from balls to canvass sheets, barrels and colourful wood poles.

Natural horsemanship techniques are used to train the youngsters. Here we have found that the Nooitgedachter is by far the easiest to train.
They respond well and are very intelligent. The young horses are saddle-trained. They receive the basics in dressage and do short trails after which they are put back in the herds to graze for another year.

Trained foals are sold at the age of four years by which time they are calm, trusting and pleasurable riding horses.

Weaning

At the age of 12-14 months only the colts are weaned and, under the watchful eye of a guardian, an older gelding is put into their own camp where they will remain until the winter arrives.

During the winter months most of the colts are gelded and a small selection of good-looking colts will remain for a further season, and their development will be monitored. If at the age of two going on three they show promising style, they will be evaluated for breeding.
This method cuts down on large herds of stallions that make the smooth running of the operation quite difficult. Fillies remain with the mares until they return to the breeding pool. They are naturally weaned at the age of 14 months, giving us strong, well-built future breeding stock.
Every year riders from all over Europe sign up for a period of volunteer work at the stud. This gives riders the opportunity to take part in local riding shows, endurance races and home planned trails. Not used to riding in our vast spaces, this is a thrilling experience for them. At the stud they have the opportunity to work with our local riders who have been with the stud for five years, and have gained a vast knowledge in natural horsemanship.
Our plan is to visit the Pretoria Show in ­August 2008. This will be our first venture across the border to compete against other Nooitgedachters. Here in Namibia the ­Nooitgedachter competes against all breeds, and compares very well. Arop Reemus was ­presented at the ­Okahandja show in ­September 2007 and attracted a lot of attention.

The future

A second Equestrian centre is under construction in the Western Cape, which will give the stud access to regular participation at shows in South Africa. Due to the ideal conditions for horse breeding in Namibia, however, the majority of the stud will remain here. Only selected trained horses will be housed in South Africa, mostly for sale.

At present the stud breeds Quarter Horse crosses, Arabians and Nooitgedachters. At our forthcoming auction we will phase out most of our breeds until we are left with Nooitgedachters only. It is a goal that we hope to achieve by the end of 2008.

The auction is planned for July, where 40 trained horses will be on offer. Any breeder interested in an auction brochure can contact us at www.orusovo.com/weissenfels