Discover or rediscover our ambassador riders through their stories. Today, we introduce Laura Kraut, a 5* international rider and team silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Carol, Laura Kraut’s mother, was an excellent rider, and her two daughters always grew up surrounded by horses. "It is ultimately hard to explain why I love them. They are everything I think about and everything I do. It is a way of life for me: horses are my obsession," Laura explains.
"It was never an option for me to choose another career than being a rider, and I still cannot imagine it today! Even when I cannot ride, for example because of an injury, I feel the need to go to the stables every day."
At just three years old, the little girl took part in her first competition, which consisted of riding a few laps in the arena, impeccably turned out and proudly perched on a pony as elegant as she was.
Sporting retirement, never!
Fifty-three years later, the most tenacious of American riders is still competing. She has built an impressive record, including two Olympic team medals, gold at the 2008 Hong Kong Olympic Games and silver in Tokyo in 2021.
These successes have not diminished either her desire to win or her inexhaustible energy. To remain present on the European circuit, the most selective in the world, Laura even chose to settle in the Netherlands. Yet she already has two homelands: America, where she was born and where she competes in Wellington during the winter, and England, the country of her partner Nick Skelton:
"I live in Europe because I want to keep competing against the best! It is the only recipe that works to stay at the top level."
Physically, this fighter never gives up either: "At fifty-six, I do everything I can to maintain the strength and flexibility required for my job. That involves a lot of physical exercise: yoga, Pilates, strength training… I also run regularly, even if my knees are sometimes reluctant! At this stage, my dream is no longer to win this or that Grand Prix, but to remain competitive for as long as possible."
Skipping the 2022 World Championships
World team champion with Zeremonie in Tryon in 2018, Laura Kraut unfortunately will not be able to defend her title in Herning, Denmark, in mid-August. Her top horse Baloutinue, whom she rode at the Tokyo Olympic Games, is currently sidelined due to injury.
"It is nothing serious, but if there is one thing my career has taught me, it is that there is no point in competing in a championship with a horse that is not at the top of its form. It is far too demanding, far too hard. Baloutinue should return to competition in September. The decision to withdraw from these World Championships was obviously not easy to make. Thirty years ago, I might have gone for it anyway, listening only to my ambition! But I now know that patience is the main quality to develop when working with horses."
The respect she shows toward Baloutinue should allow them to compete together at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the next major sporting goal Laura Kraut has set for herself.
"Laura Kraut = Positive thinking"
The respect she shows toward Baloutinue should allow them to compete together at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, her next major sporting objective. Laura Kraut will then be 58 years old, with her ambition fully intact, as she never gives in to defeatism.
"Stay positive! It is absolutely essential. It is easy to let yourself go when things do not go as planned, when you face a setback. But horses feel those negative emotions. Every rider’s career has its ups and downs, so you have to learn to get through difficult times with optimism."
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We are proud to count Laura Kraut among our Horse Pilot ambassadors and athletes, and to support her in her projects. Thank you to her for sharing her experience with us.
Photo credit: Stéphane Candé for Horse Pilot
