PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Horse riding has helped a young Kranshoek woman rise above her circumstances and she hopes to help others to do the same as she embarks on a a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity over the next 10 months.
Leatitia Snyman's dreams came true when she was selected to join the 2019 *SA Lipizzaner student programme in Johannesburg this week. The programme provides students with a wide variety of training – from riding and horse-training skills to riding instruction.
"I am very excited but very nervous about doing this. It has been a lifelong passion and now everything is coming to fruition. It is a big moment," Snyman said before leaving on Wednesday 30 January.
'It makes me the happiest'
The 25-year-old has been involved to some degree in the industry for the past 16 years, from working on stud farms to providing riding therapy to disabled youngsters. "It is the one thing in life that makes me the happiest."
She said her community is plagued with various social ills including poverty and drug abuse, but that working with horses helped her rise above all of this. "I'm a firm believer that it can help many more faced with these challenges. It teaches you discipline and endurance.
It keeps you occupied and away from the negative things happening around you." Snyman was born in Kranshoek and has been riding most of life, supported by local riders and mentors in the Plettenberg Bay community who recognised her passion for horses. "Without these people, my life could have been much different," she said.
Among those who have stepped in to help Snyman is Africa Hoofprint Foundation, established after the 2017 fires caused devastation in the Kranshoek community.
'Hoofprints' for youngsters
The foundation aims to lay the foundational "hoofprints" for developing the area's youth as professional equestrian sportspersons, entry into career opportunities and access into an industry previously perceived as elitist.
"We are extremely proud of Leatitia whom is the first Kranshoek rider to be selected into this academy," said the foundation's Lee Naude.
Snyman said she plans to plough back all the skills she acquired through her training into her local community, and added, "I also hope to one day ride horses around the world and make a living from my passion."
While FirstRand is sponsoring the Lipizzaners programme and her accommodation in Gauteng, Snyman still needs to cover her travel costs and other expenses.
Should anyone wish to assist, deposits can be made into the following FNB cheque account: Africa Hoofprint Foundation NPC, account no. 62769404303 (Plett branch code 210514.
The SA Lipizzaners is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to the advancement of the cultural heritage and the preservation of the most ancient breed of horse it shares its name with. Based in Kyalami, Gauteng, it is affiliated with the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria.
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