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HRH The Princess Royal To Visit World Horse Welfare’s International Programme In South Africa

12 years ago
2139 views

Posted
13th April, 2012 13h31


Enos Mafokate Enos Mafokate World Horse Welfare’s President HRH The Princess Royal will be visiting South Africa next week where she will see first-hand the work of our charity’s International team who help hundreds of working horses each year. For the first time The Princess Royal will visit one of our charity’s courses in a developing country where we provide local people with saddlery and farriery skills to help improve the lives of their horses and therefore their own livelihoods. In 2008, World Horse Welfare undertook research to evaluate the condition of the working horses in the country in response to a request for help from the Soweto Equestrian Centre and Johannesburg City Council. It became apparent that the living environments of many of the horses were totally unsuitable and that their basic needs were not being met. Common injuries were being caused by ill-fitting harness, carts bearing weight incorrectly and poor shoeing. Old mattress springs, wire and smashed glass were also found at the coal yards where many of the horses were kept. Therefore, in 2008 World Horse Welfare launched its training programme in Soweto to provide local people with saddlery and farriery skills to help tackle the welfare problems endured by the working horses which are mainly used to transport goods. To date, we have trained 39 farriers and 35 saddlers. During The Princess Royal’s visit on Monday 16 April, she will meet World Horse Welfare Chief Executive Roly Owers, our charity’s Head of Programme Development Karen O’Malley, and the 10 saddlery and 12 farriery students who are currently being trained at the Soweto Equestrian Centre. Roly Owers commented on the visit by saying: “We are extremely honoured to have The Princess Royal in Soweto to see the work of our International team first-hand. This is the first time she has been to visit one of our training programmes which is in its fourth year. When the final module is completed, it is hoped that hundreds of working horses will subsequently benefit through the improved services of the trained farriers and harness-makers.” The project in Soweto is unique as, in addition to hosting farriery and harness-making training, the excellent facilities are also used by more than 50 able-bodied and disabled children who participate in a variety of equestrian sports. This is made possible through the Soweto Equestrian Foundation which was founded in 2007, in partnership with Johannesburg City Council and World Horse Welfare, by Enos Mafokate, South Africa’s first black show jumper. The Foundation subsequently became affiliated to World Horse Welfare in 2009. Enos encourages children with the desire to reach the top level of equestrian sport to compete at national and international levels. So much so that in 2010, the Soweto Equestrian Foundation Vaulting Team won a number of classes at the South African Vaulting Championships, with one of the team members subsequently being selected to represent South Africa at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. Enos has himself completed World Horse Welfare’s farriery training course in Cape Town, where he gained professional shoeing skills and continued to work as a competent farrier. Enos explains how he felt when he found out about The Princess Royal’s visit to The Soweto Equestrian Foundation: “"When I heard the news that The Princess Royal was going to be visiting us in Soweto, it was like a complete blessing had been made not only to myself but to the Soweto Equestrian Centre. It has always been a childhood dream to meet a member of the Royal family and to think this will now happen as a result of having a life-long passion for horses will make the occasion even more rewarding".

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