I normally wouldn't bother sending you an email
like the one below.
This group of Arabian horse riding endurance
riders, located in South Africa, sent us this round-robin email.
I'm not really sure why?
And even though it doesn't look the original photos
are going to show up, the message below contains what I believe is a stunning
bit of endurance racing news.
The author of this message relates how a famous
endurance race started in South Africa back in the mid-1960s.
Nothing unusual there.
What stunned me was when I read that some maniac
murdered sixty of the horses who made the race !!!!
I don't know if you want to contact Amanda Roodt,
who sent us the email for details, or perhaps pass along this sad story to your
friends in Ride Camp.
But I've never heard of anything like this
happening in the horse world.
However, with that disgusting story behind us, I
hope that you're about to enjoy a wonderful Christmas !!!
Happy Holidays from your Saddle Pals at The Long
Riders' Guild.
Almanro Arabians Endurance Training Centre is
situated in the Heart of the Freestate, 100 km from Kimberley and 140 km
from Bloemfontein.
Our yearly South African National
endurance ride is held in a small town called
Fauresmith.
Fauresmith is located 130km south west of Bloemfontein. The town, named
after Rev Phillip Faure and Sir Harry Smith, is the second oldest town in
the Free State.
With the settlement of whites in the region, there was a need for a
church. They wanted a farm for this purpose. After much negotiation
(without success) with the British Government, a temporary church was
built on the farm "Sannahspoort" - currently Fauresmith. The church
council later bought Sannahspoort for 14 000 rix-dollars (£1050).
Immediately stands were sold to get the funds necessary to build a
permanent church. An interesting condition of sale was that no spirits or
other strong liquor may have been sold on any of the plots. The
selling of plots was the biggest income of the church at the time. The
current congregations of the surrounding towns of Philippolis, Trompsburg,
Edenburg, Petrusburg, Koffiefontein, Luckhoff and a great deal of
Jacobsdal were part of the congregation.
Two years before the founding of the town, the meddling of the British
government in the affairs of the Free State led to the military clash
between Boer and Briton at the Battle of Boomplaats, about 30km from the
current Fauresmith.
On August 30, 1851, a meeting was held at Sannahspoort. The heading of
the minutes, states "Fauresmith."
After Bloemfontein, Fauresmith was the most important town in the Free
State. The first House of Assembly had to choose between the two to
determine which would be the capital of the Free State. The vote went to
Bloemfontein with a two-vote majority.
Fauresmith is the only town in South Africa, and one of only three in
the world, where the railway line runs down the centre of the main road.
The town is well known in equestrian circles for the annual National
Equestrian Endurance Race, during which the horses and riders must
complete a grueling 205km course during the three days of the event.
Winters are extremely cold with temperatures often reaching below
freezing point.
After long negotiations with the South African
Railways by the old Town Council, they finally agreed to donate a steam
locomotive to Fauresmith. After it had been mounted on its current
location, it took one last trip down the main street, although it wasn't
on own steam!
At that time the district's schools participated in the "Snyman Cup", a
rugby competition. Mr. Moos Visser promised the Werda team that he
would fulfill their wish of 'taking a train trip' if they won. The
Werda team defeated the Philippolis team in the final, and Mr. Visser then
pulled the train off its tracks with his truck. Needless to say, it
took a big effort to get it back on its tracks! Due to some creative
welding, history cannot repeat itself.
The first endurance ride was held as a consequence of an argument in
the magazine "Landbou Weekblad" about which horse breed has the best
endurance ability. In 1964 Landbou Weekblad organised a race to
settle the issue. An endurance ride was held from Hanover to De Aar
to Richmond and back to Hanover. In those years there were no
veterinary surgeons to check the horses, as is compulsory today. The
ride was a huge success, with the Arabian breed emerging victorious.
In 1965 disaster struck when, after the ride, most of the
horses appeared to have been poisoned by persons who were opposed to the
competition. Approximately sixty of the participating horses
died.
The first ride after 1965 was in 1973 in Fauresmith.
The area and temperature lends it to endurance riding. During the
1973 race seventeen riders competed. The number has since grown to
between 250 and 300 entries each year.
After every 25 km has been completed, the riders have 20
minutes to cool down their horses. They are then checked by
veterinary surgeons. Heart rate and muscles are checked, and all
overstrained horses are disqualified.
The cameraderie and sportmanship between riders were
probably best illustrated in 2003 when Laura Woods, a Junior Springbok
rider stopped halfway through the race to assist another competitor
that fell.
The Fauresmith International Endurance Ride is considered
one of the toughest in the world. It is not the toughest because of
the distance, but because riders must complete long distances over three
consecutive days. Riders have been known to get up every hour during
the freezing nights to check on their horses.
Veteran riders such as Ami de Wet, Claire Amm and Chris
Thiel returns year after year to compete in this gruelling race.
Come join us for an
experiance of a life time!!!!! Riders can choose between an 80 km, SA
Nationals of 203km at Fauresmith and FEI rides of 100 km, 120 km and
160 km.
Ride Calander for South African rides for
2006
Petrusburg - 17&18 March 2006. This is a 2
day ride of 80 km each, riders can choose between the first or second
day.
Koffiefontein - 31 March and 1 April 2006. This is a
2 day ride of 80 km each, riders can choose between the first or second
day.
Louise Botha - 14&15 April 2006. Riders can choose
between a 80 km, 130 km and a 160 km ride.
Kimberley - 6 May 2006. This is a 80 km
ride.
Colesburg - 6 May 2006. Riders can choose between a
80 km or 100 km ride.
**Christiana - 13 May 2006. Riders can choose between a 80
km, 130 km and a 160 km ride.
**Bethlehem - 19 May 2006. This is a 80 km
ride.
**Wolmaranstad - 20 May 2006. This is a 80 km
ride
Boshof - 27 May 2006. This is a 80 km
ride.
SA Nationals at Fauresmith over 203 km - 4&5&6 th
July 2006.
**Khamkirrie - 12 August 2006. This is a 120 km
ride.
**Saldanha - 9 September 2006. Riders can choose between a
80 km, 120 km or a 160 km FEI ride.
**Louna - 7 October 2006. This is a 120 km
ride.
Rides that is marked with ** may have additional traveling
fees.
We will give discount on group bookings of 2 and
larger. More riders the less you pay!
Riders can go to the www.erasa.co.za website and look at the
ride calander for additional rides and let us know if they would like to
ride one of these rides and let as know, we will try to accomodate
you as far as possible.
