Hundreds of eyes peer around an empty arena floor and focus on a jockey as she rides into the center poised like a princess. Cheers welcome her and she quickly prepares herself for the routine. Proudly displaying her cowgirl attire, all nerves diminish as she visualizes herself and the horse as one. Focusing on their movements, they glide flawlessly through the music and silently await the judges final scores.

At just 3 years old, math teacher Lauren Johnson was gifted her first horse. Soon after her lessons began, she felt motivated to take on competitive horse riding.

“When I was five I got my first competitive type of horse and I got my first reining horse when I was 7,” Johnson said. “The sport I do now [is] reining. I never got a pony, my parents never bought me one, they said they were too mean so they got me a big horse for my birthday [and] it was all fun since then.”

Once Johnson turned 15 years old, she aged out of the youth division and started competing in the adult division. Her first year she placed in the lowest adult division and by 17 she placed in the highest adult division.

“There are three major events, the main goal is to be the finalist at each event,” Johnson said. “[There are] hundreds of competitors. [If] you make it to the top 20 and win it’s icing on the cake, but everyone just wants to be a finalist.”

Although an avid competitor throughout her childhood and school career, the end of high school presented challenges.

“Once I got into college all my horses stayed with my trainer,” Johnson said. “I would travel every weekend if I didn’t have a show. I would leave Thursday night from Texas A&M and travel up to north of Dallas and ride Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”

At the start she was nervous to be in the arena, but over time those nerves turned into excitement by the time she was a senior in high school.

“I had great horses underneath me [that] I trusted and it was more of making sure I showed off my horse,” Johnson said. “I wanted my horses to look good because they try their hearts out for me.”

Nathan Piper has been Johnson’s coach since she was 12 years old. He has been training horses in addition to riders for 23 years, and he believes the dedication to Johnson’s craft is what makes her a unique student.

“During summers while she was in school, she would often stay with my family at our facility and practice daily for hours on end,” Piper said. “She knows my training program and methods exceptionally well, so she catches onto directions very quickly.”

With Piper’s training, Johnson was able to make progress in the arena quickly.

“Like most students her age she started out very raw as a youth competition participant,” Piper said. “However, she quickly progressed to be one of the top riders in the country in her age division and even won a North American Championship. She has continued to progress and very easily holds her own with the top non-professional riders in the world.”

Becca Murray has been friends with Johnson since they were 10 years old. She grew up competing with Johnson and recalls her being obsessed with her horses and even babying them like they were big dogs. However, when they went to college they became best friends.

“She is a very competitive person,” Murray said. “When it came time to get on her horse and walk into the show pen, she was acutely focused on what she needed to do. She definitely lives by the theory of ‘You have to hate to lose more than you love to win.’”

Just like any other pet, horses and humans form a bond with each other. Though a majority of time Johnson spends with her horses is either practicing or competing, she works to maintain strong relationships with them.

“Horses truly are like dogs; they want to be loved on, they want to be treated with respect, they want to trust you, but if you break the trust it’s almost impossible to get back,” Johnson said.