Beverley is a world champion
Durban woman excels at the little-known, ancient sport of tent-pegging on horseback
ADURBAN woman is breaking stereotypes in the world of equestrian sport and has the titles to prove it.
Beverley Baksa, 28, never misses a pick and her accuracy has earned her the title of not only South Africa’s number one tent-pegging player, but also the world’s best.
The world title was bestowed on her at a women’s world tent-pegging championship held in Oman in January.
The ancient sport, once played only by men, is still relatively unheard of.
However, for Baksa it has been her passion since she was a little girl.
The sport can be traced as far back as 500BC, with archaeological finds of clay pottery depicting riders on horseback using lances and swords to strike objects at a full gallop.
In the middle ages, knights practised various forms of tent pegging to prepare themselves physically and mentally for battle.
The sport was introduced to South Africa by the British forces during the Anglo-boer War from 1899 to 1902.
Baksa’s Team South Africa won the tent-pegging women’s world championship in Oman and she took the title of best player.
“I started horse riding at the age of 3,” she says.
“I drew inspiration from my mother, Dalene Baksa, who is an internationally renowned equestrian coach.
“My mother’s love for the sport rubbed off on me.”
Since her early school days, Baksa, who is now a trade marketer at Unilever Food Solutions, found herself rated as the best in the country.
With a busy job that keeps her on her toes, she trains once a week on a Saturday morning, yet is able to compete with confidence for major titles.
She says that being able to participate at a women’s world championship for the first time is a big deal for the sport, especially with the championship being held in a Middle Eastern country.
“Women weren’t allowed to play the sport in the Middle East until August when the rule was lifted,” she says.
“So this is huge for us as women in the equestrian sporting field.
“Oman then decided they would invest money in hosting the first women’s championship. Prior to this, South Africa would only send men to the world championships. Now women can compete too and this is amazing,” says Baksa.
What she loves most about tent pegging is the speed and accuracy that goes with playing the sport, she says.
In Oman, she only got to see the horse on which she would compete 30 minutes before the championship event began.
“In that short space of time, I had the opportunity to bond with the horse and get used to riding it. The sport really isn’t about who has the best horse, or which father is able to buy his child the fastest horse,” she says.
Baksa says there are some interesting elements to tent pegging which include having to pierce a lemon or popping a balloon while riding and guiding a horse over jumps.
Baksa, who has three horses which she calls her “babies”, was recently given a fourth horse by a Pakistani prince.
“I have three wonderful horses named Pasha, Amirah and Boogy Woogy who is a miniature stallion.
“Recently, I was gifted a cross-breed Arab horse by Prince Malik which I’ve named Palladin. Prince Malik has known my mother for some time and he invested in buying horses in South Africa.
“As a kind gesture, he opted to buy one of those horses as a gift due to my passion for horses,” she says.
Tent pegging has a small support base in South Africa, Baksa says, because it is a 10-event competition which normally takes a full day to complete and because the equestrian sport is considered expensive.
“However, the sport is growing. There are currently only about 400 tent peggers in South Africa who are both juniors and seniors. Only 35% are women.
“I would encourage more women who are interested in equestrian sports to get involved.
“If you love accuracy, speed and have a crazy passion for horses, then it’s definitely a sport that you would love,” says Baksa. Beverley Dawn Baksa, from Durban’s Upper Highway, was crowned the best competitor at the women’s tent-pegging 2018 World Cup championship in Oman.