Lauren and "Bug" at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event
These past few weeks have kept Lauren very busy between training and traveling to prepare for several major spring events! She and her team began April by heading to the Chattahoochee Hills International Horse Trials in Chattahoochee Hills, GA. The star of the weekend was Jacqueline Mars's D.A. Duras, who finished on top in the Advanced division. They scored a 29.3 in the dressage phase and added little to that score throughout the weekend to bring home the win.
In addition to her Advanced win, Lauren also took home top finishes in the FEI divisions. In the CIC2*, Jaqueline Mars's Landmark's Monte Carlo had a gorgeous dressage test and two solid jump phases to finish in second, and in the CIC3* Jacqueline Mars's Vermiculus was third with his stable mate, Team Rebecca LLC's Veronica right behind him in fourth. All three horses performed confidently to prepare them for their spring four-stars later in the month.
After Chattahoochee Hills, Lauren and her team returned to Ocala to compete at the Ocala International Horse Trials, where Lauren picked up multiple top finishes wit her younger horses. She took both top spots in the Open Novice division with Jacqueline Mars's Gomarus and Get Gaudi, and in the Open Preliminary division, Lauren and Jacqueline Mars's Landmark's Mochachino earned a solid 27 in dressage and had two confidence-boosting jump phases to finish in second place. She also rode Ashley and Brandye Randermann's Fashion Forward to a top seven finish in the same division. Lauren also picked up a second place finish in the Open Training division with Jacqueline Mars's Landmark's Apollo, turning in a solid dressage test and two strong jump rounds.
To finish off April, Lauren and her team headed up to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky to compete in the prestigious Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, where Lauren rode Jacqueline Mars's Vermiculus in his first four star appearance. They kicked off the week with a gorgeous dressage test, scoring a 43.8, and "Bug" was a superstar on cross country day in his first four star attempt, handling the challenging track in stride. Unfortunately he was a bit sore after cross country, so Lauren elected to withdraw him before show jumping to save him for another day, but she could not have been more proud of this exceptional young horse and knows there will be many more four stars in his future.
Up next for Lauren is the Badminton Horse Trials in England this week. Both Jacqueline Mars's Landmark's Monte Carlo and Team Rebecca LLC's Veronica have arrived safely in England and are feeling great and well prepared for the challenge ahead. Lauren headed out to meet them early this week, and she is looking forward to the competition ahead!
As she celebrates her successes and continues her preparation for the rest of the season, Lauren would especially like to thank her incredible owners for giving her the opportunity to ride such talented, special horses. And of course, none of this would be possible without the support of everyone on her team, along with her family, friends, and sponsors. She is looking forward to more great things to come this year!
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