That Special Bond – with Laura Kraut

WoSJ has created a series of exclusive interviews with some of the top names of the sport, to discuss the horses that have shaped their careers, fulfilled their dreams – and sometimes even broken hearts. The series was created to highlight what our sport truly is about: The special bond between a horse and its rider.

This time we sat down with USA’s Laura Kraut to hear about the horses that have contributed to her phenomenal career – and that have always kept her grounded.

The Special One

"I could talk all day about Cedric!" Kraut says. Photo © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping.

“My special one is Cedric (Chambertin x Carolus II), no one will be surprised by that. I could talk all day about Cedric! He was a horse that came to me as a sort of a project. He was little and very quirky, and initially I just hoped he would turn into a nice junior jumper. But Cedric ended up giving way more than we ever expected from his humble beginnings. I think it will be hard to ever find another horse like him again.

Cedric was tiny, but he had a huge heart. But at the same time, at least once a year he would throw me off – just to keep me grounded.

When I needed him, Cedric was always there. He was so careful, he did not want to have fences down. He was a little bit afraid though, and could sometimes be a bit of a chicken about things. But if I could get him to go over a fence, he was most likely not going to have it down.

His personality was, and still is, just the best. We called him Monkey, because he was cheeky and fun. You could sit with him all day, he was constant entertainment. It was like having your first pony!

Obviously, when we won the Olympic team gold in Hong Kong in 2008, that was huge because Cedric was a major contributor. However, he also won four Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix classes, which was back when it had a different format with two rounds and a jump-off. I was really proud of all of those wins as well.

Cedric is doing great, currently he is living at Lauren Hough’s farm in England with Quick Study and Oh La La. We time-share them; they come to me in the fall, since we have winter proof facilities. He is wild as always and really happy in his retirement.”

The One That Got Away

"I found him and for me, he was my ideal horse," Kraut tells about Carlo. Photo © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping.

“The one that got away would be Carlo (Contender x Cascavelle). I found him and for me, he was my ideal horse. He had a lot of blood, and all the attributes you would want. Plus, he was a little bit quirky. Unfortunately, at the time I did not have someone who could have bought him for me so rather than losing him completely I got Nick’s owners to buy him. So, perhaps he did not really get away but I did not end up being his rider in the end.”

The Money Maker

“The money maker and the horse that I could always count on, was Anthem (Dutchboy x Triton). He won the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Madrid twice. He just won countless of classes. If I could get him into a jump-off, I always had a good chance to win.”