Joker out but Fran is smiling

OWNER Rosemary Search says she is "tickled pink" and rider Fran Reeve, 16, is delighted too by her new partnership with Search's home bred mare, The Bees Knees V. BK, as she is known, has a pretty impressive pedigree. She is sister to the very successful Opposition Buzz and Bee Diplomatic, both ridden by Northallerton's Nicola Wilson, who had also been competing BK up to British Eventing three-star level before the mare had a break to have a foal.

"They seem to have formed a really good partnership. Coming back into work at a lower level suits The Bees Knees and they are doing really well," said Rosemary, who is helping to train Fran who lives at Hunsingore near Wetherby.

For Fran Reeve the opportunity could not have come at a better time. She would have been in the running for the British eventing team at this summer's FEI European Pony Championships but her top pony, Joker, is out of action with tendon problems.

The offer from Rosemary Search to ride The Bees Knees meant Fran has been able to move up into more senior competitions earlier than expected.

"Fran has been riding her since the middle of March and they really seem to have hit it off," says Fran's mother, Kim.

So far they have won two Junior Regional Novice competitions, at Central Scotland and at Floors.

In Fran's first intermediate competition, the Open Intermediate Under-21 class at Hexham, they were placed fifth. At Hexham Fran also won the JRN competition riding McArdle's Bullet.

"The next big thing for them is the Under-18s Championship in Wales at the beginning of July and we're now working on that," said Kim Reeve.

BRYONIE Everall, 17, riding Unie, a Dutch mare, qualified for the British Showjumping Amateur Classic at Rowallen in Scotland and will be competing at the Horse of the Year Show in October.

This will be her second time at HOYS as she competed there in 2006 on ponies.

Bryonie's grandparents, Bruce and Anne Everall, run Acrecliffe Equestrian Centre in Otley where she is currently an apprentice and training for her BHS exams.

Also heading for HOYS is 15-year-old Luke Hill from Malton. He qualified for the Junior Foxhunter competition at Arena UK, where 34 riders competed in the class.

Only 15 jumped clear and then only four went clear in the second round, chasing three HOYS tickets. One had already qualified which meant the remaining three, including Luke,went through.