Christine and Giacomo from Riebeek-East

Tell us a little about yourself!

My husband Giacomo and myself work together as barefoot trimmers – similar to farriers but without using metal, and only very seldom hoof boots or composite glue-on shoes for horses in specific situations. We own a homestead in Riebeek-East in the Eastern Cape but the majority of our work is in Gauteng with some work in neighbouring countries as well.

I grew up in Port Elizabeth, in the city but right opposite a farm which was a huge blessing as I spent many hours as a kid walking or cycling on the road that goes through the farm which the farmer has kindly kept open to the public over all these years and still does to this day. Giacomo grew up in Klerksdorp. I believe both of us have always been drawn to a more authentic/farmy way of living, probably due to our work with horses and exposure to horses and farms from a young age.

How did you start doing what you are doing now? 

A few years back we were looking at properties to buy and I joked about living in Riebeek-East, knowing it well from having spent time here with my childhood friend who still lives here on a neighbouring game reserve. We have such fond memories of racing our horses at full moon in the dead of the night, tracking game, and getting up to all sorts of mischief.

I guess that was heavily on my subconscious at the time that I made the joke about moving to Riebeek-East, where there really is so little, yet so much going on! I absolutely love living here and don’t regret the move one bit, although it can be tough. Everything is far and inconvenient but you learn to figure things out fast and there is a strong sense of community here. Our idea firstly was to find somewhere safe to move to with enough land for our horses. I don’t recall the plan in the beginning to extend beyond just that and a vegetable garden, but then the chickens arrived, and the goats and then the cattle. Needless to say, we have a lot of our food requirements covered these days.

What are you most proud of in this process? 

I am definitely most proud of being able to produce our own food to a very large extent, and to do it as organically and ethically as possible. Our neighbours are also our good friends, almost as close as family really, and we all agree that nothing is nicer than sitting down to enjoy a lengthy meal together where most things are made entirely from scratch, they’re healthier than the shop-bought alternative, and they taste far better.

What is the most helpful piece of advice you received when you were just starting out? 

Something I have never forgotten which has made so much sense to me is the advice given to us on how to plant trees in our area. The weather can be pretty violent for lack of a better description. When we are dry, the weather does it properly, and the same goes for when we are wet. A resident of many years in the area suggested to us to plant the trees we wanted to ultimately have underneath a thorn tree which grow abundantly in our area. This way the young tree is protected from the intense heat or damaging affects of hail or excessive wind. Later as the younger tree grows and becomes better established, one can chop down the thorn tree and let the established tree take its place.

What advice would you like to give to others who are younger/earlier on their journey? 

Make sure you have a solid source of income when you get into this, and even more so if you intend to have animals. There are so many unexpected costs that come from living on a decent acreage and financial stress from this lifestyle can become very overwhelming. Generally just as you have fixed or improved something, something else will need fixing or improving. Sure, you don’t need to be stinking rich to homestead, but you do need some extra cash for improvements, maintenance and unforeseen expenses such as sick animals. I have seen many people fail to succeed at homesteading due to a severe lack of funds.

Where do you see growing going in South Africa? 

All around me I see more and more people in South Africa being drawn to the homesteading lifestyle. With rising food costs and also a better understanding of just how unhealthy, over-chemicalized and processed our food is, there is a strong desire to produce it ourselves in a more natural fashion. I think it is a rapidly growing movement.

I believe many people are also drawn to the often safer smaller towns and the slower-paced, less stressful lifestyle that goes with it. For me, working in one of the most dangerous provinces part of the month, coming home is a breath of fresh air – I forget entirely about how it is in the outside world.