Time for a Change
It’s hard for me to know if I chose this path or if it chose me. No matter the answer, my response is unchanged: I will march down the path ahead of me because it’s exactly where I have been led. This past year has been an unrecognizable combination of victory, heartache, lose, beginnings, and “yet-to-be understood” lessons. The most impacting part of the year happened on September 13th, the night of a fundraiser to spread awareness of my Olympic plight to people within my community. During set up for the event, I learned about the...
read moreThe Happenings of LBE
The past few months have been more than a whirlwind for me and my horses, it’s been a completely wild adventure. Most recently, my three horses have attended Twin Rivers Horse Trials and Woodside International Horse Trials. The most exciting part of the past few months has been growing a lasting relationship with my newest horse, Castle Larchfield Purdy. “Purdy” and I competed in the open intermediate and CIC** in the past two shows, finishing in first at both events. It has been so exciting to invite a syndicate into...
read moreRebecca Farm 2014
Hello everyone! This is Lauren’s groom, Marta, writing. I am here to keep you updated on our exciting week at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana! Sunday at noon we departed from Carmel Valley with 9 horses in a commercial truck and trailer. Sophie (Lauren’s working student) and I traveled with the horses and the truck drivers up to Montana. Thankfully the trip was nothing but smooth sailing! The horses drank, ate, and were happy the whole way there. It helped that they had such a nice ride. When we weren’t taking care...
read moreSyndication Opportunity
“Follow your dreams.” That’s a jam-packed phrase. In my eclectic and passionate journey through my past twenty five years of life, I have found that following your dreams requires more than one person can individually provide. It requires an army’s worth of ambition, support, and drive, as well as a bit of luck. I always knew riding was what I wanted as the focus of my life, but was never really sure how this would happen. So I followed the path life provided with the support of my “army” and miraculously found myself at this...
read moreRewriting The Past
I realize, being who I am, that I have a tendency to be overly competitive and overly analytical. When I see a problem, I want to fix it immediately. Since my return from the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, these qualities certainly haven’t changed. My job since I’ve been back has been to work my horse down from her fitness. To be frank, it isn’t the easiest goal I’ve ever had to achieve. Ginger is holding onto her fire. Trying to suppress this for the time being, after so many months of building it, is hard, to say the...
read moreDisappointed But Not Defeated
I woke up this morning with a feeling of incompletion after cross-country at the Pan American Games. Twenty-four hours ago I couldn’t sleep or eat. I woke up with clammy hands before my alarm. I was ready for the day. When we arrived at La Hipica Club, we loaded the horses into trailers and took all our supplies over to Santa Sofia Country Club, where the cross-country was to be held. I got on for a quick ride when I got there to feel the footing and get a little air in my horse’s lungs. I kept reminding myself that we were ready for this...
read moreDressage Day At The Pan Ams Was The Best Possible
It was the best I could have imagined. It’s like she knew today was the day to do her very best in dressage. She never put up a fight but was compliant and better in the ring than I could have ever expected. Today my horse, Ballingowan Ginger, and I put in our dressage test for the Pan American Games. It was surreal. As I trotted into the big arena, there was a large audience, huge flower boxes and a big-time feel to the arena. It hit me… To continue reading this post, please click on the following link:...
read moreRiding On A Golf Course Is A Dream Come True
It is good to remember the past. It brings me home, reminds me of what I’ve been through, and strengthens me for what is to come. When I was young, I was on the show team at the barn where I grew up learning to ride called Mountain View Corrals. The team was comprised of my best friends. We understood one another at the age of 13 to even now. We would spend summers riding horses, swimming, playing and eating. The girls and I had similar priorities in life with riding, family, faith and friends at the top and outward appearances, boys and...
read moreThe Spirit of the Pan American Games has been Overwelming
Walking down the barn aisles on the first day was overwhelming. I tried to ask for help in broken Spanglish, which left me wondering if I even spoke English. I came early to the Pan American Games without a groom, without a coach, without a veterinarian and without a team. I relied on my past showing experiences to pull me through. The Pan American Games, however, is not just like any other horse show experience. After I found my stall, I was pleasantly surprised when one of the grooms quietly carried all of my things to my tack room without...
read moreOpening Ceremonies
I had the chills, the kind that run up and down your spine, and my heart was beating so hard in my chest it was hard to breathe as we walked into opening ceremonies at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. A screaming crowd of 50,000 people shook me. On the way to the stadium Puerto Rico put on quite the show with drumming, dancing and singing all the way to the stadium. It was exhilarating to be surrounded by people with such a joy for the moment they were in. All the way to the stadium, people cheering for the 6,000 athletes from 42...
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