Team ready to be the best

The show starts on 28 March and concludes with the Nissan Outdoor Grand Prix taking place on 6 April in Kyalami.

The team is a mixed female and male team comprising industry stalwarts Barry Taylor and wife Lorette Knowles-Taylor and their four development riders namely Vincent Moemise, Oscar Ncube, Zoleka Mosiah and Lexi Stais.

“Showjumping is one of the more challenging sports as you need to communicate and have a relationship with the horse, working together to achieve maximum potential. Our team has been handpicked for the riders’ abilities, their sound understanding of their horses and their desire to win,” said showjumper Barry Taylor.

Lorette Knowles-Taylor added moving out of the training season and into the thick of shows, the team will compete in nearly 300 showjumping classes between now and the end of the year, which is tough going on any athlete.

“Most of the members ride about five hours a day, six days a week and all-year round. We are extremely fit, on par with the rest of the world and know what we need to do in order to top the country’s rankings. Several of our riders have represented South Africa and it is the dream of every member to achieve national colours in their career,” she added.

She said, “We’ve trained hard this year and I believe that we are all ready for one of the biggest shows of the year, however competition is tough so there’s really no telling who will win come competition day. We would love to encourage the public to come watch us.”

The festival has a free entry for spectators and all ages are welcomed.