Weens beperkte spasie, mag briewe verkort en geredigeer word.

Dooby and Domino
Robyn Greyling, chief curator of marine mammals at Bayworld, Port Elizabeth, writes:

Good afternoon to the team that produces the SA Horseman. I am the chief curator of marine mammals at Bayworld in Port Elizabeth and have been meaning to send you these pictures for a while. It is not something you will see very often! I met the Mounted Police unit while we were all attending some clicker training sessions with horses a few years back. It was very interesting talking to the guys and we kept in touch as they also patrol the beachfront area where Bayworld is.

It took a touch of planning and we decided to let the horses and dolphins take a look at each other after getting the go-ahead from the dolphins' vets. The traffic department's mounted horse, Dooby Dashing, eventually couldn't resist having a closer look. Domino, the dolphin, was just as keen to explore his new friend.

Tussen die hand en die been
Hellmut Hettasch van Yzerfontein, skryf:

Eerstens wil ek u bedank vir u redakteursbydrae. Dit pas so in my kraal. Tweedens wil ek kommentaar lewer op die bydrae "Between leg and hand". In beginsel stem ek saam, maar ek het 'n probleem met die sin: 'You have now successfully communicated to the horse that when it is asked to move forward and feels pressure on the bars of its mouth, this is an indication that the horse has to soften up by itself.'

Die "and" staan in my pad! In my pogings om te probeer om 'n goeie ruiter te word, het ek baie baat gevind by die boek Understanding Equitation deur die Franse kavallerie-offisier, Jean Saint-Fort Paillard. In die hoofstuk "The Rider's Means" verduidelik hy "Contact and Action of the Legs" en "Contact and Action of the Hands". Dit is twee verskillende aspekte van gehoorsaam wat nie gelyktydig geleer kan word nie.

In die hoofstuk "Impulsion" skryf hy onder andere:

The action of the legs should be very clearly explained and perfectly understood.
The action of the legs should be interrupted as soon as it has been obeyed.
Nothing, under any pretext whatsoever, should ever be allowed to interfere with the horse's obedience to the rider's command. The hands represent the most dangerously effective barrier to the horse's efforts to obey the legs, and consequently to achieve the impulsion that could result. Doesn't simple common sense tell us that we should make the horse feel, and thus understand, that it will always find an open door in front of it when it is asked to move forward or to accelerate, and that when it starts to obey it will never risk being blocked by hands that remain closed, that do not yield enough or that yield too late?
The rider should help his horse discover that it will be rewarded for its obedience by the ease and comfort that results from it. It must be obvious that this comfort is already given by the interruption of the rider's action that inspired the horse's obedience and by the absence of any other action that might obstruct its response. But it should also result from the physical relief, from the sense of ease the rider should offer by ensuring as perfectly as possible his seat and steadiness during the entire procedure …"
The Heritage Sale
Caroline Irish of Knysna writes:
Boones Little Buckeroo has changed the concept of miniature horses over his career, not only as a show horse, but as a breeding stallion.

In 1980, 1981 and 1983, he was National Grand Champion Stallion. In 1983 he was National Champion Colour Stallion. In 1992, 1993 and 1994 he was National Champion Get of Sire and in 2007 at 29 years of age, he won, for the fourth time, National Champion Get of Sire! Since 1982 when his first foal was born, he has sired 343 registered miniature horses.

Six years ago Marianne Ebert, owner of Little Kings Farm and Boones Little Buckeroo, held the first Heritage Sale to honour Boones Little Buckeroo and auction-selected examples of his progeny. The Heritage Sale has become a wonderful occasion for many breeders and owners of miniatures to see the pick of the studs from all over the USA, and of course horses from Little Kings itself. All horses on auction are in some way related to Buckeroo, with only the cream being chosen. Last month I had the privilege of attending the last Heritage Sale, and Buckeroo's official retirement.

Our herd stallion is Twin Creeks' Buckeroo Rocky Rapids, whom we imported shortly after he was inducted into the AMHR Hall of Fame in 2002, and he is a Buckeroo grandson. He has been Champion Stallion and Grand Champion Miniature at a number of South African shows, and together with a mare imported last year, ensures that Buckeroo's influence will be felt even in South Africa.

Pietperde
Aubrey Richardson van Brackenfell skryf:
Ek doen navorsing oor die destydse, baie bekende perdefamilie genaamd die Pietperde. Ek sal dit waardeer indien lesers my kan help met enige inligting en ou foto's van hierdie perde, asook inligting oor die volgende:

Die stamboom van die Pietperde
Kontakgegewens van Willem Lubbe se familie van Biedouw, Clanwilliam
Kontakgegewens van Daniel Louw se familie van Groot Toorn in die Hantam
Kontakgegewens van die mense wat die oorspronklike Pietperd geken het, en mense van die plaas, Langvlei, in die Sandveld agter Piketberg, waar Piet na bewering op hoë ouderdom dood is
Alle gegewens oor hierdie perde en telers.
Skryf aan my by Posbus 1645, Brackenfell 7561 of skakel 082 576 5596. U kan ook inligting e-pos na aubreyrichardson@vodamail.co.za.

Vinnigste Boerperd by Fauresmith
Lizet Kotze skryf:
Carel Hancke Lawaai, 'n 16-jarige Boer-perdreun en vul van Carel Hancke Sweep, het vanjaar geskiedenis gemaak deur die beste tyd ooit vir 'n SA Boeperd op Fauresmith op te stel. Lawaai behoort aan Georgina Lockwood van die Mogale Uithouritklub, en hulle was op die kortlys van die Noord-Gauteng junior span vir Fauresmith.

Ongelukkig moes sy onttrek weens skool- en eksamenverpligtinge, maar Lawaai was reeds in 'n oefenprogram onder die bekwame leiding van befaamde Springbokruiter, Tjaart de Wet. Intussen was 'n ander Springbokruiter se drome aan skerwe. GD Kotze se Joni Gamil wat verlede jaar op Fauries 'n vyfde standaardgewig plek kon verower, beseer homself slegs 'n week voor Fauresmith en GD se drome is aan skerwe.

Kort voor lank het dr Henk Basson, Tjaart de Wet en die Lockwood-gesin van GD se teleurstelling te hore gekom en is daar aanbevelings gedoen om Lawaai vir GD as "leenperd" aan te bied. So kom dit toe dat GD en Lawaai mekaar vir die eerste keer op Fauries ontmoet.

Een van Lawaai se eerste eienaars, Carl Kitshoff, het gewaarsku dat Lawaai nie erg het aan mans nie en, met dit in gedagte, het GD die eerste aand 'n lang ruk alleen met Lawaai in sy stal deurgebring om die "bonding" ding te doen. Tjaart de Wet as afrigter, het ook raad gegee.

Die eerste dag wil Lawaai net laat waai en moet hy ingehou word om nie al sy energie te verbruik nie. Wonder bo wonder, lê hy die eerste aand in die senior standaardgewig kategorie reeds in die elfde posisie.

Ten spyte van ysige koue en selfs ysreën, skuif Lawaai en GD oor die volgende twee dae stelselmatig op in die gesogte top tien posisies in en eindig in 'n fenomenale sewende plek in die standaardgewig kategorie, met 'n totale tyd van 8:53:27 en 'n gemiddelde spoed van 22,6 km/h.

Hartlike dank aan sy eienaars, Georgina, Kay, Oscar en Stephne Lockwood wat hom toevertrou het aan 'n mede-ruiter, GD Kotze, om met so 'n besonderse perd aan die "strafste uithourit ter wêreld" te kon deelneem!

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