Deirdré Janse Van Rensburg And Her Very Special Mare, Balaika

HQ magazine has been wanting to chat to Mounted Archery Association South Africa (MAASA) President, Deirdré Janse van Rensburg, for some time. Her work with her magnificent mare, Balaika, is quite astonishing, and is something really different for us to delve into. She has a very special connection with her horse, riding in multiple disciplines with only a neck rope; creating awareness of mounted archery; and advocating for bitless riding and kinder training techniques that are founded in having a deep connection and relationship with your horse. We wanted to recognise both her relationship with her mare and her achievements in mounted archery, by featuring her as one of our ‘20 Riders of 2020’.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO HORSES? WHERE DID YOUR JOURNEY START?

My story is a bit unconventional, in that I travelled some pretty weird roads to get to where I am at the moment. I started riding when I was four. I grew up on a farm and I had this amazing Saddler who loved to run. My eldest brother was riding him and he taught me how to stay on! When I was in primary school, I started with formal lessons and going to pony camps and so on, but there were never any glamorous shows or anything like that. There was lots of bareback riding, lots of outrides, lots of getting run away with…

In high school, I had a few setbacks with horses, where I almost gave up. I had a Thoroughbred who died of African Horse Sickness and after that, I decided that I wasn’t going to ride again. Of course, I rode again! And then I had my first heart, or soul, horse – a bay mare. She had a tragic accident and broke her neck while in the camp one night. I was devastated and decided for the second time that I didn’t want anything to do with horses. Once again though, that stage didn’t last, and I found another horse…

AND WHEN DID YOU START A CAREER IN THE SPORT?

Originally, I had said to my dad that I wanted to study horses, and he said ‘no’, as he didn’t think there was any money in horses, and he wanted me to do something else with my life. I went his route to begin with but have ended up back with horses now.