Faces of Pin Oak: Jef Lauwers

Photos by Karinda K

Jef Lauwers has a list of achievements that could rival many in the sport. At the 2024 Pin Oak Charity Horse Show alone, he secured victories in the $10,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby aboard She’s All That and the $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby riding Hallpass, a repeat performance from 2022.

Like all riders though, Lauwers had to start somewhere. Native to Belgium, he first moved to Texas in 2016, where he soon discovered the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show. Before there was Lauwers the accomplished hunter rider, there was Lauwers the amateur, who first started his winning streak in Katy, Texas, in Pin Oak’s derby rings.

“It was one of the first shows I actually competed in,” said Lauwers. “That is where it all started for me and my U.S. career, so it is extra special that way. It was the first pre-green class that I won, and the first international derby that I won, first national derby that I won. I hold it dear to my heart, that show. A lot of experiences and opportunities came out of Pin Oak.”

Today, Lauwers has a well-established career working with trainer Peter Pletcher of PJP Farm in Magnolia, Texas. This year, he spent the winter in Wellington, Fla, and while he enjoys competing in some of the meccas of equestrian sport on the East Coast, Lauwers says that he still loves to come home to the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show.

“It’s always fun to come home to something familiar, with good prize money and good classes, and try to do better each year,” said Lauwers. “Some years, that’s easier said than done, but it’s always fun to be surrounded by a good group of people and a trainer like Peter.”

Under Pletcher’s tutelage, Lauwer has developed a riding and training philosophy that hinges on listening to the individual horse and prioritizing relaxation. “We try to stay consistent and try to keep to our goals, keep my eyes on the prize, but I’m always trying to be relaxed in it and take it as it is. Sometimes we forget that they are animals, and they have a brain and a heart. Some days they feel amazing. Some days they come out of bed a little cranky. It is our job as a rider and trainer to be very fluid with that and be creative about entering them and preparing them for the work they do,” Lauwers said.

Putting it simply, Lauwers continued, “I think the more relaxed they are, the better they perform. I also think a little bit for us, the more relaxed you are, the better we perform.”

With a string of up-and-coming green horses, Lauwers focuses his efforts on how to prepare these horses for bigger competition venues, like Pin Oak. “Peter and I have a program for how to get them ready for certain shows. For horse shows like Pin Oak, for the green horses – what we’ll do is we try to relax them, because they’re mostly a little bit greener, a little bit fresher. They spook a little bit more. The most important thing for those horses is to find a way that works for them, to relax them. Because the more relaxed they are, the better they perform,” Lauwers said.

His approach to preparing his older, more seasoned horses, like Hallpass, varies slightly, but still focuses on relaxation as an anchor point of his philosophy.

“For the derby horses, they do the same thing,” Lauwers said. “We just try to keep them relaxed, but then leading up to [a big show], we’ll just jump some bigger classes, because those derbies, they can go up to pretty high jumps actually. We’ll just do some high performance classes to open their stride, open their jump a little bit, then maybe do some turns, so they’re all set and ready to go to do their job.”

His main mount for derbies, Hallpass, spent the winter doing just that– relaxing at their Texas farm before beginning to prepare for his first big event of the year.

“Hallpass will do the international derbies. He is in Texas now, enjoying his time off. He starts back up and jumping in a week from now to get ready for Pin Oak,” said Lauwers in mid-February.

Lauwers does not just develop green horses – he also coaches junior riders. For them, and for all young riders, Lauwer is happy to offer his advice.

“Stay relaxed. Know that every day is different, but stay committed to your goals,” said Lauwers. “Consistency is key in what we do. There is not a manual out there on how to ride a horse. There are guidelines about how to do it, but at the end of the day, it’s about being able to be one with your horse and communicating with them. Don’t stop communicating with them. Don’t forget that they’re not cars. They are animals.”

Lauwers emphasizes mental flexibility and fun in his teachings to young riders. “Sometimes we get stuck under pressure and feeling like we have to do things a certain way,” Lauwers said. “I think there are multiple ways to do it. You just have to do what works for you and do it in the correct way. Stay consistent and just know that they’re horses. When you take that pressure off yourself, then things will just fall into place. From there, it’s only going to be better and more fun.

“You have to love it like we all love it,” Lauwers continued. “We have to keep reminding ourselves that this is a sport where we work with animals. None of the days are the same. We just do it because we love it. At the end of the day, when you stay consistent and love your horse and do the right thing for your horse, results will follow.”