I started riding at age 3. I took lessons at the Ficksburg riding club and have memories of borrowing hard hats that never really fit. Our instructor was an english teacher at the local primary school and she inspired in me a love for all things horse.
Lessons were held at one of the towns polo player's stables but Miss Cloete made such a success of the club that they eventually could afford a piece of land and build stables and arenas.

The new stables were situated about 3km out of town and I would walk from home, carrying my saddle and bridle. Not that I was one of the privileged that owned their own horse.

At around age 16 I was given a horse by one of the farmers in the district. She was a Norwegian Mountain horse and the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. I named her Topaz after the color of her nose. Topaz was very young and had basically just been backed and she lived with me for 7 years.

During this time, one of the polo ponies that I had ridden at age 3 was brought to our stage. She had been sold to a young man that took no notice of her needs. If it hadn,t been for the kindness of others she would have starved. Sea Wind was one of the last to be sired by Sea Biscuit, a well known race horse in South Africa. She deserved to be treated like a queen but fate had turned against her. She almost died giving birth to twins after which she was once again put up for sale.
My parents realized that they would never hear the end of it if they let her go to someone else and scraped together enough to purchase her for me.

Here I was suddenly the owner of two horses. My father was given a position as manager of a cherry farm. We sold our home and moved out of town, taking the horses with us. What absolute bliss. I could ride whenever and where ever I chose. Freedom like I had never experienced before. TBC.