Ocala, Fla.—March 17
Lauren Tisbo is a rider known for thinking out of the box when it comes to tack that keeps her horses happy. She’s ridden horses in war bridles and jumps around five-star tracks in a razor-thin race saddle. Tisbo kept with her unique trend as she galloped into the ring aboard Jeleena De Muze at the Live Oak International equipped with her now trademark race saddle and an unusual bit.
“I hadn’t ever used it before [on this horse],” Tisbo said. “I saw Andrew Ramsay ride a horse in the grand prix with it and asked him about it. She’s quite a strong horse, but she’s also very careful, so I needed something I can adjust her stride with and not get in a tug of war with her.”
Armed with a unique bit and saddle Lauren Tisbo rode Jeleena De Muze to the win. All photos by Ann Glavan.
Tisbo tried a few different things before settling on this bit, which she calls a Jimmy Williams elevator bit.
“I found she responds best to bits with leverage, and that’s how I found this one,” Tisbo said. “It’s just a snaffle mouth, so it’s a nice combination.”
You can read at length about Tisbo’s race saddle here, but what started as a way to help a few specific horses in her barn has become Tisbo’s go-to tack.
“When I get a horse in the barn it’s usually the first thing I put on their back because I know it will fit them,” Tisbo said. “If I have a saddle that fits them, great. If I don’t and they’re happy in that I ride them in that, and I hack most of them in it. Whatever works for them!”
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Lauren Tisbo and Jeleena De Muze.
Tisbo outran a starting field of 19 and a large jump-off group of 10 to take the win in the $35,000 Longines World Ranking Class.
“My mare is 9, and she’s a little bit green for her age, so we’re just moving her up to the 1.50-meter level,” Tisbo said. “We’re still in the process of going as fast as we can while still going double clear to build her confidence.
“The plan was to be as competitive as I can for my horse,” Tisbo continued. “And she jumped amazing, so I’m very proud of her.”
Lauren Tisbo and Jeleena De Muze.
Tisbo hopes Jeleena has even bigger and better wins on the horizon. Hopefully as the wins accumulate so will the mare’s award ceremony experience—she reared and danced around on her hind legs for a good portion of Live Oak’s!
“As you can see she has a lot of energy,” TIsbo said with a laugh. “And she’s aggressive, but she’s also very careful, so I’m really going to try to take my time and build her up slowly.”
Jeleena doing a little dance with Lauren Tisbo!
