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by Meaghan
All rights reserved. 11/00
| Beginnings: | - Born November 14, 1965 - Born in Cameden, South Carolina |
| Family: | - Her mother is Carol Kent - She is married to Bob Kraut - Had her first son in 1999 |
| Sport(s): | - Individual show jumping, team jumping |
| Interests: | - Riding, teaching students how to ride |
| Accomplishments: | - Was in 2000 Olympic Games - Won motor city Grand Prix for $30,000 - Won Rolex U.S. Show Jumping Championships for $100,000 - Won American jumping classic for $22,500 - Came in 3rd in $25,000 grand prix of Kansas city - Came in 2nd in Cosequin Wellington Final - Won $50,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix - Won $30,000 Kentucky Grand Prix - Won $50,000 Indianapolis Grand Prix |
Interesting Facts: |
- The horse she rides is a Mare named Liberty - Her mother was a Horse show secretary - She Runs a horse business in Ohio - This was her first Olympic games - Was an alternate in the 1996 Olympic games - Her horse, Liberty got an infection in her left front hoof during 2000 U.S. jumping trials, and because no drugs are allowed during trials, they had to use constant walking and hot and cold hosings, but it worked - Finished 3rd in trials - Her husband is a Grand Prix Rider |
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To learn more about Laura Kraut, click here. |
The History of Equestrian Sports
The history of equestrian sports in the Olympic games is very interesting. It all dates back to the Olympics in ancient times. So in a way equestrian is probably one of the oldest sports in the the Olympics. Shows of horses and horsemanship were at a high during the middle ages. Back then it was considered a very big compliment to be called haute ecole, a French phrase denoting advanced forms of riding skills.
Horse shows in North America date back to the 18th century.
In 1883,an association was introduced called the National Horse Show.
People of high class went to these shows and it soon became a big social
event. (It is still a big class horse show.) Since the end of World War II the
sport has become increasingly popular. In 1912 team show jumping was introduced.
Most people back then (and some now) believed that horses had no feelings, and that the only way to gain
supremacy, was to beat them. First, they would be tied to a post in a round
pen. Then, their legs would be tied up and tied together. Their head would then
tied to the rope that was attached to the legs. After being in that position for
a while, they were let up and "sacked." The person who was
"sacking'' them had a long piece of rope with a paper bag tied to the end.
They would then throw it at the horse. The horse would get scared. It was a
terrible way to break horses.
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To learn more about the rules of show jumping, click here. |
The United States of America
The United States of America, also known as the U.S.A., has a population of about 250,000,000. The U.S.A. has about 4,000,000 sq. miles of land. Its geographic location is below Canada, and above Mexico. It is on the continent of North America. The U.S.A. is in the Northern Hemisphere. The country is made up of plains, mountains, and hills. The capital of America is Washington D.C. The current president of the United States is Bill Clinton, but we are in the midst of the 2000 election between Al Gore and George Bush. The U.S.A. has fifty states - 13 of them from the first colonies. America's flag is red, white, and blue. It has 13 red stripes, representing the 13 original colonies of the U.S.A. On the upper left hand corner, there is a patch of dark blue with 50 white stars on it, representing the current 50 states that make up the U.S.A.
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To to see a flag of the United States, click here. |
