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Laura Kraut

Hometown: Royal Palm Beach, Fla. Birthday: 11/14/1965 Sport/Disciplines: Jumping Olympic Years: 1992 (alternate), 2000, 2008, 2020

Laura Kraut’s illustrious career began when she received her first riding lesson at the age of three. Encouraged by their mother, Carol, Kraut and sister Mary Elizabeth took riding lessons together throughout their childhood and still work together today.

Kraut’s first big break came in 1992, when she was named an alternate to the U.S. team for the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. Eight years later, she made her Olympic Games debut in Sydney, Australia, riding Liberty. In 2008, she was part of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the Beijing Olympics, riding Cedric. In 2021, Kraut was a part of the silver medal-winning U.S. team at the Tokyo Olympics with her mount, Baloutinue.

Kraut and Miss Independent represented the U.S. at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, where the team won silver. She was part of the 2010 WEG team with Cedric, and was named to her third WEG in 2018, where she rode Zeremonie as a member of the gold-medal winning NetJets® U.S. Jumping Team.

Additionally, Kraut has been part of the U.S. team at five FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Finals (2015-2019, 2021), including a bronze-winning effort with Zeremonie in 2016 and on the silver medal-winning team with Confu in 2017.

She was part of the winning teams at the FEI Jumping Nations Cup of USA at San Juan Capistrano CSIO5* in May 2023 with Dorado 212, FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Mexico at San Miguel de Allende CSIO5* in April 2023 with Baloutinue, $230,000 FEI Jumping Nations Cup of USA in February 2020, and the first winning all-women team at FEI Jumping Nations Cup CSIO5* Dublin in August 2017.

Recent wins for Kraut include the $425,000 Lugano Diamonds CSI5* Grand Prix wiht Baloutinue during week seven of the WEF in February 2023, the $38,000 Brickenden Trophy at the Royal Horse Show with Calgary Tame in November 2022, the $75,000 Speed Final with Calgary Tame at the Washington International Horse Show in October 2022, the St. Tropez-Grimaud CSI4* class with Bisquetta in September 2022, and the $216,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix CSI4* with Confu during week 10 of the WEF in March 2022.

Based in both Florida and Great Britain, Kraut and her longtime partner, legendary British show jumper Nick Skelton, run a successful training business.