LAUREN BALCOMB PUTS HER HAND UP

Lauren Balcomb once enjoyed success flying around the well-known Aussie three-day event courses of Melbourne and Adelaide; recently she debuted for Australia at a Nations Cup showjumping event in Florida. She and equine partner Verdini d’Houtveld are certainly a combination to watch as we head towards the FEI World Championships in Herning later this year – and cast our eye further afield to the Paris Olympics.

When the Australian jumping team placed a credible sixth in the Nations Cup CSIO4* event at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, Florida, last month, there was a standout combination that had everyone talking. Nations Cup debutante Lauren Balcomb, riding her own Verdini d’Houtveld, was the only member of the Australian Team – and one of only a few in the entire competition – who managed to go clear in both rounds across a very tricky course.

“It is such an honour getting to represent Australia,” declares Lauren. “We had the most amazing team of people that I was lucky to compete with – James Arkins, Dave Cameron and Katie Laurie. Also, (Chef d’Equipe) Todd Hinde is very supportive and makes things run very smoothly. It was an unbelievable experience and I can’t wait to hopefully do it again!”

Todd was impressed by Lauren’s rides: “[It was an] outstanding performance… jumping in her first Nations Cup competition and producing two clean rounds under pressure is truly a remarkable effort.”

Lauren’s path to Australian jumping team participation is a little different to most. The Sydney-born 32-year-old grew up with essentially non-horsey parents, however, she says she doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t want to be in the saddle. Horses are in her blood; her mother loved them, although never had the opportunity to ride or own horses, while her great grandfather was a jockey. Lauren began having lessons at age five, started at Pony Club by age seven, and began eventing at age 12. Following school in 2008, she travelled to the US to train with Phillip Dutton and Boyd Martin; from there, horses became a career. She had early success with “one in a million horse” Kootoomootoo, and together they notched up many wins in Australia – including a stellar year in 2008 where they won the CCIJ1* at Melbourne (Werribee), the CCI2* at Sydney and the CCI2* at Adelaide (current CCI2*J-L/CCI3*-L).

Lauren loved her time in the States, and always planned to go back. In 2015 she returned to again base with Boyd and his wife, Silva, with eventing still very much the discipline of choice. However, a chance meeting in 2016 set about the wheels of change.

NATURAL PROGRESSION

“[Australian showjumper] Scott Keach had a party at his place in 2016 on Australia Day and that’s where I met [New Zealand showjumper] Sharn Wordley,” explains Lauren. It was meant to be. “When Sharn and I got together, it was a natural progression to move into the jumper world so we could do it together.”

Having said that, this progression wasn’t immediate. When she purchased six-year-old Zangersheide gelding Verdini d’Houtveld Z (Verdi TN x Caretino 2) in 2017, the plan was originally to take him eventing. “I bought Dini in Belgium from Steve Tinti. He was competing in showjumping as a six-year-old. I was looking for a nice young horse to produce as a three-day eventer. We all thought that was going be his job and he loved it. After close to a year of eventing, he was jumping too well and so we switched him back to the jumper ring!”

The pair went from strength to strength; similarly, Lauren and Sharn’s relationship also grew: “We are engaged, but sadly with Covid it has made getting married a little tricky, so we are planning to get married next year. We also have a gorgeous little girl who is almost a year old.”

While Lauren was pregnant, Sharn briefly took over the ride of Dini and debuted him successfully at FEI level early in 2021; the pair were subsequently selected to represent New Zealand at the Tokyo Olympics. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on their side. “Dini had a swollen leg on the day he was supposed to leave, and because it was swollen we couldn’t scan it,” explains Lauren. “It was a very tough decision, but obviously his welfare is paramount so we all made the call to err on the side of caution. Thankfully he was fine.”

It was always the plan for Lauren to retake the reins of her beloved Dini, with the pair reuniting at the end of 2021. They are now hitting their stride, and their success in the Nations Cup class was far from an anomaly; they’ve enjoyed very consistent results at both PBIEC and also at the World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Ocala, Florida; both events run multi-week festivals over the first few months of the year that see elite riders converge from around the globe. “Dini has had some good results in FEI and national Grand Prix classes at WEC,” says Lauren, who was also named Leading Lady Rider at PBIEC back in January during the first week of the venue’s famous Winter Equestrian Festival.

Lauren and Sharn are based full-time in Ocala and both operate their equestrian businesses from their farm there. “I have a huge amount of respect for Sharn as a person and as a trainer. I love working with him and I feel very fortunate to do so. I think we make a good team,” says Lauren, explaining that she and her fiancé not only share a business premises – he is also her coach.

When asked about future goals, Lauren is hopeful that Verdini d’Houtveld Z may just get a second shot at the Olympics – with her in the saddle. “My ultimate goal is to hopefully be in contention for the 2024 Olympics. I’m trying to get the experience over the next two years to make that a possibility.”  EQ

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