Every competitive rider dreams of representing their country, standing on the podium and being the best in the world – preferably on their own horse. For six South Africans this dream is close to becoming reality.
For the first time in our equestrian history, four South African eventers qualified on their own horses, in their own country to compete at the 2010 Altech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in the USA. The WEG pits the best equestrian athletes from around the world against one another every four years, in the disciplines of dressage, showjumping, vaulting, carriage driving, endurance, para-dressage and eventing.
South African eventing icon Graham Winn, Paul Hart, Douglas Welsh and Heidi Wood have all qualified for the games, which celebrate its 20th anniversary and will be held outside of Europe for the first time. The four riders will make their way to the Kentucky Horse Park in the USA in September this year, and their partners will make horsey history – jetting in to carry their riders to glory. Zorba, Heartbreak Hill, Trinity Kings Courier and Trinity Quantum Leap will travel halfway across the world to fly the South African flag high.
All important funding
Sanef is investigating funding for the team, but the individual competitors will mostly need to pay their own way. And while it is often assumed horse riding is an elitist sport for the rich and idle, any equestrian enthusiast will tell you, equine friends eat a large hole in your bank balance – no matter how many figures it may be. Paul Hart is hard at work sourcing sponsorship in order to make his dream a reality.
Paul is well-known in equestrian circles and appeared in SA Horseman in the May 2008 edition, where he was featured along with Paige Schiller. While many spend years struggling to get to the top of their chosen discipline, these two remarkable riders compete at the highest level both in showjumping and eventing.
This hard working rider has earned his place on the national team. In 2009 alone he won the first South African FEI CIC*** and the FEI CIC** GHS eventing championships. He also achieved a second and fourth at the first South African FEI CCI***. Paul was second in the 2009 South African eventing championships.
Paul has taken a novel approach to raising funds and has allowed all horse lovers a chance to follow him on each step of his journey to Kentucky, by utilising new technology and social networking tools. Aspiring world champions and horse lovers can get a glimpse into the road travelled by a world class athlete.
Where it all began
It all started in 2003 when Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) eventing courses began in South Africa and the FEI began training officials and running recognised events. In 2007 the FEI met with the South African
National Equestrian Federation (Sanef) to discuss the quality of the horses and riders taking part in national eventing competitions, because of this meeting Sanef pledged to assist riders and give them the opportunity to qualify in their own country.
In 2009 Jean-Phillipe Camboulives was appointed by the eventing technical committee as the national eventing coach and three clinics, two CIC3* and one CCI3* events later, the four riders were qualified and ready to jet off to Kentucky.
At the end of January the four horses entered quarantine in Cape Town and at the beginning of March flew to their French base camp. The horses will remain in France training with Camboulives and competing in Europe for six months before flying to the states.
Alex Peternell, a South African rider living in the UK and competing on the European circuit, has also qualified for the equestrian extravaganza and Martyn Swanepoel and his young horse Kardinal will also fly out with the team and attempt to qualify in Europe.
On the net
Paul has started a Twitter and Facebook account. He updates both sites regularly, giving feedback and reporting on his horse, Heartbreak Hill (affectionately known as Harry).
His Facebook account also has a photo journal documenting the journey to Kentucky. Facebook and Twitter allows Paul to not only ask for donations and monetary support from a large group of people, but also allows his supporters to be part of his journey and see where those funds are going. The cost of Paul's dream is more than half a million rand.
Paul's pupil and a top South African eventer, Hayley Parker and her horse, Brandenburg Lysander, will also be travelling with the team, to gain experience in Europe. Hayley and Kirstin Winn will exercise the team's horses and keep them fit to allow the riders to commute back to South Africa. The commute will allow Paul and the others to keep up their business interests on home soil. Paul will thus be able to keep coaching his pupils and continue with his clinics.
South Africa is finally making its mark on the world equestrian stage, but the riders and their horses need your help! Contact Suzanne Boswell on 083 680 9605 or email scb@iafrica.com. Any donation, however small, will be appreciated. To follow Paul on Twitter, his profile name is PaulHartWEG2010 or you can join his fan page on Facebook: Paul Hart Weg2010.
