It has been another great year for the riders that make up #TeamKBIS. Hear from them on their hightlights below…
Jayne Ross
Thrilled to have had such a great season, from beginning to end, particularly with quite a few novice and first-season horses. Probably the ultimate highlight was Michael Cook and Tony Reynolds homebred KBF Crescendo (Daphne), taking supreme coloured champion at RIHS and then following it up with her win in the Ladies Hunter class there. I was therefore very disappointed not to be able to run her at HOYS, but she’ll be back next year.
Another highlight was taking Champion and Reserve Open Hunter at Great Yorkshire with Debbie Harrod’s Wall Street 11 and Rose Almond’s Twinshock Warrior respectively, as well as Twinshock’s Hickstead Derby Championship and some fabulous Windsor results. Delighted with the way all the horses went at HOYS, especially our five-year-olds on the last day – Lulu de Beau 2nd in the Small Riding Horse having done only one open show before and King of Clubs 2nd in the Large Riding Horse, and KBF Lucia winning the Coloured Plaited Horse, all owned by Debbie Harrod.
Our owner riders also all acquitted themselves extremely well, holding their own in open company. We couldn’t do it without my fantastic team behind me and delighted to have them with me next year, as well as our fabulous owners and sponsors. Looking forward to progressing these novices still further, along with some more babies.
Sasha Hargreaves
This season was a really good ‘building’ season for myself, my string of horses, and my team. Woodlands be Daring established himself at 4* level and we had some great results with him achieving many of the goals I set at the start of the year and completing Blenheim with a lovely clear SJ, something that I have always struggled with on Des.
My young horses have really been the center of attention this year with most weekends involving a lorry full of 5YOS heading out to unaffiliated events, SJ, dressage, and training. Both KBIS Star Attraction and Pop the Bolly qualified for the Nexgen finals and had some great results at 90 and 100. My other youngsters continued to develop well and it will be exciting to get them out BE next year!
I feel as though this season my team has grown and developed so much with Taryn leading the way as head girl and both Bethan and Isla getting really stuck in and involved with every aspect of the yard and the horses. It was lovely to have all 3 of them cheer Des through the finish line at Blenheim and help with his aftercare and it was also brilliant to see Taryn win ‘Best Turned Out’ with Des.
It’s been a super busy season with some fab highs and also some lows but I think we have all come out of it stronger and ready to tackle 2023!
Georgie Campbell
The best moment for the team was definitely the Monday of Wellington Horse Trials. We had 8 horses, 2 lorries, 4 grooms and so many of our owners and supporters, including Jesse’s parents over from NZ together on one day. All the horses went brilliantly, we had great weather, and it was just a real reminder of what a wonderful sport eventing is.
For me, it’s the little moments with young horses that can mean the most, but a huge highlight was 6yo Ottentik Nobility (aka Ted) winning the Novice at Upton House on a 24.5. He’s the Acheson family’s first home bred, and was such a weedy youngster but has really started to come into his own and show what an exciting horse he is for the future.
A real standout moment was Lignieres. Winning the 4* Long on Global Quest was a career highlight for me. He’s a unique character and it’s taken me some time to find the key to him but he’s super talented and he really deserved this result, along with his owner Diana Morrish, who is my longest-standing owner. Speedwell also finished 5th in the 3* Long.
Jesse Campbell
The best team moment had to be being on hand for Georgie’s win at Lignieres. Due to Covid, we have not always been able to be there for each other at key events recently and it was awesome to be on hand to see Georgie win her first 4*Long, the first of many more!
Winning the Nextgen qualifier at Pyecombe on Misty Liberty Lane was another great moment. Georgie and I pride ourselves on the way we produce our young horses but it is still a bit of an unknown on their first outing. How are they going to handle the atmosphere, are they going to be nervous etc. It was a super feeling to have him come out confident and ready to perform his best and for him to come away with the win was the icing on the cake!
Cooley Lafitte really stepped up this year and taking 13th in the 4*L at Blenheim showed me what an exciting horse he could be for the future. He has always been a bit nervous and an over-thinker but this year he started to really trust me and this culminated in some fantastic cross-country rounds and at Blenheim, he jumped double clear around a challenging Cross Country and Show Jumping track.
Will Fletcher
This year has been a great one to look back on. I have had one of the most successful years of my career, passing many milestones I have wanted to achieve. I jumped at my first 5* Show which is always one of any rider’s career goals but making it even better by finishing in the top 10 of the Grand Prix.
My two best horses Valento and KBIS Ginadina both stepped up to Big Grand Prix’, getting many places in them as well as representing Great Britain on Nations Cup teams. I also had my first international Grand Prix win on Persimmon who also had a brilliant year placing in a lot of big international classes. Looking back I have to be very happy with how this year has gone and looking forward I’m hoping for next year to be even better.
Charlotte Cundall
Read Charlotte’s 2022 reflections in her latest blog “Dare to Dream“.
Lindsay Wilcox-Reid
Well, 2022 has certainly been a wild ride! It’s been a while since a year has held so many highs and lows for me, and I’m equally grateful for the amazing experiences I’ve had and pleased to say goodbye to others.
We had a brilliant first couple of months, with Sanbonani (Banana) the lovely Woodlander chestnut mare I ride for her owner Dr Lisa Hamilton, competing at the Vale View winter regionals and qualifying for the BD Winter Championships. I also started riding my fabulous 4 year old Formidable Caledonia, stable name Fergus! I’ve had him since a weanling so this was really exciting.
April brought the Championships at Hartpury, and we had the most amazing time; the weather was glorious and although we didn’t place this time, we were all so proud of Banana who coped so well with her first major event.
May however was not as fun, as I had a nasty accident on a youngster and broke my foot into many pieces – what a mess! Non weight bearing, I was on crutches until my foot was screwed back together in June, then for many more weeks. This was such a blow as not only could I not work, and running my own business came to a complete halt, but my plans to bring Fonz out at advanced were scuppered. Thanks to the support of my friends and family, and some really kind colleagues, my horses were kept ticking over so by the time I could get back on, it was ‘just’ a question of getting myself up to speed rather than having to bring the horses back to fitness as well.
By August I was riding three or four horses a day, albeit with one stirrup! I knew I had to be fit for my trainer, Manuela McLean, coming over to teach a three day clinic, so this was my motivation to get going. I unfortunately couldn’t get Banana and me quite ready in time for the summer regionals she’d qualified for, but we’re back on full throttle now and she’s qualified for the Elementary Freestyle Winter regionals and has just started competing at Medium. Fonz has completed his first advanced! I’m looking forward to doing the Advanced Medium Champs with him and the cracking on with PSG in the spring. I’m so proud of how they’re all progressing, and having taken stock of so many areas with the injury, I’m really looking forward to what 2023 brings. Thank you, as always, to KBIS for all your support!
Olli Fletcher
2022 has definitely been my best year yet, ticking off a few things off the bucket list. Competing at my first 5* show, jumping clear in every big class, being on 4 senior nations cups and winning one of them.
A team bronze medal at the young rider European Championships, as well as winning the under 21 National Championships and more Grand Prix wins and good placings across Europe. I have climbed 1000 places up into the top 200 in the world rankings.
I am incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I have had this year, and none of this could be done without the incredible support of my owners, sponsors and with everyone with me at the shows to the great team at home keep the show on the road. So a big thanks to everyone involved in this year’s unforgettable journey!