Liezelle Whitehead, award-winning SA Boerperd breeder from the japanese Unfastened State, believes the Boerperd has a vivid long term as one of the multi-purpose horse within the nation. She describes the Boerperd as a genetic treasure trove within the equine international. Annelie Coleman studies.
Photograph: Provided
Liezelle Whitehead, proprietor of the Joop Boerperd Stud and breeder of 4 SA Boerperd Futurity foals, is keen about her horses.
In step with her, the Boerperd might be described because the apex horse breed within the nation on the subject of versatility, adaptation, intelligence and hardiness. Those attributes had been finely honed since its ancestors arrived within the nation round 1652.
The primary horses’ progeny took phase within the Voortrekkers’ Nice Trek in addition to the Anglo-Boer Battle, and from those horses flowed the 8 bloodlines allowed through the SA Boerperd Horse Breeders’ Society, specifically the Cloete, A2, Hancke, Steenkamp, Odendaal, Middleton, Streicher and Namib bloodlines.
The society has now not, from 2002, allowed new or estranged bloodlines into the breeding programme, as the large gene pool throughout the society is enough to save you inbreeding.
Whitehead’s determination to selective mating, very strict adherence to variety standards and insistence on conformation and motion of her horses led to her strolling away 4 occasions in a row with the celebrated SA Boerperd Celebrity Foal (Futurity Foal) awards. She is the one breeder to have earned this award 4 occasions.
The SA Boerperd Horse Breeders’ Society of South Africa stated in a observation the target of the contest used to be to have enough money breeders the chance to procure breeding rights from stallions that have been most often now not to be had at the open marketplace.
It lets in new and upcoming studs get entry to to best genetics, making it imaginable for them to compete on a fair enjoying box with extra established stud issues. An added bonus is that 60% of the R1 000 front charges for the contest is used as prize cash for the winners.
“This makes it imaginable for breeders to understand their desires of breeding without equal Boerperd,” says Whitehead.
“For the breeder of the stallion (Celebrity Stallion) this is made to be had for mating, it creates a possibility to end up the pony is a breeding sire of selection. And the similar is going for the dam (Celebrity Mare). Their progeny sooner or later competes in opposition to every different within the Celebrity Foal festival. The contest lasts for a duration of a few two years, from the choice of the breeding stallion and mare to the announcement of the winners.”
Roemryk Ingenieur
Whitehead’s Joop SA Boerperd stud used to be began 16 years in the past when she obtained her first 3 mares from the Jacobsz circle of relatives from Ermelo. This used to be adopted through a phenomenal stallion, Roemryk Ingenieur, bred through the overdue Lomon Terreblanche, former proprietor of the Roemryk stud.
The stud is called after Whitehead’s grandfather Kerneels van Rensburg, whose nickname used to be Joop. They shared a zeal for horses, and Whitehead attributes her love for horses, and the Boerperd specifically, to him.
“From an excessively younger age, I used to be infatuated with horses. On the age of eleven, as an example, I took all my financial savings to shop for myself two horses. They have been simply extraordinary horses, however to me they have been probably the most stunning horses on the earth. Those horses, a mare and a stallion, put me at the highway in opposition to stud horse breeding,” she says.
Cloete and A2
The Joop genetics are in accordance with a mixture of the Cloete and A2 bloodlines. Whitehead prefers aristocratic-looking horses with refined options.
Her objective is to reproduce horses which are, among others, well-rounded and characterized through an excellent topline, a well-defined throat, agile neck and directly and well-defined legs.
A fair, but aggressive, temperament is of the essence.
The preliminary stallion she purchased, Roemryk Ingenieur, shaped the root of the Joop lineage, and his genetic contribution nonetheless typifies the Joop horses. Those horses in most cases provide with lengthy necks and very good conformation of the top.
Susannasvlei
The 15-strong Joop stud, together with 4 broodmares, is administered on Whitehead’s farm Susannasvlei close to Bethlehem within the Unfastened State, with grazing consisting of crimson grass (Themeda triandra), weeping love grass (Eragrostis curvula) and hard love grass (Eragrostis plana).
The typical temperatures range between -8°C in wintry weather to the mid 30s in summer season. The typical rainfall is ready 700mm in line with annum.
Her breeding ideas are in accordance with genetics, coupled with visible appraisal and the conformity of the animals. She additionally will pay a lot consideration to the unique type of the breed and spends numerous hours researching the shape and serve as of the horses so far as 50 years in the past.
As a result of the truth that the Boerperd society saved detailed information over a protracted time period, it’s quite simple to discover a horse’s progeny.
“Alternatively, I in finding it vitally vital to visually check up on the proposed breeding animal’s progeny prior to making any selections. I insist on bodily comparing the stallion’s foals of the previous two years in addition to their dams as a way to resolve if the animals are appropriate to the imaginative and prescient I’ve for my stud.
“Heritability, uniformity and the conservation of my stud’s distinctive options are of extreme significance. I would like my horses to all the time be recognisable as Joop horses. To me, it’s crucial that the horses I breed are pleasant, particularly child-friendly, and convey pleasure to their potential homeowners and riders,” Whitehead explains.
The foals are born at the veld and saved with their moms till weaning at seven months, most often in April. The foals are then saved in stalls whilst their moms go back to the veld.
The foals are dewormed and presented to an preliminary ration of 500g consisting of 12% feed pay attention two times an afternoon blended with teff. Whilst in coaching, foals are haltered and treated day by day to show them the fundamentals of dealing with and to proceed making them used to being touched through people.
Formal coaching
The foals are saved within the stalls and through October, in line with Whitehead, they’ve develop into used to being treated. This is very important as a way to cut back pressure when they’re first saddled up on the age of 4.
The foals are let loose on herbal grazing on the age of one year and saved there till two or 3 years outdated, when they’re introduced in to begin with their formal coaching.
At 4 years outdated, the Joop horses are taken to horse running shoes Glenda Koen or Michiel Burger Jr, each close to Clarens within the Unfastened State.
The horses now not in coaching are saved at the veld, and Eragrostis pastures are planted in summer season. They’re saved in two teams which are turned around in line with a high-density grazing programme.
Maize may be produced on Susannasvlei, and the horses are saved at the maize stover in wintry weather. They’re moved to small camps in September and October and ate up Eragrostis bales.
Foaling in September
“The stallions are put to the mares between October and December for the foals to be born the next September. The once a year SA Boerperd Championships happen on the finish of June.
This implies my younger horses could be 9 months outdated on the time of the display, must I elect to participate. Foaling in September additionally signifies that the foals have get entry to to inexperienced and nutritious herbal grazing.
“The Boerperd has been honed via masses of years to develop into a non-selective grazer that flourishes below infrequently difficult prerequisites. They’re hardy, adaptable and exceptionally affected person and clever,” Whitehead explains.
Adherence to reproduce requirements as set out through the Boerperd breeders’ society isn’t negotiable. In step with Whitehead, horses are inspected on the age of no later than two-and-a-half years to deal with requirements of excellence.
Certified inspectors take a look at each unmarried registered horse personally prior to the SA Boerperd logo is put at the off-hind.
African DNA
“Even though my 18-year-old son Johan is the affection of my lifestyles, my horses come an in depth 2d. They don’t seem to be simply a supply of source of revenue, and with out them my lifestyles and my son’s lifestyles would had been the poorer for it. My horses are frequently my solace and luxury in difficult occasions.
“All horses are particular, however to me the Boerperd is probably the most awesome of all. This can be a difficult horse with Africa in its DNA.
“The SA Boerperd is an inimitable breed that has been decided on for over 300 years below very taxing prerequisites,” says Whitehead.
E mail Liezelle Whitehead at [email protected].