Ernie Anderson and Summerhill graduate Nyakatho
(Photo : Summerhill Stud)

A WALK DOWN ERNIE'S YARD

The best part of being involved in horse nutrition is seeing our clients succeed. From start to finish it is always a thrill to see horses doing well and looking their best.

It is also a privilege to go through a yard and get to know the horses. This is especially exciting in the racing yards when the horses started their lives at Summerhill and we know their history intimately.

Last week I went through the Turffontein yard of Ernie Anderson and as always, was inspired by just how hands-on he is as a trainer. From feeding all 50 horses to checking each one individually, as well as supervising all their work, he is personally involved with every aspect of his yard.

Ernie’s interest in racing started while he was still working as a quantity surveyor and he became an owner in 1976, back in the days when one still had to sit through an interview before being granted colours for a single horse.

He started training in 1987 and had his first winner in January 1988 with a little horse called Tangi. He was first based at Newmarket and then Germiston before moving to Turffontein when Gersmiston closed down.

Among his current stable stars are Valley of Rubies, and the Summerhill graduates, Ntabeni (Malhub x Hill of Plenty) and Nyakatho (Labeeb x Rose North)

Apart from his passion for racing, Ernie is an avid reader and collector of books and has a keen interest in mountain hiking, especially in the Drakensberg. He also breeds Red Angus Cattle and is building up a substantial registered breeding herd.

We will be watching in anticipation as Ntabeni makes her debut and as Nyakatho gets rolling in a few feature races this season. We love to feed your Champions!