United States Eventing Association

In March of this year Lauren Kieffer got a phone call out of the blue from her boss, Karen O’Connor, informing her that Karen had just arranged for Lauren to buy a horse. Luckily the price was only a dollar. Ron Reagan, an eight-year-old Oldenburg gelding, had a spotty record with his previous owner, who also trains with Karen, and when it was time to find him a new home Karen decided to hand the reins over to Lauren.

Lauren and Ron Reagan moved up the levels quickly together and have already competed in a few Preliminary level competitions. “Ron Reagan is pretty warmbloody,” said Lauren. “And he really needed to learn how to gallop, so I thought that doing the long format would teach him that. It definitely worked because after steeplechase he was in a completely different gear than normal when he started on the cross-country phase.”

The pair presided over the first place spot the entire competition, earning a 28.4, the only sub-30 dressage score of the ten competitors entered in the SmartPak/USEA Training Three-Day Division at Rocking Horse. Lauren and Ron Reagan then added no jump or time penalties throughout the weekend to finish on their dressage score.
“He was very good on the flat,” said Lauren. “I was able to put in a very accurate test. On Endurance day he almost dumped me on Phase A, but steeplechase and cross-country were great and he cooled out very quickly. The show jumping was very easy for him, and I was really pleased. Ron Reagan is now going to get a month off before starting his season next year.”

For her win in the SmartPak Equine/USEA Training Three-Day, Lauren won a Five Star Tack Bridle, a SmartPak Wellfleet Halter and engraved lead, and a pair of FITS Breeches. She was also entered in a drawing to win a Stackhouse Saddle and year’s supply of SmartPaks.

With Lauren and Ron Reagan keeping a tight hold on first place, there was a mother/daughter battle brewing for second. Elliott Blackmon riding Cathy Blackmon’s 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Prince Caspian II, was sitting in second position after both dressage and Endurance day but four rails down in show jumping dropped them way down in the standings. This opened the door for Cathy riding her own Hideaway’s Special Delivey, a 16-year-old Connemara gelding, to move up from third to claim the red ribbon. Madeline Mosing and Moet II finished on the same dressage score as Cathy, a 36.8, but earned a cross-country time further from optimum time to have to settle for the third spot.

The Rocking Horse T3D was the last event of the year in the SmartPak Equine/USEA Classic Series. This Series would not be possible without the support of: Title Sponsor: SmartPak Equine; Presenting Sponsor: Stackhouse Saddles; Silver Level Sponsor: Fleeceworks; Legacy Sponsor: Five Star Tack Elite Sponsors: FITS and Nunn Finer