Lauren KIEFFER (USA) riding VERONICA during the cross country phase of the CCI**** at Les Etoiles de Pau, in Pau France between 23th -26th October 2014
Lauren Nicholson (neé Kieffer) is an event rider from the United States and she has multiple five-star completions and good results to her name, as well as being a frequent face on teams, including when she represented her country at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Lauren’s first five-star horse came in the form of Snooze Alarm, with whom she completed Kentucky CCI4* (now CCI5*) in 2010.
“I was very much a ‘barn rat’ kid growing up,” explains Lauren while being interviewed by H&H’s eventing editor Pippa Roome for episode 22 of the Horse & Hound podcast. “I grew up in the Mid-West, which is a very rural area, and Snooze Alarm was sent to the barn I was riding at when I was 13 and he was a rising four-year-old to be broken in. My trainer was pregnant and Snooze Alarm was quite wild, but I was quite keen to ride anything I could, so I started riding him and took him to his first couple of events.
“My parents then bought him — it was a very big purchase for us back then — I think he cost $8,000 and it was quite a fairytale sort of thing to have your first event horse and to go all the way from beginner novice level to five-star at Kentucky. He’s still here with us now, aged 23, and he lives out with Vermiculus, who is one of my current top five-star horses, and who is also Snooze Alarm’s full brother.”
There is also a good story behind the name of Vermiculus, with whom Lauren finished ninth at both Burghley and Kentucky in 2019.
“Snooze Alarm’s stable name is Maggot. So when I bought Vermiculus, I was trying to think of a proper show name for him,” explains Lauren. “And I chose Vermiculus as it is Latin for maggot, and his stable name is Bug and it’s my little inside joke as Vermiculus actually sounds like such a regal name!”
To hear more of Lauren’s exclusive interview, listen to episode 22 of The Horse & Hound podcast or search “The Horse & Hound Podcast” in your favourite podcast app.
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Former web features editor, point-to-point editor and digital racing editor
Gemma is an experienced journalist, who was a member of H&H staff from 2014 to September 2025. She is passionate about all equestrian sports, including racing and point-to-pointing. She has enjoyed riding out for top trainers Nicky Henderson and Charlie Appleby and took part in a charity Flat race at Epsom in August 2018. Gemma’s has reported from numerous five-star events around Britain and Europe, as well as European championships.
