Boerperd breeder sets her sights ever higher

Liezelle Whitehead, award-winning SA Boerperd breeder from the eastern Free State, believes the Boerperd has a bright future as probably the most multi-purpose horse in the country. She describes the Boerperd as a genetic treasure trove in the equine world.

- Annelie Coleman

Liezelle Whitehead, owner of the Joop Boerperd Stud and breeder of four SA Boerperd Futurity foals, is passionate about her horses. According to her, the Boerperd could be described as the apex horse breed in the country in terms of versatility, adaptation, intelligence and hardiness. These attributes have been finely honed since its ancestors arrived in the country around 1652.

The first horses’ progeny took part in the Voortrekkers’ Great Trek as well as the Anglo-Boer War, and from these horses flowed the eight bloodlines allowed by the SA Boerperd Horse Breeders’ Society, namely the Cloete, A2, Hancke, Steenkamp, Odendaal, Middleton, Streicher and Namib bloodlines.

The society has not, from 2002, allowed new or estranged bloodlines into the breeding programme, as the huge gene pool within the society is sufficient to prevent inbreeding. Whitehead’s dedication to selective mating, very strict adherence to selection criteria and insistence on conformation and movement of her horses resulted in her walking away four times in a row with the prestigious SA Boerperd Star Foal (Futurity Foal) awards. She is the only breeder to have earned this award four times.