MARK ETHERIDGE: Young tent peggers keep up family traditions in Jordan championships

With many of the young team never having travelled overseas before, it wouldn’t be unfair to describe the recent participation of the SA tent pegging team in an international competition in Jordan earlier this year as a square peg in a round hole.

This was a youthful Under-21 team, aged between 16 and 18 years of age, but despite the event being held in the desert nation the team took to the challenge like a duck to water at the Aqaba International Beach Tent Pegging Championships.

Competing against six other teams, most of which featured older, more experienced competitors, the team placed fifth, returning to SA all the richer for the experience in this, one of the most ancient of equestrian disciplines.

KwaZulu-Natal based tent pegger Dalene Baksa, an international coach and judge, accompanied the team to Jordan as a mentor to team member Khosi Dlomo and took time to break down the sport for nonaficionados. (Baksa’s daughter Beverley was a world champion in 2018.)

“Around the globe 47 countries take part in tent pegging. In SA we have representation in all nine provinces but the sport is strongest in the Western Cape, the Free State and Gauteng,” says Baksa.

“It’s a fast but controlled sport, and has been around in SA for more than 75 years. Horse and rider compete as pairs down a track.”

The human-horse combination thunders down a track, mostly sand but in some cases grass, and have to target various items, whether it be a paper carton tent peg buried in the sand with just a 6cm surface to aim at, or rings and lemons (yes, you read right, lemons!).

Lances 2.2m long are used to target the pegs and rings, and swords are used to slice the lemons.

All of this has to be done at a certain minimum speed, in the juniors 4.6 sec over 50m in SA.

“The team in Jordan was a junior merit team, meaning it doesn’t matter what gender one is, and competitors needed to be at least 16 on the day of the competition. Our oldest member was 18,” says Baksa.

Western Cape based Hugo Jordaan was team captain in Jordan.

“What an experience … It was my first time travelling overseas for this sport and it was very special to be able to do it with my dad. He’s competed overseas a few times so he could teach and show me,” Jordaan says.

“I got to do it alongside four of our very best riders. All thanks to my parents, ‘coach Rassie’, aka coach Jaco Strydom, and our manager, Roland du Toit, for making this tour special.”

As is the case among many SA tent peggers, the sport is something of a family tradition. Says Rawsonville’s Lambert Smith: “I’ve been involved for 11 years and my dad has Proteas colours and has coached me for the past decade.

“I was fortunate to be crowned Cape Winelands sportsman of the year in 2023.

“Competing in Jordan was stressful and an honour. The support and companionship was amazing … every time you step on the track you represent the hope and pride of thousands of South Africans.”

Oudtshoorn scholar Abri Swanepoel grew up on a farm near Beaufort West and learnt his skills at the local club.

“Competing against those six other nations and experiencing the rich culture where we were entertained at five-star level will be an everlasting memory which I’ll cherish forever.”

And then to the two young women of the team, Tiegan Strydom and Dlomo.

The latter came across the sport by chance. “I only started in 2013 after I first heard about it at a friend’s birthday party. Dalene [Baksa] has taught me everything I know about horses and the sport. My first gymkhana was in 2014.

“In Jordan we were the youngest team and there were many challenges, like delayed flights, missed luggage, and even a fall from a horse but we pushed through. There was such positive feedback from competitors and spectators alike and even telephonically from the princess of Jordan, Princess Alia bint Hussein.”

Says Strydom from Bloemfontein who started competing as a seven-year-old: “Tent pegging is a sport that teaches you the saying ‘you win some and lose some’ and it keeps you humble.

“It’s a sport that combines speed, accuracy and the synchronisation of horses and weapons.

“Competing overseas on different horses was challenging but a learning experience that no-one can take away from us.”

She hopes more youngsters will take up the sport. “I’d love to see new, young blood in this amazing sport that will light up your heart with the love that we have for each other — our teammates and our horses.”

In Jordan, there was limited opportunity to get to know their borrowed horses; each horse and rider were only allowed six “runs” to familiarise themselves with their mount.

Baksa also has big dreams for the sport. “It may seem strange but at a time when there’s a move to limit equestrian events at the Olympics our big drive is to become part of the Olympic movement.

“It’s a very team and family-orientated sport. It’s multifaceted and one grows individually in the team. It’s also fairly male dominated because the men have the sheer strength to control the horses’ strength, which means women have to apply other skills to control their horses.

“I’d say Pakistan and SA have the most female competitors.”

The saying goes that, “if life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. Say that to tent peggers and they’re more likely to leap into the saddle and slice that lemon right down the middle with the sharpest of swords!