The event was held on the 1 st and 2 nd of June 2019
The Premier Sondella horse back archery tournament was the very first Horseback archery competition that the club ever hosted.
We always go over the top and decided to make this part of our endurance festival that was held at the Sondella Nature reserve and spa close to Bela Bela.
The endurance festival was an FEI 3 star event so the archery had to be on parr with the FEI standard.
With all the space on the reserve we managed to set up a work class track with a very long start and stop.
I wanted to create something different and away form all the styles and disciplines that we normally do.
The competition consisted out of a combination of 5 different styles namely:
 Hungarian x 6 runs
 Korean 3 x 2 runs
 Kazakh x 2 runs
 Serial Quaback x 2 runs
 Korean 5 x 2 runs
We permitted only two warm up runs and total of 16 runs for each rider. Targets (not in use) were not dropped, and the rider had to focus on the specific style for that run.
The total runs also tested the mental stamina of each rider.
The overall champion was Jacques Horn.
Trophy history:
On the morning of 3 rd of September 1973. After the birth of his twin sons, a very impressed Nick du Toit decided to compete in the Radloff tennis tournament in Klerksdorp.
At the end of the day Nick, was victorious as the champion and received the Radloff floating trophy.
Sadly enough the Radloff tournament was never hosted again and trophy stood on the shelf for the past 46 years.
Now, reborn as the Nick du Toit floating trophy for the Premier club Horseback archery competition.
To be awarded to the best overall horseback archer of the day.
The base of the trophy was turned out of wild olive from the farm where Nick retired. The original cup was re-plated and the lid fitted with a Centaur and Pegasus cross to strive for unity with the horse and the bow.
Today I would like to ask, an almost 80 year old, Nick Du Toit to do us the honour and hand over his trophy to the best overall horseback archer of the day.
