From the various accounts is established that the South African 

 bred Thoroughbred and even half-bred could hold his own to many 

 of the imported horses. Camptire in the 3rd generation, through 

 Stockwell's stock by Blair Athol proved that the South African 

 Thoroughbred is equal in every way to the Thoroughbred of Eng- 

 land. He distinguished himself greatly in England in 1904, and 

 now stands there at stud.^^ 



A large amount of runners and winners on the South African 

 Turf hailed from the Ilantam districts and in every way proved 

 their efficiency also on the race course. Some of the young horses 

 entered were taken from the veld, and with indifferent training were 

 sent on the course, not so much for the gaining of the prizes but 

 for the sport and "to teach and harden them and test their merit" 

 as the farmers would say. 



Often these veld-hardened colts would get the better of the 

 trained horses of the towns. 



From a casual observer in "Life at the Cape" (by a lady 1862) 

 the following remarks are recorded : " The racing was compara- 

 tively poor, the horses slight and few in number and not particu- 

 larly well trained — but, what astonished us was to see a rough little 

 shooting pony called "Gazelle" carry off the Queen's Plate from a 

 noble English horse and this in spite of the very fine riding of an 

 old English jockey against a weazened little Hottentot." Instances 

 of this kind may be multiplied. 



During the years 1835-39 something happened that upset the 

 agricultural as well as the administrative affairs of the Colony to 

 a great extent; but at the same time opened up new lands in the 

 unknown interior and resulted in filling new pastures with large 

 flocks of sheep, cattle and horses. Owing to the foolish and in- 

 consistent acts of the Home government thousands of farmers, whose 

 continued appeals for redress in gross mismanagement, oppressive 

 rules and acts of injustice were ignored, left their farms and home- 

 steads and joined in the great "Trek" over the borders of the Col- 

 ony. Statistics are very unreliable as to the numbers, for there were 

 many groups on different routes ; the number is estimated at 8000- 

 10000.^^ For about twenty years they continually moved about. 

 Several small republics were established and periods of several 



(71) Charles Southey. Natal Agr. Jour. Vol XV.— 1910. 



(72) George McCall Theal —History of South Africa After 1795 



34 



