Biography

Belgian rider Lara made her Badminton debut in 2014 when she finished in 10^th place with Ducati van den Overdam.

The pair was a member of the Belgian team for the 2013 European Championships in Malmo finishing in 19^th place and the 2014 WEG in Caen finishing 18^th.

Lara grew up in a horsey family and got her first pony at the age of seven and up to 2013 combined competing and studying; in 2004 she was a member of the Belgian Pony team for the European Championships and then competed at Junior and Young Rider European Championships. In 2010 she was selected to compete in her first senior Championship at the WEG in Lexington with the mare Nooney Blue, who took her from Junior to win the Belgian Young Rider Championship and then to senior level and is now a broodmare.

Lara has a BSc in Business Administration and in 2013 gained a MSc in Business Sciences from the Institut des Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Brussells.

Lara enjoys riding young horses including homebreds and training them up to the best of their abilities. Her parents organise the international (CIC3) event of Arville on their estate.

Lara is married to German international event rider Kai-Steffen Meier and the couple has a five month old daughter, Chiara.

Ducati Van Den Overdam owned by Mr Jean de Cloedt, is a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood. Bred by Phillipe Claus he is by the showjumping sire Orlando (a son of Heartbreaker) out of a mare by the Selle Francais Urous.

Ducati formerly showjumped and was acquired at the end of 2010 by Lara’s Uncle as a hunter but he gave him to Lara as he had no time to ride during the week. Thierry Storme the previous owner ‘had the feeling Ducati could be a super eventer’ and three years later he competed at Badminton.Lara describes Ducati as ‘a complicated horse in the stable, but a super cool-minded and really hard working horse’.