Daniel Swartbooi is 42 years old and has been working at the Grahamstown Riding School his whole life.
Daniel Swartbooi is 42 years old and has been working at the Grahamstown Riding School his whole life.
His mother was a worker on the farm and in 1967 she gave birth to Daniel while she was at work. Daniel was raised by his mother and the other workers on the farm and taught how to look after and groom the horses on the plot.
He learnt everything he could about horses and how to ride them. A year ago, the owner of the farm gave Daniel his first horse and all the riding gear he needed to become a competitive rider.
Being a development rider on the farm, Daniel is still required to perform the duties of a regular worker, with his main functions as a groomsman; cleaning and feeding horses in at the farm. During his lunch break, Daniel takes out his own horse, North Breeze, for a ride and practices his jumping.
Show jumping is his favourite aspect of horse riding and he has mastered it over the few months he has been receiving riding lessons. He is dedicated and determined and he takes his show jumping very seriously as the competitions draw nearer.
Daniel’s work life is very different to his home life. He is married to Labonga Swartbooi and they have no children because Daniel feels that they are too young.
He loves life and horse riding more than anything and he feels that there is enough time for children later on. Daniel and his wife often argue playfully over the fact that Daniel loves horses so much and that he would rather go to the farm and ride his horse instead of attending church on Sundays.
Daniel has two dogs, a cat and a cage full of pigeons. He loves to collect pigeons and feed them and has even looked after newly hatched eggs, but he does not keep them for long, he feels that they should be let free after a short while.
Daniel has a large vegetable garden behind his house in which he grows a variety of vegetables including carrots, lettuce, tomatoes and spinach. He likes to work in his garden.
Daniel is a kind and generous man and his friends love to come over and visit. His house is always filled with friends and family laughing and joking.
The people at the riding school are also very fond of Daniel and all love him for his charismatic personality and his contagious smile. He always seems to be happy and cares so much for the people around him. His dream is to one day own a riding school where he can teach township children horse riding and how to care for horses and other animals.
