Dressage Today S7 E8: Interview with Lauren Chumley

In this episode of the Dressage Today Podcast, sponsored by Tribute, we talk to Grand Prix dressage rider Lauren Chumley about her superstar partner Leeloo Dallas and the Dressage Foundation Anne Barlow-Ramsay grant she and the mare received in 2024, her experience training a variety of breeds for dressage and her passion for teaching up-and-coming dressage professionals to prioritize developing young horses for the sport.

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About Lauren Chumley

Lauren Chumley, who’s often referred to by her peers as the “coolest dressage trainer,” wasn’t born into a horse family, but even from a young age the telltale signs that she indeed had the recessive horse gene were there. From the moment she could read, she started pouring over every horse book she could get her hands on and amassed an unusually large collection of Breyer horses for a 12-year-old that she still has to this day.

Lauren pleaded for riding lessons, but her parents who came from humble means thought the “hobby” was too expensive. It was her grandmother, however, who would eventually turn her riding dreams into a reality. One fortuitous summer, Lauren went to stay with her grandparents at the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia, where her grandfather was stationed. When her grandmother decided she wanted to learn how to ride, Lauren jumped at the chance to take riding lessons with her on the base.

The now decorated Grand Prix dressage rider laughs that her parents likely never forgave her grandmother for fostering her budding passion. Following her introduction to riding at Quantico, Lauren started taking lessons at a local barn in Hamilton, Ohio, where she quickly found her calling in dressage.

At 14, she started training with dressage trainer Rebecca Stromatt and went on to also worked for Sorum Fjord Farm in Lebanon, Ohio, one of the largest Norwegian Fjord breeding farms in the country, where she gained a wealth of knowledge and experience working with different breeds. After attending clinics with Grand Prix dressage rider Silke Rembacz for three consecutive years, Lauren was invited to join Silke’s team as an assistant trainer.

In 2011, she branched out to start her own training and sales business at Hilltop Farm based out of New Jersey and Florida. Today, she is a USDF bronze, silver and gold medalist with distinction and has made her mark in both dressage and eventing, proving her diverse talent as a rider. Lauren, who regularly works with Michael Bragdell, has competed multiple self-trained horses through Grand Prix and has earned many USDF year-end and all-breeds awards at the national levels.

In 2024, she received one of two Dressage Foundation Anne Barlow-Ramsay grants for U.S.-bred horses with her then 8-year-old home-bred Dutch Warmblood mare Leeloo Dallas, who she is currently competing with at the Grand Prix level. She and one of her other current Grand Prix mounts, Santa Barbara DASH also have an amazing partnership and won the 3* Intermediate I Freestyle at the 2022 Dressage at Devon during a downpour.

Lauren is a regular competitor at the USEF Festival of Champions, Dressage at Devon, USDF Regional Championships and the US Dressage Finals. She has high hopes for her pipeline of North American-bred young horses and hopes to start them in the FEI young horse classes in the future.

About This Episode’s Sponsor: Tribute

What if your horse’s nutrition only changed when it truly mattered? That’s the philosophy behind Tribute Equine Nutrition. As a fixed-formula brand, they don’t make changes unless new research shows they can make their feeds meaningfully better—supporting things like digestibility, nutrient absorption, and overall performance. That’s why Tribute Equine Nutrition is upgrading every formula in their lineup, building on improvements made to their best-sellers and rolling those advancements out across 2026.

To celebrate, Tribute has hidden golden tickets in random bags—worth up to a year’s supply of feed for one horse. Horse owners can also get a free, personalized feeding plan, and new customers receive their first bag shipped free. Visit TributeEquineNutrition.com and click “Get a Feed Plan” to learn more.

Connect with the Hosts: Email Aviva Nebesky (horsepenhillfarm@aol.com) | Email Stephany Fish Crossman (stephanyfish@gmail.com)

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Guest: Lauren Chumley

Our Sponsors this month: Tribute