Commissioned by the Eastern Cape Gambling and Betting Board (ECGBB), the Status of Traditional Horse Racing in the Eastern Cape report provides a fascinating glimpse into the long-lasting and often little known connection many Xhosa people have with horses. A cornerstone of rural Xhosa life, horses have been used for generations for work and transport - as well as racing

MacGregor, David

Paterson, Craig

South East Academic Libraries System (SEALS)

like us on face book Daily Dispatch Tourism can also playa vital role THE Traditional Horse Rac-ing (THR) report recom-mends the sport be properly managed, protected and de-veloped as a cultural activity tbat also has tourism po-tential. They called for: • Belter co-operation be-tween associations involved in mdyarho (racing events) to develop the sport further. • A thorough investiga-tion into the origins and functioning of clubs and as-sociations that manage THR events to ascertain the de-velopment of the sport from its early cultural forms until now. This would help to pro-tect THR using indigenous knowledge systems law. • Investigate assistance for jockeys. • Conduct training work-shops on borse-care man-agement using traditional knowledge systems. • Training and education on government legislation possibly using animal wel-fare organisations. • EstabUshing a pilot pro-ject to help standardise the development of venues CUf-rently being used. • Assess the potential of supplying the associations with water tanks and mar-quees to use at races. • Better communication with government depart-ments and municipaUties to ensure the inclusion of THR in their economic and social development plans. • More detailed invest-igations into how traditional horse-racing can be devel-oped into an appropriate and equitable tourism product. - David Macgregor Follow us @Dispatch_DD Saturday I October 19, 2013 MSD HAPPY DAYS: an elderly horse-racing fan dressed in his Sunday best struts his stuff at a Tsolo junction meeting Picture: CRAIG PATERSON Rural racing is thriving By DAVID MACGREGOR Senior Reporter H ORSE-RACING may be called the sport of kings but that does not mean you need to be ricb and famous to own and race horses. A cornerstone of rural Xhosa life, horses have been used for generations for work and transport - as well as racing. Far from the man-icured big city race tracks and computerised betting boards, rural racing is thriv-ing, according to a recent Rhodes University report. Commissioned by the Eastern Cap~ Gambling and Betting Board (ECGBB), The Status of Traditional Horse Racing in the Eastern Cape Competing is mainly for prestige report provides a fascinating glimpse into the long-lasting - and often Uttle known -connection many Xhosa peo-ple have with horses. Project manager Jaine Roberts, who is Rhodes Uni-versity director of research, said even though traditional racing has been thriving in rural areas for many gener-ations Ultle formal rese~rcb had been done. "It was important to do as there was a vague knowl-edge in urban areas of rac-ing happening 'out tbere'." Roberts said it had been unfairly labelled "bush rac-ing" by city sUckers unfamil-iar with the role the popular pastime plays in rural com-munities. "I thought it pa,'ticularly concerning this raCing in many areas of the Eastern Cape was referred to as 'bush racing\ concomitant with seeming fears among white horse owners their horses could be stolen for it! Roberts, who has been rid-ing for years herself, said the passion for horses in ru-ral areas went back gener-ations and had resulted in most of the gtooms and work riders at professional racing yards in KZN coming from the Eastern Cape. According to Roberts, it emerged during the two-month research that racing was more a traditional sport of socio-cultural significance than organised gambling. "It is full of camaraderie and good spirit around who has the best horse." She said there were some-times "wagers" between owners from far and wide who were competing more for prestige and trophies tban cash. U AstOnishing for me was learning the amalChosa had a cavalry of some 7 000 hors-es back in 1842. I cannot re-call ever learning that in any of the history books I was prescribed." Roberts said the talents of riders from the Eastern Cape had long been ignored by the organised racing fra-tern.ity. "It took till now for a black jockey to wfu the (Durban) July A bit of active recruit-ment, ranging over Pon-doland and further south, could well have seen the Jockey Academy at Sum-merveld filled witb talented -trainees from the Eastern Cape - much earUer tban 2013." She urged passing motor-ists travelling on the N2 near Mthatha to "stop in at Tsolo Junction - you'll find some of our heritage there." -davidm@dispatch.cO.2a YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE, WE'LL SHOW YOU WHERE - ~-~-; ~T.'!f· .~, ....... .... , BLUE BEND -Thb ~.iflCent bJmt ~itl1.\tCd in pnmc Ea.t I...andoo ;uti h :If\entc:rtain..,.., dw.un no m.ltlloT the \II~. 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Tourism can also play a vital role

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Commissioned by the Eastern Cape Gambling and Betting Board (ECGBB), the Status of Traditional Horse Racing in the Eastern Cape report provides a fascinating glimpse into the long-lasting and often little known connection many Xhosa people have with horses. A cornerstone of rural Xhosa life, horses have been used for generations for
work and transport - as well as racing

SEALS Digital commons

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Tourism can also play a vital role

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