Biography
My riding career started in a slightly unusual way and caused me to travel thousands of miles on my quest to become the best. Suffice to say I have miles yet to go! I trained as a ballet dancer for 12 years and attended The National School of the Arts for dancing in South Africa.
It was during my training sessions that my brother discovered a horse racing yard very near to the studio. One thing led to another (as happens with boys) and we ended up with a Thoroughbred mare, who was a perfect first horse. We were hooked! I tried to combine dancing and horses but as they both take up more hours than there are in a day it proved impossible to do both to the standard I wanted. During that time I had success in Juniors producing a few ponies to JA. My favourite, "Lady Jade", was actually a Soweto rescue case who ended up competing at the FEI Championships in South Africa.
I travelled to Germany as soon as I finished school to work and train at Stal Schockermohle. Wow, what a culture shock! Over 200 competition horses, a small army of grooms and riders, vets and farriers all on site. I worked hard and after work begged for lessons and rides. I was thrown into the deep end and came out stronger!
I now run a competition livery yard in the UK with my wife who is a dressage rider and trainer, which is a real help keeping on top of my dressage. I competed in my first horse trials with a failed dressage mare and we won! Nothing like a little success to make you determined. Since then I have ridden and produced a fair few horses, some of which have been very good, but we are running a business which means we have to sell horses too, especially the good ones. I was the first ever South African rider to compete at Burghley (in 2009) and I was thrilled to finish 38th at my first Badminton in 2010 on Tiger's Eye.
I have had some good results in 2010/11 including finishing in the top 15 at Blenheim CIC*** with Uprising 2010, having a top 10 dressage score at Bramham with Uprising in 2011 and completing Badminton 2011 with a severed collateral ligament in my knee, jumping clear cross country! Uprising had his best results at 3* to date with 4th and 12th at Hartpury and my young horses Topstar and Lando have both won novices, so they have promising futures ahead of them. Going forwards, I am aiming to improve my consistency, and can now say that I have achieved my goal of selection for the London Olympics for South Africa!