South Africa: AMI DE WET CHALLENGE

PO Box 3583, Pinegowrie, 2123
Tel (011) 380-3780
Fax 086 616 8495
E-mail: mprwoods@mweb.co.za


RIDE REPORT: 9 FEBRUARY 2008
AMI DE WET CHALLENGE

It is indeed a pleasure to submit the following as a report on the first of our rides held at Bosparadys Farm, the 6th annual ride presented by our club.

In my view and in the view of everybody that I spoke to the ride was a tremendous success. Johannie Geldenhuys summed it up best when she described the ride as one which 'we almost got fully right".

I do agree that there was certain aspects which require fixing up but these issues have been identified and will be sorted out prior to the next ride.

The ride would never have taken place without the hard work as also donations from various individuals and it is necessary to thank everybody concerned at this point.

I want to first and foremost thank the owner of the farm, Mr William Khoury for the tremendous work he put in to construct the magnificent ride base from which we hosted the ride.

A very big thank you must go out to all the members of the club committee who nearly broke their backs working on the horse kampies, on the ride base and out on the course.

We must also thank the committee of the Bakubung ba RATHEO qua Molete Communial Property Association for allowing us to make use of their beautiful land which borders Bosparadys for purposes of the ride.

A further very big thank you must also go out to our sponsors. In this regard we thank Suzette Ferreira of our Club who is the Creative Director of Annique Beauty Products. Thank you Suzette for once again coming to the party and providing superb gifts.

We then have our members whom I regularly tap for donations. I would like to once again thank Monique Woods, Antony Ball, Oscar Lockwood, Danie Ferreira, Pieter Burger, Hurbey and Johannie Geldenhuys, Nick van Rooyen and Johan Nel and Kobus Lombard as also a number of other donors who are not endurance riders for their very generous contributions to the Club again this year. It is sincerely appreciated and really helps us out every year financially. Tjaart de Wet also obtained a wonderful sponsored gift of imported sunglasses for which we are grateful.

A big thank you must also go out to all our officials who worked very hard on the ride. Leon de Wit as Ride Master once again prepared a very thorough evaluation and delivered sound advice. Alan Spreadborough and Graham Pickett were terrific with regards to the timekeeping. Dr Marc Walton our Club Vet, once again put together a highly professional team of veterinary surgeons in the form of Dr Paul van Dam, Dr Franza Keizer, Dr Hertjie and Dr Leslie van Niekerk, Dr Lisa du Plessis and Dr Clint Austin. A big thank you must go out to all these fabulous vets who over the years have grown into firm friends of the Club (indeed members) and whose treatment of the riders and horses are sincerely appreciated, and was of the highest calibre.

I would also like to mention good friends of ours - the Doywers of Platorand.
We would like them to know how grateful we are in the Club to them in that they have always supported our rides in big numbers and we really appreciate the effort put in by Juanita and van Dyn in this regard. It is always a pleasure to welcome them, their family and friends and club members to our rides.

A wonderful sponsor in the form of Abdullah bin Huzain, a trainer at Nad Alsheba Endurance Stable, one of Shaik Mohommed’s stables in Dubai donated R22 000,00 in prizes for the 80km and 120km Standard Weight Divisions.

I also wish to thank Monique Woods who as we all know is very passionate about Best Condition and she has for many years sponsored the Best Conditioned horse category prize. This year she once again donated R5 000,00 for Best Conditioned Horse of the Ride which was split between the 80 and 120kms rides Natasha Herbst and Johannie Geldenhuys were the individual winners in this regard. Notwithstanding that it was our first ride from this ride base I once again reiterate that I am of the view that it was a great ride.

The following were the results:


CATEGORY 105KMS

First Place: Zuan Pelser of Platurand on Arkab Valjean

2nd CATEGORY: 120KMS – STANDARD WEIGHT

First Place: Johannie Geldenhuys on Phuka Connae-sa of Mogale
Second Place: Zuber Master of Ottersdaal on El Sajyaa
Third Place: Leonie van Niewenhuizen of Platurand on Jaybee Morrat

3rd CATEGORY: 120KMS – LIGHT WEIGHT

First Place: Nelson Mavundla on Rassie of Mogale

4TH CATEGORY: 120KMS – JUNIOR

First Place: Ronel van Niewenhuysen of Platurand on Jauhar Amal
Second Place: Louise Kolbee of Platurand on Arkab Akrab

5th CATEGORY: 81.7 KMS HEAVY WEIGHT

First Place: Antony Ball of Mogale
Second Place: T. Eloff
Third Place: J. Kasselman of Ottersdaal
Fourth Place: Arnie Dietrich of Mogale

Ami de Wet Snr and Honourary Mogale Member and in whose honour we ride this race came 10th

6th CATEGORY: 81.7kms STANDARD WEIGHT

First Place: Natasha Herbst of Mogale
Second Place: Nancy Gombalt of Mogale
Third Place: Susan Wilhelm of Premier
Fourth Place: Bernise Binet of Mogale
Fifth Place: Inika Thirion

7TH CATEGORY: 81.7KMS LIGHT WEIGHT

First Place: Jannie Engelbrecht of Mogale
Second Place: K. Lockwood of Mogale
Third Place: Jana Fick

8TH CATEGORY: 81.7kms JUNIORS

First Place: Annake van Heerden
Second Place: Georgina Lockwood of Mogale
Third Place: Ilinza Benning
Fourth Place: Zuan Rademan
Fifth Place: Stephanie Lockwood of Mogale
Sixth Place: Sarie Scheepers of Mogale

9TH CATEGORY: 81.7kms CHILD RIDERS

First Place: Elisa Venter

There seem to be a lot of trap leer riders and to my surprise not enough Mogale Members. Please take note and support your club at its rides. It is very important that you partake. There were shortcomings in the form of administration, start/finish line etc. but these have been identified and will be worked on and rectified by the time the next ride comes around.

Keep in touch with ride results and interesting titbits during the year and remember to visit our website: www.mogaleclub.co.za for regular updates and info.

The aspect that I receive the most compliments of during the ride was on the course. In this regard a very special thank you must go out to Hurbey and Johannie Geldenhuys. I believe that between the two of them, with a little help from other people, they have designed the finest endurance course in the country. Many days, not hours, were put into this by Hurrbey and Johannie and on behalf of all the Club Members and indeed every other ERASA member who had the honour to ride this course, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to them for this wonderful, imaginative, superb, testing course which I am told by every rider I spoke to was an absolute delight to ride.

I would also like to take this opportunity to state we have a number of new members and their ride numbers are as follows:

Anthony Botes-----------TM5904
Wilma Botes-------------TM5905
Billy Botes-------------TM5906
Zannie du Preez---------TM5505
Wilma Martindale--------TM2522
Stafford Robinson-------TM3831
Janie Engelbrecht-------TM4994
Cindy Nel---------------TM5856
Wendy Smallman----------TM5163
Ryno Verster------------TM3958
Pieter van Heerden------TM3226
Dirk Pretorius----------TM5977
Len Nel-----------------TM5978

I wish all of our members the best of luck for the rest of the season and sincerely hope that all your horses come through unscathed.

Lekker ry,
Tony