Last weekend, she made a fundamental contribution to the American team's victory in the Longines League of Nations™️ in Ocala. For years, she has also proudly represented her country in the Rotterdam arena. She even spends a large part of the year living in the Netherlands, and she enjoys it very much. She is an inspiration to many, and we are proud that she was able to make time for us in her very busy schedule as a wife, top equestrian, mother, and grandmother.
You wouldn’t believe it—absolutely not—but this year, she turns 60. She has competed in the Olympic Summer Games three times: in 2000, 2008, and 2021. In 2008, she won a gold medal in the team competition in Hong Kong. Two years earlier, she had secured a silver medal with the American team at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. In August 2021, she was part of the team that represented the United States at the Tokyo Olympics. In the team event, they won a silver medal. Just short of gold—every rider went clear, but Sweden was one second faster.
"We love living in the Netherlands"
"For those who don’t know, we now live in the Netherlands for about eight months of the year. We had a beautiful place in Great Britain, but due to Brexit, things became very complicated and expensive. Logistically, it made more sense to move to mainland Europe, so we chose the Netherlands. I love the lifestyle here—it’s very horse-oriented," the American rider explains. "By the way, I’m usually only here at the start of the week—most weekends, I’m at competitions. One of the best things about our new home is that we live just fifteen minutes away from our dear friends, the Hendrix family.”
Longines League of Nations
"Of course, I still go back to the USA. Speaking of your Longines League of Nations™️, I love Ocala and its facilities—it’s an incredible place. It’s too early to say whether the Longines League of Nations will be a success, but I think Ocala and Rotterdam are fantastic."
Mother and Grandmother
We ask Laura about her life outside of horses. A joyful smile appears on her face as she responds: “I’m a mother and grandmother, and that’s a huge passion of mine—I spend as much time as possible on it. My son is 25, and my grandchildren are two years and six months old. Whenever I’m at competitions, I also try to explore the city if I can. By now, I know quite a few parts of Rotterdam. We usually go out in the evenings and always look for a nice, good restaurant.”
Gold in Hong Kong
"Despite my age, I still have dreams—you should always have them. The highlight of my equestrian career so far was winning the Olympic team gold medal in Hong Kong, but I’d love to win a few more big Grand Prix events, like the one in Rotterdam. I look forward to coming back to your event every year and hope to see you all there."
