South Africa. Free State, Northern Cape, Lesotho and beyond.
Stoep Skinner
Stoep Skinner
by JJ
How We Have Grown
When we took over Smiffie in 2005 from the founder, Anhesta Venter, we had no idea whether, as they say in the classics “the idea would fly”. Well, it certainly has, in Smithfield, in Aliwal North, Zastron, Rouxville, and Bethulie and beyond and for this we are grateful for the enthusiastic support of our readers and advertisers. Thanks to you our circulation has risen by 375% in two-and-a-half years.
The Smiffie team would be delighted to hear from any of our readers on subjects of common interest. We are not interested in getting involved in mud-slinging, believing as we do that grudges should be sorted out between the people involved and not in public. For this reason we have rejected certain letters to the Editor, as we have in the case of letters from people who do not give their name. We are happy to consider letters for publication without printing the name of the writer, provided we know their origin.
Thanks Anhesta: you had a great idea.
Thanks, Eimpa, For The Free Paint
QUESTION: Why is it that the paint manufacturer, Eimpa, with no direct connection with Smithfield should supply us free with enough paint to renew all our colourful rubbish drums while so many of our very own local community do not lift a finger to get involved in local activities?
ANSWER: The paint company is grateful for the support it has had from Smithfield while too many local people have little interest in their village.
Johnny Diederichs - Mountaineer
Plenty of people are prepared to go mountaineering once and be satisfied to remember it for the rest of their lives. Johnny Diederichs is obviously made of tougher stuff. Not satisfied with having tackled Kilimanjaro, he has gone on to reach the peak of Mount Kenya. If the experts are to be believed, this one is a great deal more difficult than Kilimanjaro.
A Man of Many Parts
Visiting Andrew Badenhorst the other day to arrange for a photograph of Madonna, his beautiful American Saddler horse, he showed me his several workshops. Impeccably clean and tidy, they really are something special, whether it’s the one for metal work, for leather work or the one specifically for making riding saddles.
Bird ‘Flu With as Difference
The birds of Smithfield really have caused a flutter among the people once known as “ornithology enthusiasts” and nowadays given such titles as “twitchers”, “birders” and “bird-watchers”. Seems they suffer from a particularly infectious disease.
The effects of this condition include such abnormal behaviour as rising before the sun, travelling to some inaccessible spot where, in great discomfort, they spend several hours staring into binoculars and/or telescopes at birds which are themselves hardly awake – and then repeating the exercise in the late afternoon when most of their feathered targets are trying to get to sleep.
Seems that this state of mind is infectious because bird-watching is becoming something of an epidemic all over the world.
Smiffie reports that several Smithfielders, who had been considered fairly normal, are currently under observation for fear they have contracted the bird-watching condition.
May we all have a great Christmas and a resoundingly good New Year
Discussion
One comment for “Stoep Skinner”
Post a comment
Geagte Redakteur
‘n Paar uitgawes gelede het ‘n artikel oor Madonna en haar eienaar in u tydskrif verskyn. Dit was die slegste ding wat ooit met die perd gebeur het. Sederdien is die perd en ruiter elke Saterdagoggend by een of ander kruising te sien, waar die arme perd vir ure aaneen, geduldig doodstil moet staan en wag, sodat die “ruiter” gesien kan word. Die perd staan “beyond the bit” d.w.s. die stang druk die perd sodat hy met ‘n gekromde en somtyds oop bek staan. Dit is verkeerd, die perd se kop moet net voor vertikaal wees en die nek gebuig in die “poll”, net agter die kop.
“n Pragtige perd is sy voorwaar, maar die prentjie word geskend deur die ruiter. ‘n Goeie perd word bederf deur ‘n swak ruiter, maar ‘n goeie ruiter kan ‘n goeie perd maak. ‘n Gebrek aan ruiterskap doen afbreuk aan die perd. Vermelde ruiter het geen lyn wat vertikaal deur die kop, skouers, heupe en hakke strek nie. Die tone punt nie na bo nie. Dit is omdat sy stiegrieme te kort is wat veroorsaak dat hy met opgetrekte onderbene sit, wat weer veroorsaak dat sy bolyf vooroor gekrom is soos ‘n sak … Daar betaan geen ruiterskap by die persoon nie, hy is slegs ‘n akrobaat of gimnas wat kan bo bly.
U verwysing na die saals wat hy maak wys ook op u onkunde in die verband. Ongelukkig is van hierdie saals al verkoop aan oningeligtes wat na ‘n goedkoop saal soek tot nadeel van die perd. Hierdie sogenaamde saals beskik oor geen saalboom nie. Meesters op die gebied van saalbou het oor etlike eeue die kuns van ssalkonstruksie volmaak en almal gebruik ‘n saalboom “saddle tree”. Die saalboom het ‘n spesifieke funksie, daarsonder gaan ‘n perd se rug net seerkry. ‘n Seer rug beteken nie noodwendig ‘n fisiese oop wond nie.
Ek kan nog baie oor die onderwerp uitbrei. Skakel my gerus.
Nuttelose Groom.