Groenvlei Perd en Ruiterpark, Groenvlei laan 14, Freestate, Bloemfontein (2025)

01/09/2025

“Life happens on the way to your goals, not once you get there.”

So proud of both these special horses at this weekend’s JML Show🤍 Successfully smashed a very personal goal 💪

Suavitas, owned by Leonore Visser, felt absolutely amazing in the warm-up and the arena, we experimented with a few things and got great feedback from the judge.

Callaho Bohemia, owned by Runé Edeling, did the PSG very successfully for the first time. She is the 5th horse I’v had the privilege of schooling to PSG.

Both horses felt so willing and eager to work, it was just a pleasure to ride. 🙏 I feel so privileged every time I get to sit on one of these horses🤍

Thank you to and my mother for the help and coaching in getting these two horses here🤍

Thank you to Marlise and her team for once again hosting a fantastic show. Such a great venue and organization

Photos by and 🙏

31/08/2025

A few photos of a proud coaching moment from this weekend’s JML show✨

Mia van Rensburg and Berkins Crownlands Fürst Reign rode their first test in a tailcoat to a very respectable score. 😎

Mia and Reign started their partnership in March of 2024 in Novice, raking in multiple medals in the two SA Youth Championship they participated in so far.

Now we’re looking forward to developing their senior career in the higher levels.

Congratulations on this fantastic achievement Team Reign 👑

(Mia, owner Vicky and chief supporter Elmarie💙)

Photos by Tania Allen Photography

02/07/2025

SA Youth Championships 2025 ~ Freestyle day

Dit kon nie beter nie 😎

Caro Nel and Berghof Florestar GPR rode a fantastic freestyle to add a silver medal to their team gold and individual bronze 💪 what a week for Caro and Star in their first season competing in Elementary.

The Junior Medium Freestyle was next with Lianri on Jazzy, Dané on Bennie, and Nieve on Roxy competing in a big class. Team Gauteng even fielded a full Medium team on top of their open team the day before! (The future of Dressage in SA really looks bright)
Both Lianri and Dané rode fantastic freestyles, with a high degree of difficulty and good ex*****on. Lianri and Jazzy took the Championship title on a fantastic score to add to their individual gold medal, with Dané and Benedict taking the individual silver medal to give team GPR our first 1, 2 on the podium for the day. If that wasn’t enough, Nieve and Roxy then produced a brilliant freestyle to take the individual fourth place. Even more remarkable is that this was only Nieve and Roxy’s 2nd Medium show, with neither of them having competed at this level before. Roxy was quite tense and nervous the first three days of competition, and to watch Nieve calmly work through it all and give Roxy confidence was just amazing.

The PR Individual Championships were next on the schedule. Probably the most contested championship of the show. With the warm-up time for the Jnr Medium and the PR FEI clashing, we decided that Johane would help Lané and Mia, while I stayed with Lianri, Nieve and Dané. I’m still not sure exactly what they did in that warm-up, but it worked out brilliantly. Both Lané and Mia produced their PB performance in the Championship, with Lané and Cosmic successfully defending their title for a hat trick of gold medals. One judge gave 78% for their freestyle, with an overall score of 75%.
Mia and Zanzi also rose to the occasion to score 72% and take the silver medal. Not bad for someone who has only ridden this level once before and had never ridden the freestyle in a competition. The future really does look bright! So another 1, 2 for Team GPR on the podium. It gave us deja vu vibes of 2015 when Leanore Visser and Maestoso Erdem, and Chanel Jacobs and Sherwill Valedictory exchanged 🥇🥈 throughout the Individual Championships for team GPR.

Already elated, we had to calm down and focus for one more Championship. The FEI Jnr freestyle. Fortunately Lianri and Sunny were up to the task. A brilliant warm-up followed by a fantastic test gave them their 2nd gold medal on a score of 73%. That also gave Lianri the individual championship title in all 4 tests she rode throughout the show.

There’s so many people I have to thank! But for now I’m going to process all of this, have a cup of coffee and get back to that tomorrow!

30/06/2025

SA Youth Championships 2025 ~ Day 3

The Inter-Provincial Team Championships

With the live-stream on, some of the best judges in South Africa officiating and the arena looking absolutely spectacular, the Inter-provincial team championships were geared up to be an amazing event!

Unfortunately, only Gauteng and the FS (combined with one rider from the WP and one rider from the NC) fielded teams. So we effectively had a two-horse race. Still, the team event had a lot of excitement and drama. 😎

Zuri Wessels and Mystique Nayla GPR were our first rider to go in the PR Team Event. Still only competing in Elementary, they stepped up to a higher level to represent the Free-State team. A super solid test gave us a slight lead going into the 2nd line of riders. 😎

Our neighbor from the NC then rode another solid test to keep us on roughly the same score as Gauteng.

Mia van der Merwe and Kochra Bannut Zanzi had to ride the test of their life to stay on par with either one of Gauteng’s last two riders. We did not want Lané and Cosmic to have to chase more than 2% going last. Fortunately, they over-delivered. 😎 An absolutely fantastic test rewarded with 67% kept us in the lead.

Lané and Cosmic then smashed a 71% despite an error of course😂

Gold for the FS PR Team🥇🙌

Our Jr/YR team consisted of only Jnr’s and some very green horses at this level. They put on a proper fight, with Lianri and Sunny leading the way. Unfortunately at the end we just fell short of Gauteng’s team total.

Massive congratulations to team Gauteng for brilliant riding in both Team competitions! And thank you for the wonderful sportsmanship between all the riders, parents, and coaches. It was a day to remember!

Hopefully next year we can have a bigger team competition 💪

30/06/2025

SA Youth Championships 2025 ~ Day 3

The Individual Elementary Championships 💪😎

With the Championship classes in the Peter Minnie arena being live-streamed, all the lovely sponsor banners around the arena, the pretty decorations, and the massive Westernshoppe tent next to the arena, the show really had a championship feel.

The day started with a bang when Mia van Rensburg and Berkins Crownland’s Fürst Reign smashed their personal best score in the YR Elementary Championships to win the Individual silver medal😎🥈

Caro Nel and Berghof Florestar GPR rode their best test of the week to win a bronze medal in the Jnr Elementary Championships. 🙌🥉

It takes a lot of composure to produce your best when your best is required, and I am super proud of both these riders for doing exactly that!

29/06/2025

SA Youth Championships 2025 ~ Day 2

~The next right thing~

Three Individual Championship classes and one Team event for Team GPR and the Free State.

The results? Three individual gold medals and gold in the Jnr/YR Elementary team event. 😎💪 What an incredible day

🥇Lianri Fourie and Mossandi Night of Jazz won the Jnr Medium Dressage Championships

🥇Lané Laubscher won the FEI PR Individual Dressage Championships on an incredible 71%

🥇 Lianri Fourie and Sanson won the FEI Jnr Individual Dressage Championships

The FS Elementary team consisting of Caro Nel and Berghof Florestar GPR, Mia van Rensburg and Berkins Crownlands Fürst Reign, and Franco Stevens on Lorima Shanika won the Jnr/YR Elementary Team Championships 🥇🥇🥇

A 100% success rate for team GPR in the Championships classes today.

We still have a few days of competition left, but I want to thank a few people for making these incredible results possible.

Johane van Rensburg 💙 Thank you for all the coaching, for being a sounding board, for listening to all my plans, and for reminding me why we do things the way we choose to do them. None of this would have been possible without you.

Tia McCarthy 🙌 thank you for being the first person to always believe in doing the next right thing. For your input, ideas, all the warm-ups and absolute belief that the horse should come first. I would not want to be on this journey without you

My mom 🤍 goodness. Thank you for everything. All the early mornings, all the late nights, the support and belief.

Juan Rodríguez 🇪🇸 Thank you for all the help and support from a million miles away. It’s been invaluable. Meeting you and Sanson has been simply incredible.

28/06/2025

SA Youth Champs day 1
Upper stepping😎

Vet check and qualifiers

We had an early morning, with the open Team and FEI horses going through the vet check. As we believe that all the horses should be fully turned out for the trot up, the kids were out plaiting before the sunrise ☀️

Our horses and riders looked immaculate in their FS Team wear and the horses flew through the vet check.

The first class of the day was the PR FEI Individual Qualifier. Lané and Cosmic had some fantastic moments, unfortunately also some expensive mistakes due to Cosmic’s exuberance 😂. I adore this pony’s love of life and how Lané allows him to be himself. If you want an expressive pony, you must allow them to express themselves.

Mia van der Merwe Zanzi rode a brilliant test in only their 2nd PR FEI start. An unfortunate mistake in the one simple change cost them valuable marks, but what a super combination. A pony who tries his heart out for a young kid who seems as if she’s been doing this for years. Nerves of steel. 😎

Lianri Fourie and Jazzy were our first rider in the Jnr Medium class. They rode a fantastic test for a super 2nd place in a very large class, with lots of room for improvement for tomorrow 💪

Dané and Benedict were next in the same class. A small miscommunication in the one flying change line cost some important marks, they still managed a 3rd👏

Nieve and Roxy had some brilliant moments, followed but some chaotic moments 😂 Roxy found some of the Peter Minnie arena fairly intimidating, which led to marks ranging from 9’s to 2’s. Still, Nieve managed to coax a good mark out of Roxy, while riding to give her confidence in the arena. Tomorrow’s another day😎

Zuri and Misty probably had their best test to date. A 2nd place in a massive class in the PR Elementary Q. 🙌 Fortunately according to Zuri she also won enough prize money to retire and move to Cape Town😂

Lianri and Sanson pulled out their best test ever in the FEI Jnr Individual test. A fault-free round for just under 70% gave them the win in the qualifier. 💪

Caro and Florestar rode a great test; one moment in the first simple change line had a moment of miscommunication, which cost a lot of marks, but they ended up in 3rd place in probably the most competitive class at the show. 🙏

Mia and Reign left the best for last, coming second in the YR Elementary Q1 with a fantastic round. The improvement these two have made in the last few months is truly starting to show in the arena🙌

Yesterday afternoon we had a team meeting on what we wanted to accomplish today. We decided that we couldn’t control what happens, the circumstances, or the results. But we could control how we respond to what happens. And that we would use every problem (which would inevitably happen) as an opportunity to “Be Better”

Be better horsemen
Be better sportsmen

You only get to practice being better when things are difficult.

That every situation that goes either for us or against us would be an opportunity to build the identity of someone who takes control by accepting responsibility for everything. Whether it’s our fault or not. It’s our responsibility.

These kids not only lived up to that standard today. They absolutely shattered it. 😎 I could not be prouder

16/06/2025

Fear fades when you face it. Doubt dies when you do it.
Success rings when you stop waiting.

You’re not good enough. And neither was anyone else you look up to when they got started.

09/06/2025

JML Equestrian post (2)

The 2025 FS Dressage Youth Team: as announced at the Selection show

Jnr YR Elementary
Franco Stevens Lorima Shanika
Caro Nel and Berghof Florestar GPR
Mia Janse van Rensburg and Birkin’s Crownland Fürst Reign

PR Ch Open Dressage Team
Zuri Wessels and Mystique Nayla GPR
Mia van der Merwe and Kochra Bannut Zanzi
Lané Laubscher and Lemax Cosmic

Jnr YR Open team

Dané Laubscher and Callaho Benedict
*Lianri Fourie and Sanson
Nieve Armour and Mossandi Rockstar GPR

Reserve combination
*Lianri Fourie and Mossandi Night of Jazz (2nd horse)

Team manager for all teams: Johane Janse van Rensburg

Congratulations to all the riders! We are delighted to announce that all the riders in the FS Open Teams ride for team GPR 🐴

09/06/2025

JML Equestrian Dressage Show. (1) First a personal post: Camden’s By Chance 💙

When Chance’s owner (who is also his breeder, rider, and trainer) went away for the weekend to do typical Bowen things. (Her daughter Kayleigh Bowen casually finished the comrades marathon 🫡💪) I got the opportunity to take Chance to the show. At the last minute, we decided to enter him for his first Advanced test, after only having done 2 Medium shows previously. We never actually trained the complete Advanced movements on Chance. Karin simply focused on all the basics, her position, timing, and feel. Chance never even went through the entire sequence before the show. (Not recommending this😉, just pointing out that everything is built in doing basics properly. And then doing them again)

I made some silly errors; mostly waiting too long to set Chance up for the next movement. Still, Chance absolutely performed. He won the class with 65% with lots of positive comments from the judges.

Karin 😎 thanks for letting me borrow your horse with all his fantastic training. It’s been an absolute privilege to be a part of this team from not being able to halt, all the way to Advanced Dressage🙏💪

05/05/2025

If you truly love this sport you have to learn to love it twice

The first time it’s the initial appeal. You watch a great test or training, someone who makes everything look effortless. Dancing with their horse. The first flying change, piaffe, passage, pirouette. The magic.
Then slowly as you embark on the journey the curtain lifts. You see the amount of effort it takes to get the most basic things right. Things so boring that a bystander won’t even realise that you are training. Or trying to. The realisation that you know nothing. That you don’t have the answers and the more you learn the less you know.

It’s no longer perfect. It’s real.

And then if you still love it. If you still love it with the heartbreak, the uncertainty, without the illusion of effortlessness, without expectation, then the magic slowly appears. Somewhere right in front of you, so close that you can reach out and touch it, but somehow always just miss. Coming back for more every day. That’s the real love of understanding this sport.
The kind that stays
The kind that grows
For the horse. Not for ourselves

13/04/2025

The standard of entry for dressage is ridiculously low, and the bar for adequacy is higher than any other sport.

Why is this a problem?

The minimum viable standard for any other sport is the standard of entry. If I wanted to run a marathon, even while coming dead last, the standard of entry would be being able to run 42 km. No couch potato who could only walk/jog 5km would be able to enter a marathon. Doesn’t matter how well or how fast they can run. The minimum viable standard is the cost of entry.
If I wanted to play hockey, even for the F team, the cost of entry would be being able to display the skills necessary for that F team. No expensive hockey stick will hide the fact that I have zero hockey skills, and no team will allow me to start.

Now if I practiced running for a year (or 5) I could run a marathon (albeit very slowly 😂) but I would need to meet the minimum viable standard.

In Dressage, we see the 5K club couch potatoes running marathons all the time. And the mitigator for the 37km difference is the horse. Because (some) horses are extremely tolerant, forgiving creatures. Who takes all sorts of abuse from riders whose egos far outweigh their skill levels?
People who cannot sit the trot, leaning on the bit to keep their own balance riding movements they understand nothing about, but getting away with it because the horse is a saint. 5km fitness. 42 Km ambition. The horse carrying 37 km…

On the other side, we have an extremely high level of adequacy. The elite riders are at the same skill level as runners like Gerda Steyn. But the adequate runner can be exactly that: average. Jack LeGoff used to say that having an independent seat, one that allowed you to sit without bouncing, was not an indication that you were a good rider. Mr LeGoff said that having an independent seat ALLOWED you to BECOME a good rider. It was an entry-level basic for so much else. (Quoted from Denny Emmerson) How many riders do you know who uphold such a standard? To be adequate…? Then good after this.

A low entry and high adequacy level. And the horse mitigates the two. This then leaves us with the greatest personal responsibility of any sport. The skill of the rider is the horse's ultimate protection. Unfortunately, that skill is not a cost of entry.

Groenvlei Perd en Ruiterpark

01/09/2025

31/08/2025

02/07/2025

30/06/2025

30/06/2025

29/06/2025

28/06/2025

16/06/2025

09/06/2025

09/06/2025

05/05/2025

13/04/2025

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