"During the restructuring of the governance structures for sport and recreation, government has been given the responsibility for mass participation INCLUDING SCHOOL SPORT and SASCOC the responsibility for High Performance Sport. Our Department thus collaborated with the Department of Education, the custodians of schools, in order to fulfil the mandate to government to take responsibility for school sport. The two respective Ministers signed a cooperation agreement and we according put the National Coordinating Committee (NACOC) in place to oversee school sport. As per recommendation of the Steering Committee appointed by the Minister, we met on many occasions with USSASA to ensure a smooth transition or handover of all school sport structures. As a matter of principle, we have accepted all the USSASA codes and are in the process of discussing how all the NACOC structures would operate and relate to one another".(Mr. Greg Fredericks, Acting Director Dept. of Sport & Recreation 2007)

SCHOOL SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA:  In Summary

The two departments – Education and Sport and Recreation - are jointly to provide leadership with the objectives of formalising the system, providing facilities, and instilling pride and patriotism in learners.  The levels of responsibility will range from one school's obligation to provide inter- and extra-curricular sport, to inter-school, inter-regional's and inter-provincials under the auspices of the DoE and DSR provincial and/or national departments.  

All sporting codes under the previous USSASA were infused into the new structure during this process.  A representative of the Department of Education said that school sport is part of school enrichment and life orientation, so it must seen as a nursery to concentrate on those children who will not make national teams: it should focus on the mass.  Which should not preclude talent identification - it is just that such meritocracy should not be the primary focus.

At this point the Department of Sport and Recreation instructed the National Federations to become more involved in schools sport acting as the custodians of the sport as school sport forms the "nursery school" to Federations, developing at grass root level - identifying talent that can be developed by the Federations into Team South Africa.

It was widely recognised that equestrian sport (classified a minority sport) in South Africa is extremely small in numbers when compared to the mass participation sporting codes such as soccer, rugby or cricket (some of the 16 priority sporting codes).   It also has fewer participants than other popular sport such as tennis, aquatics, athletics, etc.  The barriers to participation in equestrian sport are essentially financial, the access to a horse and all the implications involved in owning one.

BACKGROUND ON SCHOOL EQUESTRIAN

School Equestrian was founded at a meeting in November 2002.  We received membership from USSASA in February 2003 (as it was the structure running all school sport in South Africa) and the blessing of the DoE and the first school equestrian competition with 60 riders in total was organised. 

After a very successful first school equestrian competition, it stimulated interest in equestrian sport at many schools and as a consequence, our competitions grew exponentially. Our National Championships held in September 2009 had 8 provinces competing, 670 horses and 590 learners from Grade 1 to Grade 12.  With each province submitting only 2 teams per class offered, a 1452 entries were handled over 2.5 days.  Not only did SANEF Schools expand to include more provinces during 2009, but also adding new disciplines to the original 5 that the League started with.

Functioning according to the required government demarcation and transformation, the interest that we have stimulated in equestrian sport (which has now become a recognised school sport at many schools) is by no means confined to elite private schools but includes schools from all regions. 

PURPOSE STATEMENT

SANEF Schools' Equestrian would like to hook onto the SASCOC purpose statement " to transform sport and unleash the full sporting potential of all South Africans" with our own being that no child in South Africa with any access to a horse should be barred from equestrian sport, and thus the entry requirements should be as low as possible (in respect of skills, costs and quality of mount and in order to encourage grass roots mass participation WITHOUT compromising rider safety and horse welfare). On the other hand, the higher levels of the sport should be sufficiently challenging to reveal the talented riders who could be developed through the Federation into Team SA -- in short:  To let our children ride.

These two objectives are achieved entirely through a schools-based team system, in which individual interests are subordinate to the school team requirements.

In pursuit of these objectives, the characteristics of the League are:

1. The league competitions are open to any bona fida learner in a South African school and riders at every level from beginners (lead rein) to provincial riders, may participate.
2. The team system emphasises the interests of the school over those of the individual; gives significance to even the weakest individual; and aligns with schools' emphasis on team sports and recognition criteria.
3. Costs are kept to a minimum: the League is a not-for-profit organisation, mostly run by volunteers, and charges only a once of registration fee for schools (R30.00) but no membership/registration fees to the learners.
4. The potential barrier of horse ownership is addressed in part by the acceptance of riding school ponies and the role given to un-mounted riders.

SANEF Schools operates as a distinct Discipline of SANEF (South African Equestrian Federation), which administers the FEI Equestrian sport in South Africa.  Other discipline Federation has also joined the ranks and SANEF Schools therefore are now in the position to offer Endurance and Saddle Seat Equitation as well.

This structure allows for the development of equestrian sport at all levels;  including judges and other officials, suitability of venues, grading of ponies/horses, consistency in the application of rules and rule changes, co-ordination of competitions, funding and fundraising, and safety critical matters.   Pupils can advance through SANEF Schools' Qualifying shows to inter-regional (called Finals), inter-provincial (Nationals) and international schools' competitions and ultimately strive for excellence and participation through SANEF and SASCOC at the World Equestrian Games and the Olympic Games.   All competitions, competitors and their mounts are now subject to disciplinary rules and veterinary regulations. This is enforced by SANEF Schools through its member schools abiding by the SANEF Constitution and General Regulations and ensuring compliance with the SANEF Schools' Rules.

SCHOOL PARTICIPATION

First and foremost, we ask schools to please acknowledge the equestrian learners in your school by allowing them to participate for their school in the SANEF Schools league. 

As school you only need to complete the School Registration Form online with the payment of the once off fee of R30.00.  All riders in your school may now participate in the various disciplines and levels.  Helping the riders to strategise will be hugely beneficial to them as they must, over a maximum of 4 Qualifying shows accumulate points to place their school within the category they participate.  The winning school (overall and per level per discipline) will be the school with the most points, therefore it will be better to rather enter two levels with 3 riders each than 6 levels with 1 rider each.  Participating categories are determined on the number of riders per school.

The School competition ends at the end of the 4^th Qualifier when winning schools will be announced, and Regional teams (when applicable) or Provincial School teams will be selected out of the riders that participated during the season.  The process of any team selection will be on the individual performance of a horse and rider combination.  They will be placed according to individual points accumulated during the season and the top 8 riders will be eligible for Regional Teams (4 = A team and 4 = B team) eg. Gauteng North Equestrian Team, Level 5 Show Jumping or Mpumalanga A Team, Level 3 Equitation. 

The Regional teams will now compete representing their Regions in a Final competition where the top 8 riders on the day will be selected to represent their Province at the National Championships held in September 2009 at Kyalami Equestrian Park, Gauteng.  Provinces with less numbers of riders do not have to compete in Regions, but may after the 4 Qualifiers, select their Provincial School Equestrian Teams on the basis of riders placing as described above.  It is also up to the SANEF Schools Provincial Committee to decide whether they will field A and B or just A teams for the National Championships. 

Should the opportunity arise to compete against an International School Team, team selection will be according to the selection criteria published on the website in the beginning of a season.  Please remember that SANEF Schools have the policy of "teams selecting themselves", thus best performance on the day at the show allocated for team selection, will more than likely be the norm.

Our disciplines like Endurance, Vaulting and Saddle Seat Equitation (2010) will have a sligthly different way of operating.  Please see the published Rules for more information.

Although parents and riders would appreciate the interest of the Teacher corps at a school in their sport, they do not expect any teacher to be present at all/any of the shows.  The parents undertake FULL responsibility for the rider on the day of the show as well as the administration of entering the child/riders should the school request it.  Some schools have added the equestrian team entries to their yearly sport budget and pay for those entries, which is greatly appreciated, but it is not expected of a school to do so. 

Colour policies in terms of half colours, full colours or Honours etc. are the prerogative of the school and SANEF Schools may not prescribe at all.  We would like to, on behalf of our riders, ask you to favourably consider them.  Equestrian is a sport requiring abnormal dedication as it is not a seasonal sport, meaning riders have to exercise and train their horses at least 2 or 3 times per week, right through the year, and on the day they compete it is on an animal with its own agenda – not necessarily tuned to that of the rider!

Please feel free to contact us should you require more information on info@sanefschools.org.za