Baylor EQ: Get to Know Lauren Stebbins

Fri Jul 19 08:43:40 CDT 2024

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – July 19, 2024

EQ: Get to Know Lauren Stebbins
Get to Know Baylor’s Equestrian Student-Athletes

For more information contact: Brent Ingram; 210-845-8651, brent_ingram at baylor.edu<mailto:brent_ingram at baylor.edu>

Editor’s Note: This is the eighth of a Summer series allowing the Baylor fans to get to know some of the elite student-athletes from the equestrian team on BaylorBears.com.

A senior out of Atlanta, Ga., Lauren Stebbins specializes in Jumping Seat. She graduated from Pace Academy in Georgia and as a prep athlete, qualified for 2020 Maclay Regionals, Maclay Finals, Dover Medal Finals, Gladstone Cup, NCEA Finals and NHS Medal Finals. She is a two-time Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection.

At what age did you begin competing in equestrian events?

Lauren Stebbins: I began competing in 7th grade for my school’s IEA team. I got my first English horse as a freshman in high school and began to compete at rated shows.

Why did you start competing in equestrian / under what circumstances did you begin?

LS: My family goes to a dude ranch in Colorado every summer, so I started interacting with horses then. In third grade, my grandparents gave me riding lessons for my birthday and I began riding western. I switched to English in seventh grade to compete in IEA and be more involved in my school.

What is your earliest memory of riding?

LS: At the dude ranch in Colorado, there is a rodeo at the end of the week for the kids. I remember competing with my brother, cousins, and friends to have the fastest barrel racing time. We would also always go on trail rides and tell each other riddles while we were riding.

What family members have made the biggest impact on your life and why?

LS: My family includes my brother, who just finished up his freshman year at Baylor, my mom, Leslie, and my dad, John. Both of my parents have been incredibly impactful on my life for a multitude of reasons. Growing up, I’ve always seen them work extremely hard and both have success building their own businesses. They have been very supportive with my ambitions and always support me. They both created a life they love, and it motivates me to do the same.

What are your strengths in your discipline? What are the areas you are currently trying to work on the most?

LS: I would say one of my strengths is that I am sticky in the tack! I’ve had a lot of experience with young horses who have a hard jump in them and like to play on the backside of jumps which has taught me how to stick with them, so I don’t fall off when they are being silly or do something out of the blue. I would say one of my weaknesses is being confident on horses that are not my type. I love a slower, more hunter type so I do not feel as confident in my abilities on the ones that don’t fit this description.

Why did you decide to attend Baylor?

LS: I had no idea where to start when I began looking at colleges. I did not know what kind of school I wanted, and I did not know whether I wanted to ride or not. I went to a couple of camps before my senior year and decided that I might enjoy riding for a team. I started the college search by looking at schools with D1 teams and began to reach out to coaches and go on tours. The minute I stepped onto Baylor’s campus, I felt that it was the one. The campus was beautiful with all of the landscaping and the people were so welcoming. It just felt like home, and it was the first time I felt excited about going to college. I ended up emailing with the assistant jumping seat coach at the time and going to meet her at the beginning of my senior year and then she offered me a spot. Everything fell into place so quickly which is how I knew it was the right place for me. I love the Christian atmosphere that Baylor instills as well. I didn’t realize how influential and important that was to me until I got here and had a community of people around me, encouraging me to grow in my faith.

What is your academic major and why did you select that major?

LS: I am studying psychology. I selected that as my major because I think the brain is so fascinating and I wanted to learn more about the way people think. At the time, I wanted to be a sport psychologist. I have since changed my career ambitions, but I still find the subject very fascinating.

What are your career goals and why do you have an interest in pursuing that particular career?

LS: Lately, my career goals have been changing a lot. I’m not exactly sure what I want to do. From my experience being a student athlete, I have seen lots of the behind-the-scenes aspects of sports, which has shown me that I would love to work in sports in some capacity. I think something creative such as marketing would be interesting, so I am currently pursuing that. I would love to do marketing for an NFL team such as the Dallas Cowboys or the Atlanta Falcons.

What do you enjoy doing outside of equestrian and school?

LS: I love to go fly fishing and trap shooting. I was introduced to both at the ranch that my family visits every summer in Colorado. I don’t have much time for either while I am at school, but my dad also enjoys both of these activities so we usually find time for them when I am at home. I also love to walk and spend time with my two dogs.

Do you have any pets? What are their names and what role do they play in your life?

LS: I have two dogs that my family rescued back at home. Macy is a black lab and Jake is a lab and great pyrenes mix. I would love to get a dog of my own that stays at college with me but I felt that the timing hasn’t been right yet. I also have an African dwarf frog, named Curtis, at home. We got him probably 10 years ago and somehow he is still alive! I facetime my parents almost once a day and they have stopped answering because they know that the only reason that I am facetiming them is to see my animals! I don’t know if he counts as a pet but I love him as much as any of my other ones but I still have a horse at home named Cooper. I have had him for five years and he has taught me so much. I credit a large part of my reason for being at Baylor to him.

What is something most people might not know about you?

LS: I don’t think most people know that I can wiggle my ears. I’m not sure if people know that I love to fly fish and trap shoot. I think pretty much everyone knows that I am a huge country music fan (Riley Green and Corey Kent are my favorites) and a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan. I am honestly just a diehard football fan in general (especially Baylor). I’ve been to every home game and this year, I was at all of the games from beginning to end, no matter the weather or score. I’ve got to stay and support the Bears! I also think everyone knows I love dad jokes. I’ve always got some on hand. I carried around a dad joke book in my backpack all semester just to be prepared. Not everyone knew that part. I also love pasta. I could eat it for every meal.

What would you most like to be known for as a Baylor student-athlete?

LS: I would like to be known as someone who is always encouraging and has a positive attitude, no matter the circumstances. I want to be there to lift my teammates up. I love making people happy, so I always try to take advantage of every opportunity I get to do this. I also want to be known as someone who always gives her all to her team and the Bears. I am so passionate about Baylor Equestrian and Baylor Athletics and want to give back as much as it has given to me.

What advice would you give to a young girl who would like to one day be in your shoes?

LS: I would say my best advice would be to trust that God has a plan for you. I’ve spent so much time trying to come up with my own plans and make things happen on my own time and in the end, it never works out the way I expect it to because God’s plan and timing is better and His will will always prevail. Just work hard and always give your all and just trust that you will end up where you are meant to be.

- BaylorBears.com -

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Brent Ingram | Assistant AD for Communications
Men’s Tennis Sport Program Administrator
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 210-845-8651

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