Barry Taylor Sidelined by Injury

As we start the 2021 showjumping season with competitions across the country, the Reonet Riders Grand Prix, hosted at Kyalami Equestrian Park, got the new season underway with lots of ups and downs. Alongside the freak accident that has sidelined Ian van Schalkwyk once again, another 1.50m rider also incurred an injury that will see him sidelined for a few months; Barry Taylor.

Barry had been competing on his 2 clients’ horses, Collado’s Christie and Skippy JK, in the Peter Minnie arena at the Riders Grand Prix event when an accident occurred in the competition arena causing Barry to fall off. This fall resulted in a dislocated clavicle which will see Barry in the operating room on Tuesday. While Barry has not been in the 1.50m grades for a year, his competitiveness and masterful horsemanship are a joy to watch regardless of the height he is in, as displayed late last year at the SA Outdoor Grand Prix when barry set the 1.30m classes alight on Collado’s Christie – owned by Nicky Whitfield – with turns and pace that no other rider could match.

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Barry Taylor is a legendary rider in the South African scene who has won every title there is to win. His long-standing competition career has seen Barry on a multitude of winning horses and has also seen him competing in Europe several times, where he picked up the legendary Nabab Forever a decade ago. While it’s a rare occurrence to see Barry fall, the unfortunate side of equestrian sport is that it happens to even the best riders and, this time, it has caused an injury that will see him out of the arena for several weeks.