Where passion meets skill

by samantha wright

Lorette on Greet a Star photograph by TB images

Between the two of them, Barry and Lorette Taylor have won every major show-jumping accolade up for grabs in South Africa, including the Avis South African Derby, the South African Riders Championship and a host of World Cup Qualifi ers. While there is no denying that the Taylors are two of the most accomplished show jumpers in South Africa, they are also fantastic coaches. The couple have trained their fair share of top-ranked horses and are also coaching a large number of South Africa’s top show jumpers as well as the majority of the country’s up-and- coming young riders. Their pupils include Shaun and Gareth Neill, Oscar Ncube, Govett Triggol, Brendan McNiven, Tamar Bernstein, Chris van der Merwe and Stephanie Glover. SA Horseman sat down with this power duo at their base in Fourways, Farnham Stables, to fi nd out what they think is needed to make it to the top of South Africa’s show jumping ranks. Getting to the top Lorette says it is always important to stay focused and positive. She also maintains that a rider should never go into a competition ‘to make up the fi eld’. The couple sing the usual song when questioned about how to make it to the top: hard work, dedication, sweat and tears.

Lorette also maintains that it is important to keep yourself in good horses. You also need to look after those horses when you fi nd them. At Farnham, the couple ensure that their athletes are treated as such. Top show jumpers are in training programmes similar to the best human athletes – it is the only way to ensure that your horse is up to the job of performing at the highest level. In the same way that an athlete is on a monitored and controlled diet, with a set training programme and monitored by a physiotherapist to ensure minimal injury, all aspects of a top show jumper’s care is also monitored. Nutritional support At Farnham, the horses have nutritional support from Vitaline Feeds, which sponsor the yard. There is also a resident physiotherapist to ensure the horses are kept at optimum fi tness without injury.

A chiropractor is also on call, while a variety of products, including ice boots and equilibrium blankets, are used to ensure healthy and happy horses. This is over and above the usual visits from the farrier, the vet on call and the horses being let out to graze and ’be horses‘ during the day. Keeping a horse at this level of care is by no means a cheap exercise. Lorette confesses that competing at the top is an expensive game, but you don’t need to be rolling in cash to jump at the top. There are corporate sponsors out there that will help with some if not all of the costs.

Barry and Lorette have also been lucky enough to fi nd passionate equestrians along the way who act as private investors, because equines are their private passion but they themselves are not interested in competing. Physical care Besides keeping their horses in top physical condition, the couple also take a great deal of care in ensuring that they are physically fi t and healthy. The majority of their week is spent outdoors riding and teaching, which maintains fi tness, but they do have regular gym sessions in the evening as well. The couple work seven days per week. They normally get up, have breakfast and go to the yard. Barry teaches from 7 am to 10 am and rides three to four horses before or after his morning lessons. Lorette rides six horses in the morning. The couple teach in the afternoon from 2 pm to 6 pm and then head off to gym. Weekends are normally taken up by shows at which they are either coaching or riding. But should no shows fall on the weekend, the couple ride in the morning and teach until about twelve. In between, Barry and Lorette need to fi t in the normal day-to-day chores of a married couple as well as ensuring the best upbringing for their six-year-old daughter, Ashlee, who also has a great love for horses.

Competitive couple While Lorette says they share a passion and eat, breathe and sleep horses, they are also fi ercely competitive with each other. Lorette says that her and Barry are a man-and-wife team, up until they go into the ring, when they want to beat each other. Sharing their passion means they can revel in each other’s successes and help each other when either one hits a slump. The saying goes that those who can’t do, teach. But this is not the case with the Taylors. Their list of pupils reads like the who’s who of the top fi fty show jumpers in South Africa.

It must be hard enough to walk a course at a height of 1,50 metres, focus, warm up and then compete. But how does one do all that and coach at the same time? Barry says it actually benefi ts both him and his pupils at the big shows. They are able to discuss the course together, share ideas and help one another. What lies ahead? In fi ve years’ time, the couple sees themselves in a very diff erent position from where they are now. Lorette says she’d ideally like to compete overseas and see how she would fair. Though she is fully aware of the difficulty that local riders have with relocating, she hopes the success of our athletes at the 2010 World Equestrian Games will open doors for South African riders. Barry might look at retiring from competition in four to six years to train and teach full-time. With his vast experience competing both locally and abroad, Barry is keen to get involved in equestrian event management.

Barry on Nabab Forever (Photograph by Sabrina Dean)

Pictures of different horses that have entered their lives at one time or another, cover the walls of their home and both have a great affinity with the different horses in their yard. Their training programmes cater for each individual equestrian, working on their weaknesses and highlighting their strengths to produce a happy and balanced equine. Without a doubt, the Taylors are not only talented and accomplished riders; they are also great equestrians.

Import or not?

Do you need an imported horse to compete at the top show jumping levels in South Africa? Lorette, who won the 2007 SA Derby on the plucky thoroughbred, Greet a Star, and competed at the 2010 SA Derby on the grey thoroughbred Aquablade (which she had only been riding for two weeks), says as far as she is concerned, nothing beats a good thoroughbred. She concedes, however, that the overseas horses still rule the ranks.

For amateur riders who want to compete in the higher leagues, a good import has the experience and bravery that is needed. Although there are some phenomenal locally bred horses, she says bringing them on is a long process.
Barry says when looking for a horse to compete on, it is important to find the horse that fits the rider. When it comes to the rest of it, such as breed, colour, sex etc, if the horse fits, live with it. He says if a horse and rider mesh, they can compete two divisions higher than they are actually capable of individually. When looking for a horse, Barry says professional riders can deal with naughty or quirky, talented horses. But amateur riders should go for horses that are experienced with good temperaments.

A winning smile. Lorette gives the thumbs up after winning the 2007 SA Derby. Sharing her joy is winning Derby groom, Phineas Phosa, who passed away in 2009 (Photograph by TB Images)

He says he likes a horse with a good canter that is sharp off the ground and has scope. He also says that when buying a horse for a woman, he looks for different things than when purchasing for a man. He says a horse being ridden by a woman needs to be more brave than careful and should be a bit more forward than what would be needed for a man. He says that to get to the top, it doesn’t matter if you are sitting on an import, an ex-racehorse or a locally bred warmblood. What is important is to find the right horse that fits the rider and to work with the correct trainer who has the right intentions.