The first ever Shongweni Festival, sponsored by Land Rover Durban and FNB, promises to dazzle the crowds when it graces the showgrounds of the popular equestrian and events venue, the Shongweni Club, between 8-13 August.
Headlining the event will be showjumping featuring most of South Africa’s top equestrian talent, competing in the 1.50m Land Rover Durban FEI World Cup Qualifier and the 1.40m FNB KZN Outdoor Grand Prix, as well as many other highly anticipated categories and activities.
With a strong focus on providing opportunities to deserving development riders, as well as making telling contributions to three local charities, the inaugural Shongweni Festival is sure to make a lasting impact on the show jumping community. Leading the charge for the development riders will be local Eric Gaza (Mooi River), whose long-time association with show jumping has seen him gradually make his way up the ranks. Dedicated and popular, Gaza will no doubt rise to the occasion.
The charities who are set to benefit from the event include SARDA (South African Riding for the Disabled Association), Mthatha Horse and Animal Rehabilitation and Rescue Centre, and the Hilltop Honorary Officers – Rhino Watch. Event organiser Jodi Wolhuter said that “show jumping has traditionally been seen as an elitist sport, and we aim to change this with our support of local charities and development riders. We are hoping to raise a large sum of money in this regard, and this is made possible thanks to the overwhelming support of our riders and our sponsors Land Rover Durban and FNB”.
Incorporating Women’s Day (9 August), the Shongweni Festival will hold the exciting and crowd-pleasing Ride, Kick and Drive competition after all the main classes of the day. Here, ten invitational teams consisting of a driver, rider and groom will compete for R20,000 prize money, donated by the RIDER SERIES, in what is sure to be exciting viewing for spectators. Teams will be driving the all-new Land Rover Discovery, jumping a course of eight 1.00m jumps, and the grooms testing their kicking accuracy with a soccer ball, all of which will take place under floodlights at approximately 18h00.
With competitors coming together from all over the country, as well as Namibia and Zimbabwe, some of whom compete regularly in international competitions overseas, the show jumping at the Shongweni Festival is sure to be of the highest calibre. Entries to the event were sold out within hours of opening, with 300 riders and over 500 horses eager to make their mark on what is sure to be a popular event.
There will be plenty of activities for the whole family at the event, including clothing, food and beverage stalls, a licensed restaurant, kiddies play area and the opportunity to test drive the complete Land Rover & Jaguar model lineup, including the All New Discovery!
For more information about the Shongweni Festival visit ‘The Shongweni Festival’ on Facebook, the Shongweni Club website www.shongweniclub.co.za, Land Rover Durban www.durban.landrover.co.za or contact Jodi Wolhuter on 0836554465. The Shongweni Festival is sponsored by Land Rover Durban, FNB, The Mobility Group and Artav.
The Shongweni Festival is organized by Jodi Wolhuter and Lorraine Peters of Highway Shows, a local equestrian events company. Their vision is to promote equestrian sports and all that it encompasses, from the horses that delight with their strength, agility and beauty, the grooms that lovingly take care of them, and the riders and coaches who produce and ride their horses from beginner to international levels. Through events such as the Shongweni Festival, Highway Shows hopes to support the many industries that are part of this wonderful and exciting sport, bringing people together to enjoy a special family day outing with so much to see and do, ultimately making its mark as a not-to-be-missed event on the South African equestrian calendar