The Equestrian team was founded by a group of enthusiastic horse-riders under Charles Luyckx. Charles provided the first few reports of the team's achievements between 1984 and 1986.

The first record of an Equestrian team is recorded in the 1984 Stythian magazine, p104:

On the 4th August 1984 a “Saints” team was entered to compete at the St. David’s Transvaal inter-school horse show. The team consisted of two members from St. Stithians, Charles Luyckx and Peter Morrison, and two from St. Mary’s, Tanya Parker and Louise Allen.

This annual competition consisted of two phases: The “best turned out competition” and the “jumping competition”. This year 20 schools, with 75 competitors in all, entered from all over the Transvaal. In the first phase, by a nerve-wracking process of elimination, the “Saints” were eventually declared the “best turned out team”. In the second phase luck was not on our side (with one horse going lame) and the “Saints” didn’t do as well, but. . . wait until next year!

In the Stythian 1985 p.46, Charles again reported on Showjumping:

They say that ‘good luck’ is when opportunity meets preparation The opportunity was provided and our preparations were approaching a maximum, until two days before the Transvaal inter-schools Team Event, when two of the team horses went lame. Substitutions were found, but our chances of victory were reduced substantially. We ended with a total of four penalties (one jump down) with only four of the twenty one starting schools remaining faultless by the end of the day. Against the odds we managed to come so incredibly close, but then still so far.

The team comprised: C. Luyckx (Capt.) on ‘Tarmac Eiger’; Louise Ford (Northcliff High) on ‘Mighty Man'; Brian Cornick on ‘Sky Surfer’ and Peter Morrison on ‘Harrow'.

By 1986, the team's fortunes had turned for the better as again reported on by Charles:

The St David's Transvaal Inter-Schools Show-Jumping Championship was held on 3rd August 1986.

'The Saints, consisting of a combined St. Stithians College/St. Johns College team set out in high spirits. The atmosphere was intense; had It been motorsport one might have called it electric. The Saints team consisting of Charles Luyckx (Captain), Debbie Yeo. Peter Morrison and Brain Cornick totalled three faultless clear rounds! Into the run off on time they had to do the same thing again, only faster! Well, as true gentleman they felt they had to let the St. Mary's and Redhill teams in before them and they settled for 3rd place. In fact, it was pretty close. They feel a certain well known sports writer might have given them his stamp of approval ... he might have thought it bl...y marvellous!

From that time until the advent of the Girls' College in 1996, very little is recorded on the Equestrian team. In the meantime, the sport continued to expand and became a recognised inter-school sport. Today it functions under SANESA (the South African National Equestrian Schools Association). Equestrian sports now include 14 diverse equestrian competition disciplines and competitions consist of 4 qualifying rounds followed by regional, provincial and national competitions and St Stithians fields one of the largest teams in both high school and prep divisions.

Equestrian sport is the only sport at St Stithians in which boys and girls compete in the same team and according to ability rather than age, although separate competitions are held for primary and high schools.

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