Lauren Kasnet rode into the arena for the equitation over fences final on her big sorrel gelding A Royal Asset. She found her pace, stuck with her plan, and came out a world champion.

“It was really smooth, it was pretty straight-forward,” Lauren said of the course. “If you got your pace and stayed on the same pace all the lines were right there. It was fun, the turns and everything. It was a fun course.”

Lauren said she was concerned about “Norman’s” lead after a tight, left rollback turn to the last fence.

“It was a pretty tight turn, and I knew he was going to land on the right lead so I knew I was going to have to do a lead change so it made it even harder because it was such a small turn,” the Exeter, New Hampshire, rider said. “I just went out a little further and angled it so the turn was a little bigger, and it worked out and he did the change.”

Lauren has been riding since she was in first grade. She rode hunters and tried western events for awhile but decided to get her first Quarter Horse hunter for her last year of youth in February 2006.

“I got him and it’s been great ever since,” she said. "He’s great. He has great personality; he loves treats; I give him lots of treats. He always takes care of me and the courses. I know no matter where I get to the jump he always goes. I can trust him.”

For an AQHA Professional Horseman's analysis of the equitation over fences finals pattern, click here.