Chartwell equestrian shares her readiness for the coming Kyalami Park Clubs’ Toyota World Cup Qualifier
Her top horse, Oripeau d’Emma, known as Ori, will participate in the larger classes, and she will compete alongside her husband and daughter in various classes.
Chartwell resident and dedicated equestrian athlete Lorette Knowles-Taylor is excited to announce that her riding horse, Farnham For Gold – affectionately known as Gorgeous George – is back in action after successfully having a chip removed.
Knowles-Taylor is firmly focused on her preparations for the upcoming Toyota World Cup Qualifier, a prestigious four-day event from May 15–18 at Kyalami Park Club, which promises to be a true test for both riders and their horses.
Gorgeous George will compete in the 130cm class, marking his return to competition as he continues to build his fitness post-surgery. “I am so excited to have him back at work. He is a second-generation home-bred horse and our family’s special big boy,” she explained.
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Knowles-Taylor’s equestrian journey began in Namibia at the age of seven, with her first competition at nine. Despite her parents, Arthur and Alwyn Knowles, not being horse enthusiasts themselves, they have been unwavering in their support of Lorette’s commitment to her passions for nearly 40 years.
She competed as a junior rider from ages 13 to 17, proudly representing South West Africa in equitation. After relocating to Gauteng in early 1992, her father purchased an adult A-grade horse for her to complete her junior career. In 1993, she was selected for the SANEF junior B team at the East Rand Championships on the same horse.
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After graduating from St Andrews, Bedfordview, Knowles-Taylor pursued an Honours Bachelor of Accounting Science at UNISA and completed her accounting articles at Deloitte and Touche. Strong in her academic qualifications, she chose to focus exclusively on her passion for show jumping and teaching.
With numerous provincial adult show jumping Colours to her name, Knowles-Taylor’s career highlights include being awarded Protea Colours in March 2006 and being a proud member of the South African team for the Tri-Nations in New Zealand during 2006, 2007, and 2008. Additionally, she was selected as a team member for the South African leg in both 2006 and 2007.
At the qualifier, Knowles-Taylor will also be competing on other horses, including Oxford Special Edition and Oxford Cobayne, both owned by Brett Latimer. In her stable, she also has SD Diabab, known as Bob, owned by Emilio Agliati, who is a highly competitive 135cm horse.
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Her top horse, Oripeau d’Emma, affectionately called Ori, will tackle the larger classes. “Ori is a very classy boy. I have taken a lot of time to figure out what works best for our partnership, in terms of his shoeing and bitting. We opted to jump some of the bigger classes several times for experience last year, but never on the grass. We enjoyed ourselves at the recent Toyota Easter Festival, and I look forward to growing stronger together.”
Knowles-Taylor will compete alongside her husband and daughter in various classes at the event. “Barry and I are super competitive and often forget we are husband and wife during a jump-off. We are supportive competitors against each other. It’s especially special to have my daughter, Ash, competing with me. It’s a horse mom’s dream come true to share this passion with my child.”
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