Bramham on radar for awe-struck prospect

Aged 21, she was the youngest competitor among a star studded line-up and found herself the centre of attention when, riding Rayef, she led the dressage after the first day.

“The whole thing was incredible, it still hasn’t really sunk in,” said Laura.

“I couldn’t really fault the horse the whole way and when we went into the lead in the dressage I couldn’t believe it.”

Laura stayed cool, calm and collected and was lying in sixth place overall when she went into the final showjumping phase.

A pole down meant she finished in eighth place, which is still an exceptional achievement, particularly for a first timer at this world class event.

Now Laura is turning her thoughts towards Bramham International Horse Trials (June 2-5) where she will be riding a relatively inexperienced horse, Noble Bestman, in the Under-25s section.

“This will be his first three-star but I think he’s ready, he’s a very good jumper,” said Laura.

Laura competed at Bramham in 2008 and again last year when she finished 12th in the Under 25s with Ginger May Killinghurst.

So the big question is, how had she found Ian Stark’s first cross-country course for Bramham?

“I thought it was a really decent course, probably one of the toughest three-stars we have seen for a while. You just had to get out there and attack it,” she said.

Laura is based at the Membury estate in Wiltshire and has been eventing at a junior level for the past seven years.

Before that she competed show ponies and working hunter ponies, winning the Supreme Pony Championships at the Horse of the Year Show in 2003.

Laura began eventing with the very successful pony, Noble Springbok, and in 2005 they were selected for the Pony European Championships in Italy where the British team won gold and Laura won an individual bronze medal.

Since then she has had a series of successful results including winning double gold at the Young Rider European Championships in 2009 with her Badminton ride, Rayef.

She says her best 21st birthday present last year was jumping a clear round in her first CCI four-star at Burghley riding Ginger May Killinghurst.

Now embarking on her career at senior level, Laura has a busy summer ahead of her.

Rayef is just coming back into work following a rest after Badminton and she plans to take him to Barbury at the beginning of July and then hopes to ride him at Burghley Horse Trials, Lincolnshire, in September.

This young rider’s dream is to compete in next year’s London Olympics and if she keeps getting the kind of results she had at Badminton, she might well fulfil that dream.

But first of all there is a trip to Yorkshire and that Bramham cross country course of Ian Stark’s to be considered.