AFRICA SADDLE HORSE FUTURITY CONCEPT

AFRICA SADDLE HORSE FUTURITY

The concept was proposed by Ross Millin during November 2009 to boost and inspire the Saddle Horse breeding industry in South Africa. The basic concept is to establish a nominated breeding class with a level playing field for both the small and large breeder and where the foal owner, breeder and the owner of the stallion will have a better opportunity to get a return on investment. No foals will be nominated – only stallions and broodmares in foal from the nominated stallions. Only foals from the nominated broodmares will qualify to participate in the Weanling Futurity.

The idea is based on the very successful All American Cup by Jim Aikman and Melissa Moore’s Blue Grass Futurity with unique adjustments to accommodate the local Saddle Horse industry.

A Trust, the AFRICA SADDLE HORSE FUTURITY TRUST (ASF) has been established with three trustees, Ross Millin, George Borcherds and Francois Dercksen. This trust will be utilized as legal entity to manage the ASF.

With the pledge of stallions already nominated, the winner of the first Weanling Futurity will win an unsurpassed R25 000 in prize money. Each of the remaining seven foals placed will also win a substantive amount. The owner of the stallion of the winner of the class will also qualify for prize money.

The reasons why the Weanling Futurity will take place in Middelburg are numerous. Middelburg is central and boasts a number of firsts in the SA horse industry. The first ever National Saddle Horse Show took place in Middelburg in 1954 and The Riding Horse Judge’s Society was established here by Cecily Norden and Willie van der Merwe. It was also here where Cecily Norden wrote the first rulebook for judging of show horses and the organisation of horse shows in South Africa. A number of firsts for other horse breeds in the country also originated in Middelburg. This town deserves to be involved in yet another first in the Saddle Horse industry. There are a number of guest houses in and around Middelburg and accommodation should be cheaper than in Bloemfontein.

The show date of early March will ensure that it is warm enough that it will not be necessary to body clip the foals.

Because of an expected eighty six foals that will quality (if all the stallions that have been nominated have two foals entered) and the large prize money at stake, sufficient time will be needed to conduct the judging. It will thus necessitate preliminary judging and a final. Bloemfontein Show does not have sufficient time to accommodate such a class and it is not the idea or intention that this class replaces the current SA Champion Weanling Class. The show will be conducted under the rules of the Judge’s Society with a clear breeding standard and score sheets that will be transparent. Each of the judge’s placings and reasons will be available for all to view.

Initially a combined weanling in hand class for mares and colts is envisaged. The idea is to, at a later stage, establish a class where these horses can compete in a three year old performance class. Participation will however be restricted to foals that qualified for the ASF due to the stallion and broodmare nominations. Foals that did not participate in the initial Weanling Class, will also qualify to compete. It is expected that a number of foals that were not entered for the Weanling Futurity class because they might not have been “pretty” enough at that stage, will compete in the three year old class. Provision will be made for a Fine Harness, Three and Five Gaited division. Owners will be expected to again nominate these horses as two year olds for the various three year old classes. No cross nominations and no changes between the divisions will be allowed. An additional nomination fee will be applicable for the specific classes. This fee is yet to be determined. These classes will take place during the annual National Championships in Bloemfontein. Should the program not allow sufficient time for such classes, they will also take place during the Middelburg show.

November 2009