Radio Flyer II Coasts Around Morven Park To Win With A New Rider

Lauren Kieffer rides the seasoned gelding to an advanced victory for Karen O’Connor and Dorothy Crowell.

For Lauren Kieffer, working on the O’Connor Event Team has many benefits, but one of the biggest is riding the nice horses regularly stabled at their barn.

She’s had more of those rides than usual lately after Karen O’Connor had an accident involving a motorbike at a horse trials in late September—she fractured her scapula and three ribs and was forced to hang up her spurs for a few months.

Having taken over the ride of Radio Flyer II this season from his owner Dorothy Crowell, O’Connor handed the reins over to her husband David to ride during the week and to Kieffer to compete until she healed.

Kieffer, The Plains, Va., and “Red’s” short partnership proved successful with a win in an advanced division at the Morven Park Fall Horse Trials in Leesburg, Va., Oct. 2-4.

“It’s been a major job perk, and a huge honor, to ride Karen’s horses,” Kieffer said. “Red’s a great horse and lots of fun.”

Kieffer, 22, took Red intermediate at Plantation Field Horse Trials (Pa.) in September, where they finished ninth.

They started their weekend at Morven with a solid dressage test and a score of 33.3, but it was over Tremaine Cooper’s 28-jump advanced course where the two cemented their connection.

Kieffer developed a newfound appreciation for her temporary partner’s background as they blazed around with 0.8 time faults, the fastest time in either advanced division. With Crowell, Red completed the 2008 Rolex Kentucky CCI****, and Kieffer found him exceptionally well schooled, both on the flat and over fences.

“He was really good cross-country,” Kieffer said. “He’s a real athlete, and he’s got an amazing gallop and obviously a lot of confidence. It was pretty fun to go out on such an experienced horse. He was so athletic, and he jumped so well. He was brave, and it was a real pleasure to ride him.”

Though she said she didn’t have any problems on course, it was Kieffer’s first time jumping through the imposing Leaf Pit (fence 7), a combination with a huge downhill drop. She even got to do it twice in one day as she rode her own advanced horse, Snooze Alarm, earlier in the morning.

“It’s scary to look at,” Kieffer admitted, “but Red’s a machine, and he was fantastic. The whole course really rode very smoothly.”

Prior to cross-country, Kieffer and Red had one rail and 2 time faults in show jumping, and they won with a score of 40.1. Kieffer finished seventh in the other advanced division with Snooze Alarm, whom she’s pointing at the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** next spring.

Kieffer started working for the O’Connors five years ago and now considers Karen practically a second mother.

“I’m part of the family now,” she said. “They had to adopt me eventually.”

Kieffer was also appreciative of the job the Morven Park event staff did with the horse trials, particularly in preparing the ground.

“They did an amazing job with the footing because it could have been hard, but they did such a good job aerating it. The course was beautiful, and all the fences jumped well. Morven is kind of a destination event, always has been, and it works out perfectly as a prep for Fair Hill [CCI*** (Md.)],” said Kieffer.