In this episode of “In Stride,” Sinead is joined by Olympic showjumper Lauren Hough.

Lauren Hough is a three-time Pan American medalist and Team USA Olympic show jump rider. Lauren competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics at the age of 23 and has represented the US at seven FEI World Cup finals and over 40 Nations Cups. Lauren won team gold at the 2003 Santo Domingo Pan American Games, team bronze at the 2007 Rio Pan American Games, and team and individual bronze medals at the 2015 Caledon Pan American Games. Lauren’s father, Charles “Champ” Hough, was a team bronze medalist in three-day eventing at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. Her mother, Linda Hough, was a top hunter rider and operated a successful hunter/jumper show stable for over 25 years. Lauren is currently based in Wellington, FL, and has taken a step back from high-performance showjumping to focus on sales.

In this episode, Lauren discusses various topics related to the politics of high-performance showjumping, including:

• Shifting from riding competition horses to having a barn full of sales horses.

• What it takes to get a good rider and horse to the Olympics.

• The differences and similarities between preparing a showjumping horse and an eventing horse.

• Being able to understand a show record and trusting the trainer when shopping for a horse.

• Finding a system that works for the horse as an individual and incorporating gymnastic exercises into the training.

Join Lauren and Sinead in this exciting conversation about the ins and outs of show jumping at the top level.