Lauren Hayes is hitting her stride in this episode of Hitting Your Stride.
The child of Olympic rider Jay Hayes, Lauren joins the podcast and shares with Tracey what it’s been like for her to grow up in that orbit and how she’s blazed her own trail in a multi-generational family with equine roots that run deep. Recalling her days as an up-and-coming junior rider that saw her collect some pretty big prizes, Lauren talks about the passion she and her family have for horses but also about how she was grounded in a life outside of the ring to make sure this was the path she truly wanted to ride.
If her early success was the opening act of Lauren Hayes, Act 2 has been more about balance: between being a mom to two daughters who are already showing interest in the equestrian life, and wanting to return to high-level competition while also finding time to help manage the family’s equestrian business. She’s learned to accept the perfect imbalance of an equestrian athlete, and how you have to learn to put aside unfolded laundry when you’re trying to focus on performance.