Enduring Endurance:
South Africa Outstrips the Competition
By Peta Daniel
Word count: 1310
It is a momentous time for the South African endurance community, because for the very first time
in history, a South African bred horse holds the FEI ranked number one spot in the world. Perdeberg
Cobra, bred by Perdeberg Endurance’s Danie Louw, has not only made history by being the first SA
horse to make it to the top, he also destroyed the 120km world record and made excellent time in
the 160km challenges. Perdeberg Cobra finished third in the UAE President’s Cup with a time of
06:06:19. He is the fastest South African Bred endurance horse ever.
We’re on the cusp of great things in the endurance world with world class endurance horses bred
and trained right here in South Africa. What does it take to produce a truly incredible endurance
horse? We spoke to some of SA’s top breeders to find out.
About our experts:
Janita Doyer, along with her husband Van Duyn, is a horse breeder who has loved horses for years.
She has competed in showing, jumping, dressage, polo cross and eventing before discovering
endurance. Janita started a riding school in ’66 focusing on teaching riders empathy and
understanding. She now does camps for riders and horses and is very successful. During her career
she has represented South Africa and has seen her horses taken to the top under various riders. Her
stud has been awarded ‘Most successful endurance breeder of the year’ five out of six times.
Danie Louw is the owner and trainer of Perdeberg Appaloosa and Arabian Studs and runs Perdeberg
Endurance. He studied agriculture and farming and began with fine wool Merinos and Simmentaler
cattle. Horse breeding and endurance are a personal passion of Danie’s, and he has subsequently
bred many Appaloosa champions. He breeds Arabians with strong proven bloodlines for endurance
and his horses hold a number of course records in South Africa and have also done very well
internationally. The number one ranked FEI endurance horse in the world is his own Perdeberg Cobra,
bred and sold by Danie.
Laura Seegers is the stud breeder for Perseverance Arabian and Endurance Horses. She has a BSc
Honours degree in Animal Science specialising in nutrition and genetics. Francois and Laura Seegers
pioneered barefoot horses in endurance and are leading experts worldwide in the field. They also
teach courses on barefoot and endurance. The goal of Laura’s Arabian breeding is to preserve the old
bloodlines of the Arabians from colonial days. In South Africa they are known as the ‘SA Old English’.
Undoubtedly one of the most popular equine sports in SA, endurance offers an intense, demanding
and often gruelling challenge for horse and rider teams, where hard work, fitness and teamwork is
essential.
It’s therefore essential to have a horse who is willing to work, who has a desire to see what is over
the next horizon, a good head and a strong constitution that will stand up to rigorous training.
However, that’s just the beginning.
Conformation
The perfect endurance horse has:
straight legs with short cannons and parallel tendons
a deep chest
an average slope to the shoulder
a large angle at the shoulder join which will place the elbow away from the girth area
vertical shoulder blades that don’t angle away in to the withers from the shoulder joint (thus
stacking the joints neatly on top of each other)
a good length and slope to the hindquarters with long muscles reaching low towards the
hocks
well-developed thighs
Action
The successful endurance horse will have a ground-covering stride, with a smooth trot and canter. A
medium action is best as too much energy is wasted in a huge, flamboyant action. “We teach all our
horses to develop a fast trot to relieve their canter muscles in competition without losing speed, so a
natural fast trotter is an asset,” says Janita.
Size
The average endurance horse is between 14.2 and 15hh high. Laura prefers a horse of the standard
size as she believes they are big enough without having to carry too much of their own weight.
Laura’s ideal endurance horse is lightly built. She prefers a horse that is deep in the chest but not too
bulky as big bulky muscles can’t lose heat quickly enough and the endurance horse must be able to
run cool.
Physiology
“I like a horse with the physiology to move oxygen from the air to his cells,” says Laura. “That means
elastic nostrils, a big windpipe that is loose at the gullet, big lungs and heart, big arteries and veins
and she must have the right muscle type to burn oxygen efficiently.”
Temperament
A self-assured, confident but unruffled temperament is very important. “At top level horses have to
travel several days to a competition and many riders have been disappointed because their horses
would not eat and drink during travelling and upon arriving at a venue,” says Janita. “During the race
day an excitable horse will ride on nervous energy and play itself out during the first leg of the
competition leaving no energy for the next 100 or so kilometres.”
Attitude
A good endurance horse should enjoy being ridden and visiting new places, says Laura. A keenness
to go but obedience when asked to slow down is essential. “I love a competitive horse, but he must
be sensible and foot sure even at speed so that we never stumble or fall in rough terrain,” she says.
The X factor
Besides having the natural ability, great action and the right temperament, the perfect endurance
horse should have a strong mind that just won’t quit, advises Danie. A big heart, the ability to pace
himself and the will to win are a must. “A really good endurance horse will never stop running,” says
Danie
Challenges of breeding top endurance horses
According to Janita, the biggest challenge is the time factor. “It takes at least eight years from foal to
a correctly prepared horse to competition level,” shares Janita.
Another serious challenge is to pair a horse with the right rider for the maximum development of
both.
The business is costly, explains Janita, as they only sell horses who have been trained and passed all
stud performance testing.
What is the modern endurance horse?
“In my opinion,” says Janita, “there is no such thing!” However, she does believe that there are
trends that can influence a breeding program. Current trends include breeding for bigger horses.
Whether a bigger horse is in fact better for endurance is debatable as most record holders
internationally are between 14.2 and 15hh.
Breeding
Janita only breeds from top scoring mares and stallions. “When we use outside stallions we are as
ruthless with their offspring as with our own homebred stallions: they have to meet the
performance criteria we set at the stud before they are taken into the breeding program,” says
Janita.
These strict criteria mean that they succeed in breeding horses with stamina at speed, low heart
rates and big lungs that will assist in the very important heart rate recovery during competition.
Why are Arabs and their crosses still one of the most successful endurance breeds?
“Arabs are the fastest over long distances,” explains Laura. This is because they can carry oxygen to
their muscles and burn it efficiently all day. Although thoroughbred horses are faster they can’t keep
going all day, says Laura. Arabians are willing to just go and go, and while many other breeds may
have the stamina, they are simply not as fast as the Arabians.
Laura’s images
https://www.dropbox.com/home/HQ%20LauraSeegers
The one where I am in SA colours riding a white horse is taken by Dustypics
at Fauresmith 2011 when I came 5th on one of my barefoot horses, PSV Jedi.
The other pic was taken by Theuns Botha with one of my broodmares, PSV
Epic.