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Rider has big plans for little horse

Laura Chapot says Little Big Man may be smaller, but he has a lot of courage and "likes to win."

By CHRISTINA K. COSDON
Published March 31, 2007

Little Big Man is smaller than most of his fellow equine competitors, but that doesn't stop him. He's good, and he knows it.

At 15.3 hands, he's a David among Goliaths.

But in the world of elite show jumpers, it's not size that counts. It's having extreme talent and an unbridled spirit for taking on the challenge of fast courses with obstacles that loom more than 5 feet high and 6 feet wide.

"He jumps in spectacular style and has a lot of heart and courage," owner/rider Laura Chapot said. "He thinks he's a big horse, and he likes to win."

Little Big Man and Chapot won two Sunday grand prix competitions in the season's Winter Equestrian Festival and placed in the top 10 in three others. The team took second in last year's $75,000 Grand Prix of Tampa and will compete in the same event Sunday at the fairgrounds.

Now 13, the Dutch-bred chestnut gelding is coming into his prime years of competition.

"Because he's such a small horse, he gets the crowds behind him," Chapot said. "He has a bouncy, athletic style of jumping, and he's fun to watch go round the courses."

He can also be feisty.

"In the schooling area, he bucks a lot," Chapot said. "He likes to play and strike out with his front leg like he's scoring a touchdown.

"He's like no other horse I've ever had in my life. He's got more personality than any horse I know. When I walk by his stall, he bangs on the door. He loves a lot of attention, and he's pretty sure he deserves it. He's opinionated, boisterous and macho."

She bought him when he was 4, having no idea he would achieve the top level of show jumping, grand prix.

"We took our time with his training and tried to be very careful never to show him anything he couldn't do," she said. "You can have great hopes, but a horse like this doesn't come around the corner all the time. I'm very lucky to have one right now."

In addition to her career as a grand prix competitor, Chapot trains junior and amateur riders and is involved in breeding horses at her family's farm in Neshanic Station, N.J., where the late show-jumping legend Gem Twist was bred.

"This is what I've always wanted to do," she said. "I think about my horses all the time. I'm probably more attached than I should be. They're like my children. I usually get up at 5:30 a.m., excited to get out and see them and start a new day."

Her work ethic comes from her parents, Frank and Mary Chapot, who are in the Show Jumping Hall of Fame. Both are Olympic medalists and had distinguished careers in show jumping as members of the United States Equestrian Team. After retiring, Frank Chapot served as the team's coach, or chef d'equipe, until two years ago.

"You could see the potential for greatness in Laura when she was a junior rider," said Gina Johnson, a Clearwater business woman who worked for NBC and the U.S. equestrian team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. "She had her mother's balance, precision and soft hands and her dad's ability to analyze and react in a split-second to her horse and the situation.

"Despite their fame, the Chapots are the hardest-working, most down-to-earth people you will ever know," continued Johnson, who is also a former vice president of development for Stadium Jumping, the company that produces the Winter Equestrian Festival. "I remember taking an ESPN crew over to their barn early one morning for an interview. All three of them were hauling buckets, cleaning tack and wiping down the horses. Laura inherited a huge skill set from her parents, adopted their work ethic and put her own signature on top of the mix. She is an extraordinary young woman and a gifted equestrian athlete."

Fast Facts:

Winter Equestrian Festival

When: Today, Sunday, and Tuesday through April 7. Hours are 8 a.m. until the day's last class.

Where: All events except the Invitational are at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Take Interstate 275 or I-75 to I-4. Take Exit 6 to Orient Road. Follow signs to parking and the Equestrian Center.

Schedule highlights: At 2 p.m., $75,000 Grand Prix of Tampa, a qualifier for the Invitational and the World Cup finals April 18-22 in Las Vegas. Sunday in the covered arena at 1 p.m., a $30,000 Challenge Cup, the final qualifier for the Invitational. Wednesday in the covered arena at 7 p.m., the $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational on April 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Admission/tickets: Fairgrounds - admission free to Equestrian Center. Invitational - advance tickets: $25, $35, $40; family four-pack $70, $125. Day of: $30, $40, $45; family four-pack $85, $140. Call Stadium Jumping at (813) 253-2782 or toll-free 1-877-909-9436 or Ticketmaster at (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100.

[Last modified March 30, 2007, 23:06:29]