SANESA Qualifier 3 at Stokkiesdraai, Brits

Welcome to My Blog about all things equine!

Horse riding competitions as a 10 year old.

Hi! My name is Juané. And this is Pegasus.

I am pretty young but not that young! I ride a school pony called Pegasus. He is a piebald (black and white coat colour).

But luckily I have my own GREY pony called Kashan. He is a typical grey that likes to roll. Anyways let's get to the point now.

I ride Pegasus at SANESA competitions, a local horse show here in South Africa. Next year(2023) I will be riding Carel-Hancke Kashan in the SANESA shows. We're not ready yet though but practicing a lot - like, a lot. :)

So SANESA shows are usually like 2-3 hours away, but we manage. You get so many types of classes. Let me tell you more:

The type of SANESA classes that are always done on a Friday of the show:

PRIX CAPRILLI: dressage test with jumps.

EQUITATION: course with poles and then after jumps. Lower levels = 5 jumps. Higher levels= 8 jumps.

I like to do equitation because it challenges you and are fun at the same time! Lots of poles which you must approach in a straight line and do 20 meter circles around and then show the judges how well you present a jump to your horse, etc. Many points are scored on the ability of the rider, more than how pretty or correct the horse is.

The type of SANESA classes that are always done on a Saturday of the show:

JUMPING - ACUMALATOR: COURSE WITH JOKER AT THE END. JOKER= 10CM HIGHER

2 PHASE: 1ST PART ALL NICE AND SLOW 2ND PART ALMOST LIKE A JUMP OFF

JUMPING - NORMAL COMP: 1 NORMAL ROUND CLEAR =OFF TO JUMP OFF : FEWER JUMPS BUT FAST

JUMPING - A2: 1 ROUND REALLY FAST.

JUMPING - IDEAL TIME: SPECIFIC TIME THAT NO ONE KNOWS. CLOSEST TO TIME WINS.

WORKING RIDING: OBSTACLES LIKE WALK/TROT OVER MAT PICK UP BASKET ECT.

PERFORMANCE RIDING: A TEST YOU HAVE TO RIDE .THE PRETTIEST / CLEANEST/ NEATEST HORSE WINS.

Jumping is one of the best equine sports because you literally feel like you are flying and it is also done at a very fast pace! Exciting!

Working riding teaches horse and rider to rely on each other when faced with obstacles and the challenge is to do the obstacle course without any refusals or mistakes! Easy, when your horse doesn' t mind big blue gaping holes in the ground (a.k.a a blue mat that he needs to walk over).

Performance riding is fun because you have to dress up as rider and horse combination and look absolutely smart and beautiful. It is nice to win this class, because then you know you have a beautiful horse! :-)

The type of SANESA classes that are always done on a Sunday of the show:

WORKING HUNTER: ALMOST LIKE CROSS COUNTRY JUMPS. AT END FULL ON GALLOP.

HANDY HUNTER: 2 COMPETITORS. ONE = DO WORKING RIDING IF STRUGGLE RUN BACK TO BOX OTHER ONE CAN FINISH IT. OTHER ONE= DO JUMPING IF STRUGGLE OTHER PARTNER CAN HELP/ FINISH IT.

DRESSAGE: A TEST ABOUT ACCURACY OF RIDING TO THE LETTERS AND INTO YOUR CORNERS.

The only shows I have done so far is the Dressage on a Sunday. Riding your horse in a round frame into the corners are always challenging and having a round and supple horse that listens to your aids without the judge noticing it is what we try to achieve.

My favourite SANESA classes that I like to watch are:

1. JUMPING (ANY TYPE)

2. WORKING HUNTER

3. HANDY HUNTER

4. WORKING RIDING

5. PERFORMANCE

6. EQUITATION

My favourite SANESA classes that I like to ride are:

1. JUMPING (ANY TYPE)

2. EQUITATION

3. DRESSAGE

4. PERFOMANCE RIDING

5. WORKING RIDING

Why I love to ride in a SANESA show:

I love it so much because you get that feeling of being alive, adrenaline and so much more. Knowing you came so far - it's the best feeling ever. Getting a rosette to remember the time you got 1st / 2nd/3rd is the best!

Knowing you made progress to come so far is an achievement! And your friends and family, your coach and horses is an important part of your success.

Wearing the nice clothes at the show, with a nice, clean horse is so satisfying! And so is washing the horse and getting soaking wet is part of the fun!

Why SANESA shows should be on your priority list!

Getting the experience of attending a show, looking after your horse and having your coach by your side when planning your jumping course, is what every horse loving kid dreams of. Shows are stressful, but fun!

The next blog will be about the antics my friends and I get up to at a show. Keep reading! Send me an e-mail if you liked this blog and let me know what questions you have that I should blog about!