By Laura Scaletti
Portraits by Melissa Fuller
Lauren Chumley has never followed a traditional path when it comes to her equestrian pursuits. One look at her Lauren Chumley Dressage website and you will quickly discover she isn’t your typical dressage professional. In fact, she’s “one of the coolest people on the planet.”
“When my friend, Jennifer Keeler, was designing my website, she asked what vibe I wanted. We work hard, but are rather nuts and like to have fun. I wanted to showcase what it’s really like to be part of our barn. If my site makes you laugh, we are probably the right barn for you,” Lauren said.
The first barn Lauren rode at wasn’t your typical run-of-the-mill lesson facility either: It was at Marine Corps Base Quantico. “I begged my parents for lessons, and they always told me I couldn’t ride because it was too expensive. Luckily, each summer I stayed with my grandparents for six to eight weeks in Alexandria, Virginia. My grandma was a wild lady and decided she wanted to learn to ride in her late 40s,” Lauren said. “My grandfather was career army, so she started taking lessons at Quantico and I went with her.”
After spending the summer riding with her grandma, Lauren returned home and happily announced that she had begun riding horses. “Grandma ruined my life in the best way possible. Thirty years later I still haven’t fully recovered from that very poor decision of taking lessons with her,” Lauren laughed.
Lauren’s parents weren’t exactly enthusiastic when they learned about her new activity, but they supported her riding endeavor. When Lauren’s dad went to sign her up for classes with the Ohio Park System, there was the option of flat lessons or jumping lessons. “My dad in his infinite, absolutely ignorant wisdom thought I should do some flatwork before I started jumping. He thought that might be safer,” she said. “All these years later I’m still doing flatwork every day.”
The Fun Begins
Much to Lauren’s dismay, the Park System only had lessons in the spring, summer and fall. “After the first year of not riding in the winters, I was adamant that I wanted to ride all the time. One of the ladies who was teaching me at the time let me lease her horse. That horse was at a dressage barn and here we are,” Lauren said.
At the dressage barn, Lauren joined the other kids and took lessons. Although she was supposed to be focusing on flatwork, Lauren still had a desire to jump. “After everyone left the barn, I would drag out hay bales and lawn chairs to use as my standards and put pitchforks up as my rails. Here I was, jumping my dressage horse as the pitchforks were falling down. It was all very safe,” Lauren joked.
While at the dressage barn, Lauren got her first glimpse of an imported warmblood. “I still see that horse in my head today; he could fling his toes and dance and it was the coolest thing ever. I thought if dressage could be so powerful and beautiful, then this is the sport for me,” she said.
After riding for a couple of years, Lauren decided she wanted a job so she could make some money to buy blankets and bridles for her horse. At 15 years old, she walked into the local tack shop, headed to the bulletin board that held ads looking for barn help and found a little piece of paper seeking a part-time employee to feed horses. In a time before cell phones, Lauren used the tack store’s landline and got an interview lined up.
“I found a ride to the barn, did my interview and got the job. I went home and announced to my parents that I have gotten a job that pays $4 an hour. I thought they would be so excited I took the initiative to get spending money—oh, the entitlement of youth. The first thing out of my dad’s mouth was ‘Cool. Now you can pay your own board,’” she said. “That was the beginning of me paying for my own horses. It was all downhill from there and I’m still paying for them today.”
Lauren worked at Sorum Fjord Farm for Neil and Ruth Sorum for nine years. “They were two of the most amazing people and became like family to me. I started doing barn chores and it didn’t take long before I was riding and competing on Fjords that they had bred. I actually won the American Eventing Championships on one of their horses in the Beginner Novice,” she said.
It was during her teenage years, when Lauren was hustling to do everything, that she realized horses might become her life’s work. “I’d get up really early in the morning and do my homework before school while watching Pokémon, ’cause that’s what you did in the ’90s. I’d go to school, then immediately head to the Fjord barn, work there and then head to my trainer’s barn, get lessons and help her with her horses and barn chores in my role as a working student there,” she said.
Dressage Pro
When Lauren graduated from high school, she took a gap year to focus on horses, with the understanding that she’d attend college the following fall. “So, I went to Ohio State and took two horses with me. When I wasn’t in class, I was working so I could pay for my horses, because that’s what I’ve always done, had to work to pay for my horses. Eventually people started asking me if I could help them ride this horse or help in the barn,” Lauren said. “Every weekend, I’d pack up my truck and trailer and head back home to take lessons with my trainer.”
After that first semester in college, Lauren was away at a horse show when she had dinner with fellow college-aged riders from her home barn. “This girl announced to the table that she was going to drop out of college and do horses. I immediately thought it was a great idea, but I didn’t know it was possible to just quit in the middle of the year. I will never forget the look on my dad’s face when that young lady announced she was quitting, because he knew immediately that I’d get the same idea,” Lauren said. “I decided in that moment that I was going to leave college right then. I was going to come back to it later. Anyway, I’m still on yet another gap year.”
Much like when Lauren announced she had begun riding when she returned home from a summer with Grandma, her dad wasn’t exactly thrilled with her quitting school, but he supported Lauren. “It took my mom a long time to warm up to the idea. I’m still not sure she’s completely accepting of my poor life choices,” Lauren said.
Lauren immediately went to work for her trainer, Rebecca Stromatt, and worked there for another four years. Becky hosted multiple clinicians at the farm over the years, one of which was Silke Rembacz. “Silke came out like five times a year. I had great lessons with her and she eventually offered me a job as her assistant trainer,” Lauren said. “So, I moved to New Jersey and started doing the circuit from New Jersey to Florida, for the four years I worked for her and am still making the annual Great Migration today.”
In 2011, Lauren decided it was time to start her own training and sales business, Lauren Chumley Dressage. “I never intended it to be the huge program that I have now, with 45 horses, but that’s what happened. It got a bit out of control! I have a great mix of everything—babies, young horses, amateur ladies, sales and a huge working student program,” she said.
Lauren has gotten creative when it comes to developing the next generation of dressage talent. “I buy all my horses as foals, just because that’s what I can afford. I’ve worked with some amazing breeders who have made it possible for me to afford them and even allowed me to go on payment plans while taking the horses home with me,” Lauren said. “It took me four years to pay that first horse off and I still have horse payments today, but I’m so thankful to the breeders who trusted me to do business this way. Without them I would be solely reliant on others for my show string.”
Since opening her own business, one of Lauren’s proudest achievements is winning the 3* Intermediate I Freestyle at Dressage at Devon 2022 aboard her mare Santa Barbara DASH. Lauren and her longtime trainer Michael Bragdell braved a typical Devon monsoon while Lauren delivered her best ride ever on the mare.
“I walked out of the ring completely waterlogged, like I had just stepped out of the ocean, and heard I had a score of 73.042%. It was the first time in my life I had scored over 70% at a CDI. I wanted to take that feeling and bottle it so I would never forget how special that moment was. Even though we were all soaking wet, everyone was so happy for the test we had just laid down, one of the best rides of my life,” she said.
Coolest Crew
Lauren’s greatest accomplishment as a professional is creating a program where working students can develop their riding skills in a supportive and fun environment. Her desire to give back to the next generation stems from her own experience coming up in the sport.
“In hindsight, even though I was jealous of the kids who could go buy Prix St. Georges horses and easily earn their USDF medals, I’m glad I had to slog it out the way I did. Riding Quarter Horses, Fjords, getting bucked off, starting babies and all the other crazy stuff I did gave me such a big toolbox for horse training. Also, there was no money. I had to work for everything. That’s been such a critical component in my entire life—if you work for a thing, you can get a thing,” Lauren said.
With that component in mind, when working students come to Lauren, if they are willing to give their all, they will get a lot out of the experience. “If you’re a working student with me and don’t have a horse, I’ll find you a horse and I own 50 billion horses, so I probably have something hanging around that you can work with. If you want to come and work really hard, I will find you something of your own to develop,” she said. “You attract the vibe you put out there. I think we’re pretty cool and have a really good time while still holding to a high performance standard.”
Part of that cool factor is trying to incorporate fun into the long hours that come with running a horse business. “I think that if you’re doing something that you love and it’s fun to do, you’ll be better at it. Research shows that if you’re having fun when you’re learning, you learn better. So of course, we have high standards of care and are serious about training, but you can accomplish all that in a fun way,” she said. “When everyone is laughing and joking, it also creates a better environment for the horses too.”
Allowing everyone to let their own personality shine benefits horses and riders alike. “I think you have to meet humans and horses where they are. You don’t want to squash anyone’s personality. For example, if a horse doesn’t want to stand still in the cross ties, you can’t bully them into complying; sure it’s annoying, but you just adapt,” Lauren said. “As long as the behavior from horse or human isn’t dangerous, I’m all for embracing their unique personalities. That’s part of what makes the barn fun.”
While having fun, Lauren’s working students are adding items to their equestrian resumes. “I have two kids hoping to go to NAYC this years, two riders who have competed at the CDI with me. Everyone who wants to compete and is willing to put in the work is out there competing and trying to accomplish their goals,” she said.
Amateur Eventer
When Lauren was growing up, she would skip school to volunteer at and watch the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. “That was always my favorite week of the year, helping do crowd control while watching starts like Bruce Davidson Sr. My parents let me go as long as I kept my grades up,” she said. “Joke’s on them for letting me skip school for horses.”
Although she’s a dressage rider by day, the desire to be an eventer like she watched in Kentucky never left Lauren—even though she’s still scared to jump around cross-country. “I’m afraid of very large tables, small tables, verticals, liverpools, things made from logs, you know, general jumps. I think it makes me a better person to do things that scare you. If I can jump around a Preliminary cross-country course, I can ride a 3-year-old at the Materiale at Devon,” she said. “Eventing has given me a lot of confidence in all aspects of my life.”
Lauren credits her “geriatric eventing squad” with helping her enjoy her “hobby” of eventing. Both in their 20s, Atlanta B and Jollybo are FEI horses who have been there and done that. Lauren has ridden Atlanta B at the two-star level and is hoping to do the same with Jollybo.
As Christmas was approaching last year, Lauren was texting with Meg Kepferle that she wanted a five-star horse who was stepping down, so she could return to the two-star level safely. Jollybo happened to be just that horse. “Meg texted me that she found me a horse and about 30 hours later I was in California riding Jollybo, who’d competed at the 2018 World Equestrian Games and 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships. I’m having so much fun with these two horses and living my best amateur eventing lady life, because I’m most certainly not a pro eventer,” she said.
Pursuing her hobby competitively means Lauren is always on the go. On average, Lauren is at competitions three weekends a month. “With a group of young horses, working students and sales horses, we’re always trying to get somebody qualified for something—whether it’s Festival of Champions or NAYC. I try to fit in one horse trial a month, around my dressage prancing schedule,” Lauren said. “The schedule is a little crazy at times.”
Although the calendar is hectic, Lauren wouldn’t have it any other way. “There is no life for me away from horses. I’m really excited about the future because a lot of my horses are now 7, 8 and 9 years old so we’re starting to walk into the developing Prix St. Georges and developing Grand Prix ring. It’s really fun to see my babies grow up and make it all the way to the Grand Prix,” she said.
“I’ve often asked my friend and trainer Michael if you’re supposed to mellow out with age. He said, ‘I don’t think that’s happening for you,’” Lauren laughed. “Horses have changed my whole life and I’m going to go full steam ahead as long as I can. It’s really special what I’ve built, a bunch of horse-crazy nuts up in New Jersey.”
For more information, follow Lauren on Facebook at Lauren Chumley, on Instagram @xhaltsalute7 and visit her fun website at www.LaurenChumleyDressage.com
Photos by Melissa Fuller, melissafullerphotography33.mypixieset.com
