About
As an elite rider, Laura’s accomplishments in the hunter, jumper, and equitation divisions are hard to match. Her career is defined by a great natural ability and what can be characterized as an ivy-league equestrian education.
As a junior rider she won the AHSA Hunt Seat Medal Finals under the tutelage of Tim Kees (Hall of Fame Inductee) at Nimrod Farm in Weston, CT. While attending Fairfield University, Laura trained at the Fairfield County Hunt Club with Gold Medal Olympian Leslie Burr Howard. Laura then moved to the west coast and trained with Gold Medal Olympian Will Simpson.
At the Grand Prix level in the highest echelon of show jumping, Laura represented the United States in International Competitions including Monterey, Mexico and Calgary Alberta, Canada. It was in Calgary’s world-famous Spruce Meadows tournament that Laura was Leading Lady Rider for a record 3 consecutive years. Aboard her stallion Oskar, Laura achieved "the unimaginable" by winning the Queen Elizabeth II Cup on Saturday and the most challenging Chrysler Derby on Sunday. Her performance that weekend remains unmatched by any other female rider.
Throughout her impressive career she has ridden, trained, and owned many celebrated horses. Her Medal Finals mount was Glen Owen, recently inducted into the Canadian Hall of Fame as the winningest equitation horse of all time. Other notable horses include: Normandy, Match Point, Tiebreaker, Golden Rod,
Fairplay 21, For The Best, Pressurized (famous thoroughbred,) and the Holsteiner stallion Oskar.
Laura is a US Equestrian Licensed Official.
Hunter/Equitation 'R' Judge.
Testimonials
"I had the opportunity to work with Laura for a couple of years when she first moved out west. I was impressed with her accomplishments (she had just won the Medal Finals) and very impressed with the way she tailored her riding and training for each individual horse. I love to see that. She had a lot of different horses and she adapted her ride to suit the horse, she didn't try to make the horse adapt to her style. She's very cool under pressure, and great at mapping out a strategic plan to produce the best results."
- Will Simpson (Olympic Gold Medalist)
"She is extremely enthusiastic, focused, and has a huge well of knowledge to draw from. And she is in it for the longevity of horse and rider and not for instant success."
- Carleton Brooks (Top Horseman, Judge, and Current Hall of Fame Inductee)
"I've known Laura for over 20 years. She's very responsible, an excellent teacher, and an accomplished rider."
- Peter Pletcher (Professional Hunter Rider & Member of the Elite "Million Dollar Club")
Media
Spruce Meadows 1996
Coaching
Laura's goal is to turn out equestrians who are competent riders and knowledgeable about their horses. She tailors her teaching to the individual horse and rider, developing a rider's "tool box." This begins with a solid foundation that teaches riders how to handle their horses in different situations, in order to be safe and effective. As tough and competitive as Laura is as a rider, as a coach her style is just as much fun as it is serious.
"Happy horses make happy riders!" -Laura O'Connor