Kingsley defies tumours and doctors to deliver brave success story with Sooty

Kingsley had been diagnosed with two benign tumours on her hearing nerves but was determined to prove doctors wrong.

After winning her first national para jumping class, that ambition has been bravely achieved.

Yorkshire vet and equine dentist Kingsley partnered Sooty to glory at the recent Alexanders Horseboxes British Showjumping Scope Festival.

Yet any success in the saddle looked highly unlikely in 2001 when – following the discovery of her tumours – keen eventer Kingsley had two life-threatening operations at a specialist hospital in Germany. Kingsley, who was then 27, was left with little hearing and admits that even now she cannot hear if a fence has been put down.

But there were none down at the British Showjumping Scope Festival as the Yorkshire ace recorded a memorable victory 12 years after being told she’d never walk again.

Not that the success was without its complications. Kingsley revealed: “Sooty was a complete professional at the Scope Festival – he made light of the tight turns I asked of him and left all the poles up.

“Not that I knew that when I finished! I can’t really hear if a fence falls and when I saw my mum put one finger up I thought I’d had one down. But she was actually trying to tell me Sooty had won!”

The triumph was a remarkable one considering Kingsley’s situation back in 2001.

A regular on the BBC TV reality show Vet in Practice, Kingsley immediately made steps for a shift in a professional career path by qualifying in equine dentistry. Four months after her second operation, she passed the BEVA/BVDA UK exam and started her own practice. But the road back to riding was a different matter altogether.

“Getting back to competitive riding myself was a different story,” Kingsley recalled.

“In the early days I would constantly fall over and end up in the mud, just fetching the horses in from the field. But with two three year-olds to break and produce, I had to persevere. To compensate for poor balance I worked on building core strength, I took up pilates and went running and swimming. Gradually I started eventing again and I even did a couple of intermediate horse trials.

“The late Mike Barker, a true horseman from Tasmania – also fired me with the confidence to canter round the fields and made me jump an old sofa on my spooky four-year-old! Gradually I started eventing again and I even did a couple of intermediate horse trials.”

However, despite her history in eventing, it was in show-jumping that Kingsley’s future would lie.

As an eventer, Kingsley’s ultimate aim was to compete at Badminton. But now the White Rose ace aspires to compete for Great Britain as a para rider with Kingsley thrilled with the rapid development of para jumping as an alternative to para dressage.

“Eventing can be quite stressful when you’re slightly imperfect – especially on Sooty who is naturally very fast and hot,” said Kingsley.

“So last year we set out show-jumping even now that throughout my 20 years as an event rider show-jumping was always my worst phase. If I had a clear round it was a rarity.

“But even though I can’t hear the start bell when I go into the ring, Sooty has proved a pocket rocket. We’re now enthusiastic regulars at Richmond Equestrian Centre and Port Royal and he was won more money in a single season than I saw in all my years of eventing.”

And expect more success to come with Kingsley clearly on a rapid upward curve in the para jumping sphere.

The Yorkshire star has now been invited to the internationals at Mannheim and La Baule next May with Kingsley – still a new-comer to para-dressage – optimistic that there is more success to come.

Kingsley added: “I do feel that despite having reached the dizzy heights of advanced eventing, and competed at Blenheim, I’m only now just starting to master the skills I always wanted.

“It’s great to feel that there is still so much to learn in the sport I love. What a good thing I didn’t listen to the gloomy medics and take up knitting instead!”

Hunt breaks from tradition as newcomers invited along

THE BADSWORTH & Bramham Moor Hunt are keen to welcome all newcomers to this coming season’s hunts.

In a break from tradition, Badsworth & Bramham Moor are not planning to hold a Newcomers’ Day this Autumn.

However, that tactic has been employed very much by design with organisers believing that mixing in with regular hunters would be more beneficial to newcomers than having a specific day for new riders.

The 2013-14 hunting season starts today with Badsworth & Bramham Moor riding out every Tuesday and Saturday. The adult cap is £20.

The visitor cap is £60 with Badsworth & Bramham Moor also having books of five-day tickets at a cost £250.

Explaining the move away from a newcomers day, Badsworth & Bramham Moor secretary Jenny Tomlinson Walsh reasoned: “It is thought that newcomers and/or riders who haven’t hunted for a while will receive better advice and personal attention attending a regular hunting day where there may be only one or two newcomers attending.

“Compare this to attending a ‘special’ newcomers day where there may be up to 150 Newcomers riding – with numbers like that, learning about hunting and conversation is difficult, if not impossible.

“The Badsworth & Bramham Moor is a friendly hunt and we look forward to welcoming people. If anybody has any questions then they should please not hesitate to enquire.

“Travelling to most Badsworth & Bramham Moor Meets is also relatively easy – given the major roads and motorways.”

Interested newcomers to hunting are invited to contact Jenny Tomlinson Walsh to discuss meets, suitability and directions on 07977 627128.

Scotland showjumper James Smith won last Sunday’s penultimate qualifying event for the Dodson & Horrell and the World Class Programme U23 British Championship Final.

The final will take place at the London International Horse Show, Olympia on Friday, December 20.

Held at Morris Equestrian Centre in Scotland, Smith and Cumina, owned by Leona Smith, took the win despite the rider losing his reins after the second to last fence.

He finished nearly a second ahead of Lucy Guild (Titi D’Oase) – the same combination that won the previous week’s U23 Qualifier at Aintree. Smith and Guild produced the only double clears of the day with Jessica Hewitt (Zaronda II) finishing third. Kimberly White (Catapult) finished in fourth place with Ria Ginley (Amelie III) fifth and Aimee Bell (Cameron Poe) sixth. The final qualifying competition for the 2013 series takes place at Addington Equestrian Centre, Buckingham, from November 13-16.