This project in the Netreg area of the Cape Flats involves 37 working cart horses and their owners and drivers in an upgrading, licensing and capacity building programme – as a pilot project for the process of regulating the carting industry.

The project received an instalment of R3 225 from SASIX on 8 June 2007. The full cost of the project (not including the SASIX administration, monitoring and evaluation fee) is R89 225, with R86 000 still to be received.

Implementation of project activities to date

The Cart Horse Protection Association (CHPA) received the first tranche of funding towards the Netreg Pilot Project on 8 June 2007. This report covers the work undertaken by the Cart Horse Protection Association from 2 April 2007 to 18 June 2007.

• Host meeting with Netreg cart horse owners to finalise numbers and details, and follow up on cart horse owners who did not attend the meeting A final meeting was called with the Netreg cart horse owners on 23 May 2007. Many of the Netreg owners did not attend the meeting – this is an ongoing challenge faced by CHPA. A decision was therefore taken that a member of the Netreg carting community would be elected to represent the cart horse owners in Netreg. This would ensure that information, progress and instructions would be passed onto all the owners without causing unnecessary delays. Mr Fakier Brenner was elected by the owners present. The owners in attendance were informed of the roll-out plan time frames and expectations of the Netreg Pilot Project. Mr Brenner was tasked with compiling a list of all the cart horse owners in Netreg with their correct addresses which would appear on the identification plates. Since the submission of the Make Christmas Matter proposal in September 2006 there has been a reduction in the number of horses and registered owners, due to owners passing on horses to other family members or horses being booked off work or euthanised.

• Netreg cart-horse owning community The initial project proposal involved funding for 43 carts. In the interim, horses have left the carting industry due to being sold on to other owners, death or euthanasia. This has resulted in the number of carts required being reduced to 37. The movement of horses in the carting industry is ongoing and so it can be anticipated that throughout the implementation of this project the numbers will fluctuate.

• Research cart design and size and meet with cart builders to discuss specifications and quality; finalise together with cart builders Meetings were held with two cart builders in the carting industry, Mr M Ockerts and Mr D Ponzo to discuss designs and time frames. It was concluded that two different types of carts would be made, the only difference being in the length of the cart. The carts to be pulled by the smaller horses would be shorter as this would prevent overloading. Additional extras to be added included a wooden lockable box to be placed at the front of the cart which would serve as a seat as well as a storage box for the cart horse operator’s tools. The seat would prevent standing up on the cart whilst driving which is common practice and places incredible strain on the horse’s mouth. Maximum loads allowed to pull in relation to size of horse as follows:

• Very small pony (10-11hh) – a maximum of 500kg

• Small pony (11-12hh) – a maximum of 600kg

• Medium pony (12-13hh) – a maximum of 750kg

• Big pony and horses over 13hh – a maximum of 1000kg

It was also decided that CHPA would source and purchase materials needed for the carts. All materials would be kept at the CHPA Clinic and Training Centre and could be acquired as needed by the cart builders.

• Signing of service contracts with cart builders and allocation of work

A Service Level Agreement was compiled by the CHPA General Manager and will be explained and discussed with the cart builders.

• Commence building of carts

The CHPA project co-ordinator is in the process of sourcing the various components needed for the first 18 carts. The fundraiser is in the process of contacting businesses that are supporters of CHPA such as SA Metal, Real Steel and ColTimbers to assist in the supply of materials and a good price. Once the first ten carts have been distributed, the old carts will be handed over to CHPA and the usable components will be used in the manufacturing of the next batch of 18 new carts.

• Production of identification plates

A sample of the proposed identification plate was made and attached to a cart. The size has been reduced from 1200mm x 300mm to 1000mm x 300mm. All relevant correct information needed for the identification plate, namely owner name, address and ID number was assembled by to Fakier Brenner. (The telephone number depicted on the sample under the owner’s name and address will not be displayed on the identification plates, but rather the emergency number for the CHPA.) The identification plate number will correlate with the horse’s ID number that is captured on the CHPA Information Management System. The completed list has been sent to Boock Signs and Graphics in Epping to commence the manufacturing of the identification plates.

• Compiling individual cart horse owners Horse Management File

Photographs, owner and driver information is collected and collated on an ongoing basis.

Project expenditure to date

The project expenses with the reduced number of horses will be as follows: