LAURA GREEN: I have lived in Kentucky most of my life and currently live on a small farm near Elizabethtown.  I have three children, my oldest daughter Eliza, my son Cullen and the youngest, my daughter, Bennett.  We all ride and compete in the EXCA and have done so since May of 2009.   I am currently working as a Marketing Assistant for Ft. Knox Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, but my heart is in being a Mom and a small time horse farmer. 

 2016 marks my 8^th year of racing in the EXCA and I ride in the Pro Division.  I am not a professional horse trainer, but I love the Pro Division because it pushes me to improve my horsemanship.  I finished second to last my first year competing at The 2009 World Championship.  I have steadily improved each year at Worlds, with a 4^th place as my best finish.  My primary horse is Chloe (PRF Poca Bara), a 2005 model, buckskin, Quarter Horse Mare.  I use a capital M, because she is definitely a MARE! We have competed together since we began racing in the EXCA.  She has been a great horse for me as well as my youngest daughter, who was the 2014 EXCA National Young Gun Champion. I have recently started riding my son’s horse Tater as well in EXCA. Tater is an EXCA Hall of Fame Horse.

 In 2013 I began hosting EXCA Races in Kentucky.  I didn’t know if I really wanted to be a host, since I was also a competitor, but the need was there for someone to put races on in our Region, so I decided to give it a try.  I have really enjoyed all of the aspects of putting together a race.  I especially enjoy creating courses that I hope will help prepare our Region’s riders for the stiff competition at Nationals and Worlds.  I also decided to become an EXCA judge and became certified in 2015.  So far I have only judged three races, but it is an area I hope to expand as time allows (i.e. When my kids leave the nest!) I also serve as the South Central Region NAB.

I grew up mostly in Kentucky playing on horses but never competed until I began racing with the EXCA in 2009.  I absolutely love competing alongside my children.   I have a degree in Exercise Science and Health from the University of Kentucky.  I worked for a while in the country music industry in Nashville, Tennessee.  I am VERY honored to have sung the United States’ National Anthem at several EXCA World and National Championships and the 2016 Road To The Horse. I was equally honored to have performed both the Canadian and American National Anthems at The Calgary Stampede in 2014, where I was also a competitor in the Cowboy Up Challenge.

My bio would not be complete without mentioning the people who gave me a love for horses along with my first horse, my parents, Bob and Martha (Gram) Cox.  Gram travels with us to all the shows and “rides” every ride with us from where ever she is watching.  Our family would not have been able to participate in EXCA if it weren’t for my parents.  I plan on competing in EXCA until I physically cannot ride anymore!  Thanks to Craig Cameron for creating such an amazing event, the Extreme Cowboy Race!