108 SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Continued on page 110
A great partnership: Lauren gives Victorious a hug.
Photo by SusanJStickle.com
Lauren swims her grand prix horse Victorious in the pond at
Sprieser Sporthorse. The pond allows for cross-training as well
as fun.
Photo courtesy of Lauren Sprieser
Lauren Sprieser Keeps Going Forward
In 2007, Sidelines Magazine wrote a story on dressage rider
Lauren Sprieser, who was a working student at the time. A lot has
happened to Lauren since then and she is certainly living out her
life motto to “Go Forward.”
Lauren’s abilities as a trainer are backed up by the “living proof”
of her horses. “I’ve brought fve horses to grand prix. Bellinger,
my Young Riders horse, on whom I was 3rd in the 2006 Brentina
Cup, Clairvoya, who unfortunately colicked on the frst day of the
2009 Brentina Cup but rallied to win the second day and Karateka
III, a little PRE stallion who my assistant trainer, Allison, is going
to show at grand prix this year and maybe try for the Brentina Cup
herself.”
Lauren also has two grand prix horses that she trained “all the
way up myself.” Ellegria, a 2001 Westfalen mare and Victorious, a
2002 KWPN-NA gelding. “I’ve also dabbled in breeding, with three
fllies out of my now-retired grand prix mare, Clairvoya, to show for
it: a Rousseau flly I sold in-utero to grand prix rider Tim Malin; and
two sisters by UB-40, Fairvoya S, who’s for sale and Goya S, who
I’ll keep for myself.”
Shortly after Sidelines interviewed you in 2007 you opened
Sprieser Sporthorse. How is life as a business owner?
The best part about having my own business is getting to care
for the horses the way I want them cared for - the turnout, the
hacking, the hill work and conditioning sets. The second best part
is that while I work my butt off to do it, I’ve fgured out how to frame
my business hours such that I can take the time to work on my own
education. I spend three months in Florida, and make two trips a
month to New Jersey to ride with my trainer, Michael Barisone, for
the remaining nine months of the year. It’s not easy; but it’s worth
it and I have my exceptionally understanding students and my
brilliant assistant trainer, Allison, to thank for it.
You have ridden with some legendary trainers, how have
they impacted your life and career?
I’ve been so fortunate to have so many wonderful infuences
in my career. I started riding with Lendon Gray in college. I got
my frst taste of the vastness of the knowledge required to even
be just “good” in this line of work from her, among other things.
She continues to give great advice to this day. When I ended up a
semester ahead in school, I went to Germany to ride with the late
George Theodorescu. George taught me patience and kindness
and that every horse will come along in the right way if you give
them the right tools and enough time. When George walked into
the barn every morning, every horse looked up from his breakfast
and came over to him. I decided I wanted to do this as a career
because of him and I aspire every day to be the kind of trainer that
horses would leave their breakfast to greet.
I currently ride with Michael Barisone, who is the frst in my life
to teach me about “the big picture” - planning a horse’s path from
green to international grand prix competition, when to hold a horse
from the show ring and when to put him in the spotlight, how to
approach conditioning and even advice on running my business in
a way that lets me do what I need to do to compete at the highest
level. He’s also taught me the incredible value of a solid team -
one coach, one rider, one plan.
Who do you consider your biggest mentor?
My mom, Judy, is a business phenom and came up at a time
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Dressage