I don't agree! Top dressage riders got on top not because they were born in the saddle or riding from a very young age alone. Riders as Isabelle Werth, Anky van Grunsven sure did. Still, before reaching that very special top level a lot of experience was necessary. That's why Laura, at her age, with her skills and reaching already this level, is one of the most promising riders of this moment. She can reach higher levels than all her predecessors did before. But not without practising, practising and practising, building up the necessary experience. It's like a young talented concert pianist, one can play at the most incredible level, at a young age, but performing on a huge stage, before a huge and critical audience, every time with an unknown Orchestra behind you, and an unknown conductor next to you, is something different. To play and perform at ease on that required top-level under these circumstances, and keeping your skills in total control, holding up your personal charisma as the perdorming artist, this all needs only one thing: and that's called experience. Returning now to dressage, the freestyle to music particularly.

When Laura has to ride on a new music production, every movement of the choreography is translated in musical pulse, instrumentation, arrangement, rhythm pattern and tempo. Besides this, it's made to the measure for Alf and Laura, not only to the footfall, ground-movement, or natural pulse and rhythm of the horse, but in the highest degree of perfection in harmony for this combination. Boy, you need a awful lot of skills to perform on such a program. That gives a lot of stress and pressure and it's only experience that will help and in this case it is up to Laura, to perform at ease, keeping her personal charisma and ride Alf in a way that it looks so bloody simple and easy, but we all know it isn't.