A true Champion retires
Champion the pony retired at the recent National Showjumping competition, where a ceremony marked his hanging up his saddle. Below is an account of Champion the pony, through his various owners:
Mandy Bleach and Chevy de Jong
Champ was born in Cathcart in 1996, and came to me as a livery in the year 2000. He was lightly backed and the farm worker was riding him to fetch cattle, but Champ was not a good stock horse as he was too alert.
The girl who bought him was young, but very tall for her age and she outgrew him within the first year. I had grown attached to him while he was in my livery, so I bought him for Chevy and I rode him and schooled him myself for the next two years. Then Chevy started riding and showing him until she decided she wanted to start playing polocrosse
I attempted to train Champ in polocrosse, he was fantastic at home, but the minute I took him to the field at the showgrounds, he bucked me off! For some reason the show grounds were for looking pretty not for catching bouncy balls. I'll never forget the day he bucked me off so badly he was like a bronco. I came off after a good few bronco style bucks and he took off for the dressage arena, disrupting the show jumping and showing classes along the way. Barry Heard was the announcer and he stopped all riding until the poor junior could catch her wild horse! Little did he know it was me and I told everyone it was Chevy that got bucked off!
Other than that one incident, he was always a true Champion through and through; a heart of gold and such a handsome boy.
Bridget and Marielle Ford
Champion, that one in a million kind of pony that is worth his weight in gold. My parents bought him for me when I was 10, and funnily enough so was he.
He may never have been some jaw dropping show pony or a huge height jumping pony but he taught me the all-important basics of what it means to own your own special pony. We did a bit of everything including trying our hand at a little bit of cross country here and there. He became well known around Grahamstown Riding Club for being the littlest guy with the biggest heart and the sweetest disposition.
He captured everyone’s heart and became my saviour when I went through a hectic period of bullying at school. In my mother’s words: “Whenever you were sad we took you to your pony and he made the world of difference in a matter of seconds.” Champie and I were the local 70/80cm Champions, in all the Grahamstown shows as well as the big Bathurst Agricultural show.
He was never a push button pony and definitely taught me my fair share of lessons but always in the nicest and most honest way possible. He has taught so many riders and stolen so many hearts and he will be thoroughly loved and spoilt in his well-deserved retirement.
Lily and Alexis Bowker
To me Champion has been such a great pony in everything, jumping, lessons, shows and even out rides. I got Champion when I was four and he looked after me for four years. I love Champion so much. This sweet pony helped with building my confidence up to a whole new level. He taught me how to ride properly, he looked after me, and sometimes I did my homework with him.
He loved opening my bag and eating carrots out of it, but one day I caught him eating my popcorn and there was biltong lying all around his stable! He is a lovely pony and I am glad he is coming home to my farm for his retirement. I love Champ so much, and I hope he has a happy life ahead.
Josephine and Alexandra Whittington-Jones
I started riding Champion when I was five. I didn’t want to ride him at first because he wasn’t “big enough”! But I soon realised how lucky I was to be able to ride him and he is my favourite pony and the most awesome in the world ever.
Champ and I enjoy all types of riding. We’ve done lots of competitions in all disciplines – equitation, dressage, showing, even fancy dress and my favourite, jumping. Champ doesn’t mind – he likes to do them all (and so do I) and he always tries his best – we got lots of rosettes together. This year, when Champ was 20 and I was six, we were the South African National Equine Schools Association (Sanesa) Newcomer Champions in the Eastern Cape.
Champ didn’t fuss – he did all the events and in all types of weather. Champ and I jumped together in his last show on Sunday 13 November at the South African Show Jumping National Challenge held at the Grahamstown Riding Club, and it was an honour and privilege to take his saddle off and lead him out of the arena.
I am glad he is going to Lily’s farm to retire, so he can just laze around and get fat. I love Champ very much.