About Lauren Sprieser

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So far Lauren Sprieser has created 344 blog entries.

Engagement (With Two Legs, Not Four)

By |2021-01-22T06:01:49-05:00December 8th, 2020|COTH Posts|

A little more than four years ago, I matched on a dating app with a funny Indian engineer with a big nose, holding a bottle of Zima—the disgusting Sprite-and-rubbing-alcohol-esque garbage that teenagers got drunk on in the 90s—in his profile picture. Our first date was at a local pizza place, and I left thinking that he was nice, well-adjusted and responsible, and more than a little afraid of me—in other words, absolutely not my type. But he wanted to see me again and take me to a REALLY nice restaurant in town, and I figured hey, dinner there is NEVER a bad idea.

His name is Ravi, and as of last week, he’s my fiancé.

Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!

Arena Rental for Open Schooling, and More Winter Opportunities!

By |2020-12-08T05:10:27-05:00December 8th, 2020|News & Events|

Want to get out of the winter weather? We’re making our oversized, lit, mirrored indoor arena with dust-free footing available to rent for open schooling this winter! For just $20/rider, you can get out of the cold and keep your riding going. Sign up on Strider, and then secure your slot on Time Center. It’s as simple as that!

This is one of our many winter riding opportunities available between now and mid-April. We also have stalls available for board-only, part training, full training, and even could make dry stalls available for a multi-horse owner or trainer. Camp is back! Winter Teaching Weekends with head trainer Lauren Sprieser are back! And so, so many more fun ways to keep advancing towards your 2021 goals in a safe and healthy way. Read all about ’em in our December e-newsletter, and sign up to have it delivered right to your inbox!

Let The Packing Commence

By |2020-12-08T05:03:57-05:00November 27th, 2020|COTH Posts|

It’s T-minus three weeks until our annual winter migration to Florida. The packing has long-since commenced, and we’ve gotten smarter over the 10 (10!) years we’ve been heading south, leaving more things there so there’s less schlepping. There are spreadsheets. There are whiteboards. There’s even a Google Doc. But it’s still quite the ordeal.

First, logistics: Hay in Virginia runs between $5 and $7, depending on where you get it and how much of it. In Florida, the same timothy hay we get will run me about $18-22. Grain is relatively comparable, and bedding is relatively comparable, but the hay is a doozy. So instead of hauling horses myself, I load my 2+1 Jamco full of Virginia hay and shove as much as I can into other peoples’ trailers as well. (The horses ship commercial.)

But that means that I’ve got the dressing room of that trailer for the personal effects of 12 horses. It’s quite the game of Jenga, but somehow it works. Tack. Blankets. (It does occasionally actually get cold in Wellington, so we take sheets, ceramic sheets and mediums for everyone.) Supplements. SUPPLEMENTS. And then everybody’s individual stuff: boots and helmets and whatever special things people want to bring. Saddle pads. And neoprene boots—I prefer neoprene in Florida because you can rinse it out and dry it, rather than having to wash after every use like fleece-lined boots. The sand in Florida is really abrasive, and I spend a lot of energy keeping legs clean, healthy and dry.

Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

By |2020-12-08T05:02:29-05:00November 17th, 2020|COTH Posts|

I’ve started conversations (and, I believe, at least one or two blogs!) with those four little words so many times I’ve lost count. This year, I’m certainly not alone. This is not a piece whining about “woe is me,” so let’s get that clear from the get-go. I’m healthy. My family is healthy. I have been gifted an amazing life. I have perspective.

But I’m also hard-wired for yearning. If I was a cattle dog, they’d describe me as having a high prey drive. I live in a constant state of hunger for more, more of whatever it is I’ve turned my focus to at any particular time. On a good day, that’s great. On a bad day, that makes me the kind of person who is tempted to chew off her own arm.

Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!

New Mask Policy

By |2020-11-12T10:01:40-05:00November 12th, 2020|News & Events|

With COVID cases on the rise nationwide, and out of an abundance of caution and love for our barn family, we’re requiring face coverings be worn any time our staff and clients are indoors, and/or have a possibility of being within 6’ of another person. For the purposes of clarity, we consider “indoors” to be anywhere climate controlled – the tack room, the pantry, etc.
We will continue to request that riders who aren’t feeling well stay home, that our students leave friends and family guests at home when they come for lessons, and that our trailer-in students limit their traffic through the barn, coming directly from the parking lot to the arena for their lessons. All of these policies have been effortlessly executed since March, and we appreciate everyone’s compliance.
Riders will not be required to wear masks while mounted, and we are so fortunate as to be able to do much of our work in a space with great airflow, so we have every belief that we can operate at our normal level in a safe and healthy way.
But we take the health of our clients and staff seriously, and while we recognize the inconvenience, we are grateful for your understanding. See you all soon!

Autumn Fitness Camp Begins

By |2020-11-12T10:06:10-05:00November 6th, 2020|COTH Posts|

With the 2020 show season officially in my rearview, it’s time to maximize the next few months before we head to Florida. We are still heading to Florida, even with the world’s many unknowns, because while showing is lovely and fun, my team and I really go down to train in the nice weather and to be close to my coach, so I can get more help with my herd. If we actually get to show, then great. But the training is the key.

Fortunately, all three of the 9-year-olds in my life are in a place where the training is really important right now. For Gretzky, aka Puck, he’s ready for his Prix St. Georges debut, and for Elvis, he’s pretty darn close to having the passage, piaffe and transitions between them that could take us down centerline at Intermediaire II. That means my time is being spent making them both a lot stronger for collection.

This is where it’s nice to be at home, specifically my home. My farm sits on 135 acres of rolling hills, and this year we’ve had a perfect autumn with the right amount of rain to make the ground fantastic. So I’m working out of the ring at least two days a week. For Puck, canter pirouettes on a hillside are giving him a lot of balance and a lot of coordination, and for Elvis, piaffe down a hill is helping with engagement. Any hill work is fatiguing, of course, so I’m careful about watching the amount of time that we spend working, and I give lots of breaks to help keep injury at bay. But it’s been extremely helpful already.

Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!

World Cup Winners! October e-Newsletter

By |2020-11-12T11:29:45-05:00October 26th, 2020|News & Events|

What a whirlwind it’s been! What a triumphant close to our 2020 show season: a HUGE victory for my friend Abe Pugh aboard Alice Drayer’s Elfenperfekt at the CDI in Tryon, where Abe and “Pistol” won BOTH the Grand Prix and World Cup Qualifying Freestyle! That makes them the top ranked combination in the North American League. How exciting!! Plus results from the Regional Championships, upcoming events, and more.

Read all about it in our October e-newsletter, and sign up to receive it directly in your inbox!

Finishing Full Of Run At The 2020 GAIG/USDF Region 1 Championships

By |2020-11-12T10:07:38-05:00October 15th, 2020|COTH Posts|

Hey, guess what? It’s been a weird year. Shocking, I know.

I had a plan—getting Elvis to the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions—only to have it rerouted by COVID-19, amongst other things. But I also had a few plans for the other horses in my life: trying to qualify as many as possible for the USDF Finals. And then those were canceled.

I must confess that I did not shed a tear for the USDF Finals. For sure it’s one of my favorite shows, run by a crack team and with a very “Big Deal” feeling. I’ll miss not being there, but not nearly as much as I’d be anxious and scared, knowing it wasn’t fair when so many couldn’t be there, knowing what a dangerous and irresponsible proposition such a big gathering of people, largely indoors, from all over the country, would be.

And not for nothing, but being done a month earlier wasn’t breaking my heart. Every horse in my life is developing, not finished. I want to see them rise to their potential, and I want to do it smart, letting my horses have downtime when I can. So being done competitively by mid-October instead of mid-November? A silver lining I’m perfectly happy with.

So it meant that the Region 1 Championships were our year-ender. I’d qualified Puck (Gretzky RV) for the third level championships and Patrick—Terrina Baker’s De Angelicus MTF—for the first level championships when we were in Florida. Helio earned his fourth level and Prix St. Georges qualifying scores over the summer. And off we went.

Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!

The Splendid and Dependable Reformed

By |2020-11-12T10:09:13-05:00September 24th, 2020|COTH Posts|

Horses like Elvis, and like Ellegria, and Dorian Gray, and Fiero, are unbelievably wonderful to train. They have their hiccups and misunderstandings along the way, but they’re generous of heart and mind, and talented of body and limb; they soak up the education presented to them like a sponge, and they make their way up the levels, and that’s that. It’s hard. Of course it’s hard. But it’s relatively linear. On a gifted and kind horse, you rarely despair. It’s great fun. I highly recommend it.

Then there are the Pucks. The Midges. The Fenders. The ones whose bodies, or minds, or both, aren’t always on your side. The ones who, at least for a time, do not care who you are, or what your credentials are, or how fair or methodical or correct you are; they do what they want. And what they want is absolutely, unequivocally NOT what you want.

Getting those ding dongs on your side is time consuming, exhausting, occasionally scary, and will fill you with doubt. There are times where it is sheer misery. And I freaking love it.

Read the rest at The Chronicle of the Horse!

Results from Corona Lite IV Schooling Show

By |2020-09-20T14:03:20-04:00September 20th, 2020|News & Events|

Results from our fourth and final schooling show in our Corona Lite series are below. Congrats to all!

Second Level +
1. Lauren Sprieser & Helio HI, Prix St. Georges, 68.529
2. Lauren Sprieser & Gretzky RV, Prix St. Georges, 67.794
3. Judy Sprieser & Dorian Gray, Fourth 1, 64.359
4. Susan Ralston & O’Captain, Prix St. Georges 60.294
5. Judy Sprieser & Con Air V, Intermediate I, 59.706
6. Laura Hart & Laurel of Mosswood, Second 1, 59.189

First Level
1. Lauren LeBourgeois & Elbaran, First 1, 69.31
2. Lauren Sprieser & De Angelicus MTF, First 3, 68.611
3. Lauren LeBourgeois & Elbaran, First 2, 66.429

Training Level
1. Beth Zielinski & BSF Ducati 696, Training 3, 72.069
2. Cleopatra Barr & Whinny, Training 2, 61.552
3. Patricia Vos & Cedric, Training 3, 61.209
4. Cleopatra Barr & Whinny, Training 1, 60

Introductory Level
1. Linda Hild & Dagney, Intro B, 67.5
2. Angelica Emord & Wrapped In Roses, Intro B, 58.438
3. Angelica Emord & Wrapped In Roses, Intro A, 68.125

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