Lauren O'Hagan - The story so far...

Lauren was born on 30th May 1986 in the Manchester region of England. From a young age Lauren showed both an interest and talent, first sitting in the saddle at the age of four. Since then horses have always been a big part of her life. As a young teenager, Lauren began competing at local level and showed much promise having qualified for the Derby House dressage championships three years in a row at Novice and Elementary level.

After leaving school at 16 Lauren made the transition to become a professional rider, leaving the family home to work and train with Laura Fry who had represented her country at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 as well as bringing home a team silver medal from Lipica European Championships. Within a year of being at the world renowned Fry’s yard, Lauren had been promoted to head girl at just 17 years of age. This was a challenge that included the care of 30 international competition horses. Although the days were long and the work was hard, this provided a grounding that most riders can only dream of and made Lauren even more determined to succeed. Whilst working and training hard, Lauren’s competition success grew from strength to strength as did the bond she shared with her horse Lutea. In 2003 the partnership finished 4th in the Junior Talent Spotting finals and in 2004/2005 Lauren was selected to take part in the final ride off for the World Class Star and Potential Squad. However the success wasn’t without frustration, three years in a row they qualified for the regional finals and each year a lameness prevented them from attending. This didn’t dampen the passion and drive of Lauren who was now enjoying coverage in magazines such as Horse and Hound. Week after week they could be found winning at Elementary and Medium level, beating riders who had a lot more miles in the saddle. Just as the pair were reaching for the stars disaster struck, a tumour was discovered in Lutea’s lung and she had to be put down. Lauren was devastated, this was the horse that has helped Lauren became ranked number 16 in the UK at the age of 17. They had been through so much and suddenly they were parted.

In 2005 Lauren made the move to train with yet another Olympian, this time it was Jane Breiden who competed in both the Atlanta and since then Hong Kong games. Jane supported Lauren in the decision to purchase her current ride Dorian Grey. It was a big step travelling to Germany and buying a green four year old. Lauren had been used to competing at such a high level and by buying a youngster it would be back to the beginning. However with no sponsor it was the only way that Lauren could afford a horse who was potentially world class. It turns out to be one of the best decisions Lauren had ever made. Being based at a yard with such expertise on hand helped mould Lauren into the rider and trainer she is today. Jane worked closely with Lauren and Dori, helping them improve their knowledge and technique.

A year later it was time for the newly formed partnership to make the move and train under Judy Harvey. This was a dream for Lauren, she had a great respect for Judy who was not only a Fellow of the British Horse Society, but a list 1 dressage judge and at the time was a member of the British team selection board. For a now 20 year old Lauren, this really was the best opportunity she could have been given. Over the two years not only did Lauren's riding become world class but her once green, lean horse was filling out and becoming stronger each day. Soon after starting, Lauren was appointed as head girl and was given the opportunity to ride some of Judy’s best horses. Very quickly Dorian Grey was becoming well known on the circuit, a horse that has been trained and ridden solely by Lauren was competing at the Young Horse Breeding Championships and the Regional Championships at Elementary level. This was a great year for the talented combination as they finished reserve championship in young rider section of the Talent Spotting finals. Lauren was working harder than ever before to ensure she remained at the top of her game, however she still found time to complete the HGV driving test.

Lauren is currently using her wealth of experience to produce a string of potentially international horses. She spends a lot of her time away from home at competitions but when Lauren is at the yard, her day is taken up by riding a range of horses who are training from Novice to Prix St George level. In addition, Lauren is spending an increasing amount of time training riders who are either competing to national level or simply want to improve their horses flatwork.

Please keep an eye on Lauren's blog to see what she's up to by clicking here.