Vetnews | Augustus 2024 16 « BACK TO CONTENTS Events / Gebeure FAURESMITH 2024 Drs Glynn Catton and DelaRey Ribbens The Annual Fauresmith Ride this year was changed from the traditional first week of July to the last week of June to accommodate access to a farm where there was a hunt arranged in the first week of July. The Fauresmith Ride has remained the same course for almost 50 years and next year will be the 50th celebration of this ride. A book concerning the history of Fauresmith was written and produced by our colleague Dr Paul van Dam and is available from him, which is a part of the equine history of South Africa. The farms over which the riders travel are private and thus good relationships must be maintained with the farming community around Fauresmith. They allow the ride to take place as well as prepare parts of the course to make sure it is kind to the riders. This is a tough course. This year’s ride started on Tuesday 25th June after the horses were vet-checked on Monday the 24th, - to make sure they were fit to depart. A total of 254 horses passed the pre-vet inspections but 2 did not start. A total of 252 horses started the ride on Tuesday the 25th with the first horses departing at 07:00. At that time, it is in the dark and the sun is only starting to rise. Weather conditions were typically cold, but they warmed up towards midday to more comfortable conditions. On the three mornings on which the ride took place, the starting temperatures were between 0 and 3 ˚ C. The Veterinary team was a total of 19 plus students who were assisting and attended the veterinary meeting that was organized by DelaRey Ribbens. Vets in the picture (with thanks for the photo to Manie Ward Capturing): From left to right: Back row: Drs Tino Dakwa, Jesse Jones, Donald Macrae, Rinel Hugo, Susarah Kotze, DelaRey Ribbens, Marais Cilliers, Leon Loubser, Brightin Myambiri, Lesley TeBrugge, Stephan Vermeulen. Front row: Meghan Gombert (CCS), Jenna Lucas, Marzelle Fourie, Elicia van Staden, Wilhelm Janse van Rensburg, Sherike van der Merwe. Seated (students): Miche Pretorius, Zoe Bruwer.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTc5MDU=