Sogard Socks It To 'Em At Region 4 Midwest Maclay Regionals

Wearing six pairs of socks, she qualifies for the ASPCA Maclay National Finals.

Lauren Sogard had a little last-minute equipment failure, but that didn’t stop her from prevailing over 64 competitors in the Region 4 Midwest Maclay Regional, held Sept. 19 at the Kentucky National in Lexington.

Pulling on her week-old boots the night before, “I zipped them up, then took two steps, and both zippers burst out the back,” recalled Sogard, a tiny-footed animal science freshman on the Auburn University NCAA equestrian team (Ala.). “I was trying all the pony kids’ boots, but they were too small in the leg. I finally ended up borrowing a friend’s, whose feet are 31⁄2 sizes too big, so I wore six pairs of socks with them!”

Feeling somewhat clown-footed walking the course, Sogard, of Indianapolis, Ind., put the flopping phalanges out of her mind as first on course.

“I’d rather go early and have time before the flat, so I didn’t have a problem with it. I was just like, ‘Well, here I go! I might as well just go for it; I’m the first one,’ ” said Sogard, 18. “It was probably one of the best rounds of my life. People kept telling me, ‘You’re still winning; you’re still winning!’ ” 

Sure enough, Sogard, riding her 8-year- old Dutch Warmblood, Concerto, was called back on top for the flat.

“He got a little excited going around to the right at the canter, so I had to keep my composure and get him back together. Tammy [Provost] was so mad at him!” said Sogard, who three years ago purchased the gelding from Provost. “I told her, ‘It’s OK—he just wanted to be noticed!’ [At 15.2 hands] he’s so much smaller than the other horses. They called back the top 10 to flat again with no stirrups, and I was called back in fourth. We were so surprised.”

Provost coached Sogard to her win, since her regular coaches, Diane and Val Renihan, couldn’t attend the show due to an illness in their family.

Taking the opportunity to redeem herself, Sogard managed to climb back to the top spot with stellar work without stirrups. “I got ninth two years ago, so after they announced ninth, I was happy to have done better than that. I was just looking to have fun. With the other girls there, I’m always OK to be beaten by them, so I was so excited,” said Sogard. “When they got down to two horses left, I couldn’t believe it.”

Sensing that her equitation horse, Saint-Exupery wasn’t quite right on that day, Sogard’s choice to ride her junior hunter Concerto proved to be a good one, but she’s taking both of them, to the ASPCA Maclay National Championship, to be held at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament (N.Y.), Oct. 28-Nov. 1.

“I don’t usually get nervous really, though I probably should. Both horses are really brave, and they’ll go through anything,” she said. “Usually the harder things are, the better I do.”

No Room For Superstitions

Christy DiStefano happily assumed the Maclay regional victory “curse” from Beacon Hill barnmate and last year’s Region 2 champion Jackie Lubrano at this year’s competition, held Sept. 19 at Old Salem Farm, North Salem, N.Y.

Riding 2008 Region 8 ASPCA Maclay winner, Shelby Wakeman’s warmblood gelding Rodin, the 18-year-old from Ramsay, N.J., topped 84 competitors to take home the Eastern title.