Therdon Duminy is animal crazy, understands horses’ behaviour and is respectful of his fellow human beings. In short, he’s ideally suited to his role as an assistant to EARS Sanctuary manager Penny James, especially now that he’s receiving training from the Cart Horse Protection Association  in Cape Town.

Therdon (22), who is employed as a welfare assistant at EARS, is spending six months training with the CHPA in Cape Town so that he can better assist the more than 400 horses in the Greyton/Genadendal valley. He’ll leave the course with the rank of ‘inspector’ which, with magisterial support, will also enable him to confiscate abused or neglected animals when necessary.

Therdon’s been crazy about animals since he was a child, says his primary school teacher mom Candice, and he’s owned everything from chickens and pigeons to horses but it’s the horses that are his real passion and that’s how he landed the job at EARS.

“I first fell in love with horses when I helped other horse owners bring their animals in from grazing at the end of the day. Then, when I was 16, I got my first horse.”

After matriculating, Therdon joined the police force like his father Eben but when offered a job by EARS, jumped at the chance.

“I am so grateful to EARS and to Aunty Penny for giving me this opportunity,” says Therdon.

“Therdon shows great potential having worked with Penny for over a year now in the communities. He has great empathy with all animals and will bring his skills and training back to us,” says EARS founder Jo Sedgwick.

The CHPA course is intensive and Therdon must live in Cape Town (he’s staying with relatives) while he does his training. Two days a week are devoted to classroom theory, and the rest to on-the-job learning, at clinics for ‘carties’ (cart horse owners) hosted by the CHPA. “The clinics are amazing. The carties can get shoes for their horses, food, medicine … and it is much cheaper. I would love to have something like this for Greyton,” says Therdon. By the half way mark, the course had already taught Therdon aspects of anatomy, physiology, farrier work, medication, and how to put up drips and inject a horse.

His mentor and teacher is CHPA senior inspector Diana Truter who has nicknamed Therdon ‘Greyton’.  “I am learning so much. I learn something new every day. I love coming to work,” says Therdon.

“I am going to come back to Greyton and make a difference to the community. The biggest problem we have in our horse-owning community is neglect,” says Therdon. Owners let their horses out to free graze where the horses are bitten by dogs, hit by cars, sustain fencing injuries and don’t get enough of the right nutrition. Therdon hopes that by working with his community, not against it, he can effect behavioural change.

“I won’t tell them they are wrong. People don’t like to be told they are wrong. I will tell them there is a better way.”

Therdon’s parents are immensely proud of their son and what he is achieving, particularly as he is working in a field that he loves.

EARS hopes that with Therdon’s new found knowledge,  he can ease Penny’s burden and take over many of the community horses she cares for.