“I’ve been trying to stay on cloud nine for as long as I can,” laughs Laura a couple of weeks afterwards. “The first feeling I had after realising we had won was just utter disbelief, even as I came out of the ring and everyone crowded around me. I wouldn’t go to sleep for two days after because I didn’t want to wake up and find it was all a dream. Even now I keep watching it back to see if it really happened.”
Her emotional reaction to such a win is hardly surprising. For all its countless highlights, Laura’s record is flecked with near-misses – including elimination at two of her three senior championship runs, most recently in 2019 following third after dressage with London, and an agonising second-place finish at Luhmühlen in 2018 with Mr Bass.
“It’s always been my dream to win a five-star, but I had started to feel like maybe it wasn’t going to happen. I was second in Luhmühlen and I thought that might turn out to be my best five-star result,” Laura says candidly.
Denne historien er fra November 19, 2020-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prÞveperiode pÄ Magzter GOLD for Ä fÄ tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra November 19, 2020-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prÞveperiode pÄ Magzter GOLD for Ä fÄ tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg pÄ
Gemirande provides 24-carat magic
Venetia Williams sparkles again in the December Gold Cup and jockey brothers dead-heat
âHappy hunting, everyone'
âThe season for talks, dinners and parties has finally arrived for Tessa Waugh, whose distress about the snags of middle age fades away with some rousing festive spirits
'Monaco deserved this victory
Seemingly destined always to play the bridesmaidâs role, Harrie Smoldersâ great partner Monaco finally tops an incidentpacked Rolex grand prix
'It had to end sometime'
The closure of beloved Hampshire saddlery Calcutt Sons is a loss to the hunting and wider equestrian worlds, as Octavia Pollock reports
'You couldn't want for more
The Ludlow's peaceful country makes for a day in \"hunting paradise\"
The greatest gift of all
Christmas is fast approaching and while we all like a bit of tinsel, the festive season is also a perfect time for giving to a horse charity. Niki Hinman finds out some of the options
Winter him well
A horse's winter routine can differ dramatically from his summer structure but whatâs the knock-on effect? Ellie Hughes asks vets how to optimise routine management for the season
Neat feet
Excellent hoof care is a year-round concern but the winter months present their own problems. Richard Stephenson MRCVS explains the seasonal challenges afoot and how to stay one step ahead
In bygone days
Modern vets have much scientific knowledge behind them, but what about their forebears? Kieran OâBrien MRCVS opens up the world of Victorian vets in London
'When I joined the Pony Club it was just two boys and 48 girls'
Pepsi Kohler on being delightfully outnumbered by girls in the Pony Club, a leg-up from a royal and the H&H advert that changed his life
