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Gregg gallops to equestrian glory
By Alex Snyder
Contributing Reporter

This past summer, Lauren Gregg, a junior at Wake Forest and member of the Equestrian Club, realized one of her dreams by placing fourth at the National Finals of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association.

This show was started by IHSA in 1999 as a way for riding students to compete in collegiate horse shows.

The national finals are held every first weekend in May at a different school chosen by the IHSA, and were held this year in Cazenovia, N.Y., from May 4-6.

In order to qualify for the event, Gregg had to earn 35 points during regular season shows, which she accomplished during the school year by competing as a member of Wake’s Equestrian Club.

Gregg went on to place in the top three in regionals and the top two in zone competitions, garnering her a berth in the National Competition for the second year in a row.

Her experience in the 2001 Nationals, in which she placed third in her division, helped her to prepare for the 2002 competition.

"In 2001, I competed in the individual intermediate over fences, in which I had to draw another horse at random and jump fences that were three feet in height," Gregg said.

Knowing the toughness of the show that lay ahead of her, she rode every single day for three weeks before the National competition to ensure that she would be in the shape necessary to handle anything that came her way.

Gregg was the only member of the Wake Forest Equestrian Club to participate in the national show, where she competed in the individual intermediate flat phase.

In this division, Gregg masterfully completed a test of skills (walk, trot, canter) on a randomly assigned horse, earning herself fourth place in the event.

"In 2001, I placed third and I was elated to have placed that high on my first time out and as a freshman," Gregg said. "I was extremely excited to have placed 4th (in 2002) because I really didn’t have the best ride on the horse I drew."

Gregg credits her success to her mother and her fianceé, who have supported and coached her throughout her career as a rider.

Although she is no longer competing with the Wake Forest Equestrian Club, Gregg has set a lofty precedent for the rest of the team.

Saddleseat team captain Brooke Jacobs also recently made the 2002 World Cup team and will be traveling to South Africa to compete this fall.

The Wake Forest Equestrian team, which competes in Huntseat, Saddleseat, Dressage and Western competitions, will open up their season with their first show at the end of September.