West Yorkshire, England – As the first day of dressage wrapped up Thursday at the Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials, Land Rover Eventing Competition Grant recipients Lauren Kieffer and Veronica sit tied in second place on the CCI3* leaderboard amongst a field of strong international competitors. In front of the judging panel of Christina Klingspor (SWE), Harry Payne (GBR), and Angela Tucker (GBR), Kieffer (Ocala, Fla.) and Team Rebecca, LLC's 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare performed a lovely test to score 44.7. Smooth, flowing dressage tests have become a trademark of the talented pair, and they delivered at Bramham.

"I was very happy with Veronica, it was a lot of atmosphere and she feels fit and ready to tackle the rest of the weekend," Kieffer said. "The atmosphere here is great and I'm very grateful to Team Rebecca and Land Rover for this opportunity."

“Lauren rode a professional test today,” said Chef d’Equipe David O’Connor. “The mare was quite good and performed well. We are excited about the place she is at right now.”

Kieffer and Veronica will tackle Ian Stark’s cross-country course Saturday with the aim of having a solid round, keeping them in a top position in the field.

O’Connor shared his thoughts on the course, saying, “It’s a very good course, very open and galloping. We are expecting rain Friday night and Saturday, so that may play a factor. Lauren and Veronica have lots of experience and I think they are in good place for the rest of the weekend.”

Katherine Coleman and Courage under Fire also performed their dressage test, scoring 59.6 and putting them in 29th place following the first phase. Gwendolen Fer (FRA) and Romantic Love currently lead the CCI3* with a score of 42.8.

Also representing the U.S., Caroline Martin and Quantum Solace are competing in the Under 25 CCI3* division, and will perform their dressage test on Friday at 12:10 p.m. local time.

Find out more about the Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials.

The USEF International High Performance Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, USOC, and USEF Sponsors and Members.