A young lady from Macassar is continuing to make a name for herself in the professional horse-carting fraternity.
Aamina Anthony, 21, an avid horse trainer from Sandvlei, claimed one of the top spots at the South African Hackney Pony National Championships that took place in Paarl at the beginning of the month.
Aamina and her stable horse Jovolta, cheekily named after the famous actor John Travolta for his slick hair and even slicker moves, kicked dust in the eyes of their competition.
Aamina explains: “It was very stressful, but I won the Ladies’ Driver Class where they judge you on your driving.
“We had two horses in the class, my sister had Survivor and I had Jovolta that we only had for two months now.
“Jovolta het mooi gery.”
Aamina says horses are her life. She laughs: “I started at the age of 13 years old. I was just put on a horse one day and have been doing it ever since.
“I prefer the farm life over the city. We used to visit my ouma in Strand, but I always worried about my animals at home.”
Every day, Aamina gets up at the crack of dawn to feed and train their horses.
body.copy.three...: She also keeps several chickens and sheep, which follow her around the plaas. The former teacher’s assistant told the Daily Voice that she would like to participate in more shows.
She is known as Triple A (Aamina Amirah Anthony) on the circuit and already has several prizes under her belt, including Best Rider, Best Horse, Best Gallop and more.
She adds: “Maybe in the future, I can go to places where there are more competitors. My dream is to take it further. I always said that I wanted to be a horse breeder.”
Her proud father, Nizaam, says Aamina possesses the qualities to go very far in the sport.
Nizaam says: “She works with horses and she has a very good heart and can even become a professional horse trainer.
“This is an industry where you can make a lot of money, because not anyone who can work with a horse.
“So yes, she can go far in the industry.”