Christi Boshoff Marais
"Since I can remember, I've been obsessed with horses. As a little girl, my artistic talent was always very strong, and I quickly became known as the girl who not only loved horses but could also draw them. My love for horses and my passion for art have always gone hand in hand, shaping who I am."
Sharing my dads' passion for horses. He was an experienced rider and even rode for the Northern Free State Gymkhana team in his late twenties. My artistic talent was always very strong, and I quickly became known as the little girl who not only loved horses but could also draw them. Horses and art have been a big part of my life from the start."
My passion for horses was far bigger than my love for art and that led me to pursue Equine Science at the University of Technology in Pretoria after finishing school. After completing my practical year and thesis, I earned my B Tech Equine Science Diploma in 2006."
A Life Shaped by Horses
Growing up as the youngest of four daughters, horses were always a part of my life. My sisters and I could all ride, and we loved it. However, my passion for horses became more serious when I was about 14, around the time my father started the Pleasure Riding Club in Heilbron. We needed more horses so that everyone could ride together, and at first, we borrowed horses for our pleasure rides, which were often as long as 35 kilometers. But that came with its risks—unpredictable horses, uncertain temperaments. We knew we had to find a better way.
Around this time, we heard about a Nooitgedachter and Arabian stud farm near Frankfort that had gone bankrupt. My dad, always resourceful, bought a truckload of wild horses, including broodmares with foals at foot and youngsters who had yet to be backed. This seemingly simple decision laid the foundation for what would later become Bonkige Bosmar Stud, though none of us could have imagined that at the time.
In the summer of 2000, at age 16, I managed to tame my first horse—a beautiful grey Arab mare with a black mane and tail. She was a dominant mare with an extra wild spirit, which made her training particularly challenging. Back then, we used old-school cowboy methods that were harsh and demanding. Unfortunately, she got severely injured during training, and it was during her recovery that I realized we had to approach her differently. After watching a Monty Roberts-inspired film, I decided to try a softer, less dominant approach. Slowly, I started to see results, and with each success, I learned more about trust and patience with horses.
Around the same time my dad bought the wild horses, he also purchased a Percheron stallion and mare, gentle giants whose size and strength were impressive. However, breeding these magnificent horses proved difficult, and success eluded us for many years. In the meantime, the Percheron stallion began covering the older wild mares we couldn’t train. It was through this that we discovered the beauty of the Percheron-cross sport horses, strong and elegant, combining the Percheron’s power with the agility of the wild mares.
After finishing my studies in 2006, I started working full-time on the farm, trying to build a riding school and organize riding camps. However, the farm’s remote location made it difficult to attract enough students, and I soon realized that this wasn’t a sustainable long-term venture. It was then that I decided to shift my focus to the sport horses. Knowing how exceptional they were as riding horses, and recognizing their potential, I became determined to improve our breeding program.
In 2009, I officially registered the Bonkige Bosmar Stud, and I focused on refining the selection process to increase the value and quality of our sport horses. With better breeding choices, I aimed to develop horses that were not only beautiful but also highly skilled and versatile for various equestrian disciplines.
Looking back, these experiences taught me more than just how to ride or train horses. They showed me the importance of perseverance, adaptability, and passion. From taming wild mares to breeding sport horses, every step of the journey has been about learning, evolving, and finding new ways to connect with these incredible animals.
The Unique Bravery of Bonkige Bosmar Horses
I recently received remarkable feedback from one of my clients who had purchased two sport horses for game viewing. We had worked with these young horses for four months before they left our farm in the Northern Free State for their new life in Cape Town. My client was astonished by their bravery during an encounter with an enormous giraffe. The horses didn’t flinch, showing no fear in the face of such an unfamiliar creature. He could hardly believe it.
This got me thinking: What made these two horses different from others the client had bought in the past? These horses, after all, had never seen anything more unusual than the geese, cattle, and sheep that shared the farm. Why didn’t they react with the typical alarm when encountering something as strange and intimidating as a giraffe?
The answer, I realized, lay in a simple but fundamental truth. For the first four years of their lives, these horses were allowed to be exactly what they were meant to be: horses. They lived with minimal human contact, roaming freely in a herd, just as nature intended. This experience of growing up as a horse, unchallenged by artificial expectations or intense human influence, gave them a solid foundation. They didn’t question their identity or their place in the world—they knew they were horses, and that certainty enabled them to face whatever life threw at them, whether it was giraffes, elephants, or any other challenge.
This is what sets the Bonkige Bosmar horses apart from the rest. Their upbringing—where they are allowed to be horses, free to explore, learn, and grow within their herd—fosters not just physical strength but mental resilience. It’s a natural, instinctive confidence that cannot be easily replicated through traditional training methods. These horses know who they are, and that deep-rooted confidence makes them not only brave but adaptable, ready to take on the unpredictable world of game viewing without fear or hesitation.
