More than just an event: Roots July

Dressed to impress. The spectators went all out at the Roots July 2025.

You probably never heard of this before! At Roots, on the 7th of August, we held a Hobby Horse Competition, something new for our school. This reflects the Durban July, a horse racing event where you should dress up fancy.

This was also one of the school's annual interhouse competitions, where both house teams, Aqua and Terra, compete throughout the year in various sports and academic events. And who might the July winner be? Team Terra! A narrow point difference led the victors by 12 points. Aqua and Terra had amazing handmade horses with unique names, as well as jockeys that were dressed up; they even wore helmets! Just like real life, including stalls, handlers, trainers and a huge arena.

We were honoured to have 2 photographers, Jaime and Mariza, to capture the afternoon's memories, as well as Riani as our Videographer.

Our esteemed judges were Miss Annelie, Miss Carina, Mr Jandre and Mr Johan, while

Mr. Anru left the crowd in tears of laughter with his running commentary.

People danced their little hearts out during the Fancy Footwork Challenge, and we could see the trust they had in their 'horses'.

The event began with an exciting obstacle course, which consisted of jumps and more, followed by dressage dances of the rider’s own choice of music and concluded the preliminaries with sprint races between the two teams, as well as a relay race. I have to note that during all these challenges, every rider must gallop and mimic real horse-riding mannerisms. Owners must ensure that their 'horses' are groomed and fed, and even tame the 'wild ones' on the loose.

The Winning Team, Terra, in Action. (photos by Jamie Delport)

Bonus points were awarded when Miss Estelle (Team Aqua's leader) and her horse, Aquanator, and Miss Leandri (Team Terra's leader), on Trooper, raced against each other. Miss Estelle claimed the title despite previous injuries.

There is no doubt that this event brought our school community together, making friends, sharing laughs and importantly, the day was enjoyed by many!

Looking forward, there are four interhouse competitions left. Currently, on the log, Team Aqua is taking the lead! What a successful first-time event.

Full photo album by Jamie Delport here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/cNFjHV2LokBwR4pv6