Welcome to the Advisory Board Todd Minikus and Lara Knight!

Draper Therapies is thrilled to add Todd Minikus and Lara Knight to our Advisory Board!

Minikus, who rides show jumpers, began showing at the Grand Prix level in 1985, and his winning ways have continued into the present. His list of top accomplishments include:

1997 – winning $100,000 Budweiser American Invitational in Tampa, Florida

2001- 2001 wins included the $50,000 Rio Vista Grand Prix at HITS Culpeper II, the $100,000 Cosequin Grand Prix at HITS Catskills IV, the $100,000 Rolex/USET Show Jumping Championship at the Bayer/USET Festival of Champions at the US Equestrian Team Olympic Training Center in Gladstone, NJ, and the $175,000 Cargill Grand Prix of the United States at the CSI-A Oaks Blenheim, San Juan Capistrano, CA, Following that win, he was named USET Athlete of the Month for July. In 2001, Minikus was also named USA Equestrian Horseman of the Year and was awarded the William C. Steinkraus Equestrian of Honor Trophy.

2004-six Grand Prix wins, including a win in the $50,000 Hérmes I Love New York Grand Prix on Gardenio

2009- second-place finish in the $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational on Pavarotti as well as riding to the Grand Prix winner’s circle on Presidente and Alaska. Minikus went on to win at the Fidelity Investments Classic, the WEF 7 Grand Prix, the Grand Prix of Rotterdam, and the President’s Cup. His outstanding performances in the USEF Selections Trials for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games earned him a place on the long list of candidates for the final selection trials in Europe.2011- Minikus and Pavarotti won the $31,000 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) Challenge Cup Round 10 in Wellington, FL. Minkius and Pavarotti went on to win the $75,000 Woodlea Farms Grand Prix at the I Love New York Horse Show in Lake Placid as well as a grand prix in Saugerties, NY.

2013- winner of the $50,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix

2014- winner of the $1,000,000 Zoetis Grand Prix aboard Quality Girl, first and second place in the $75,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix

2015- winner of the $30,000 WEF week 1 Grand Prix

If you have a sport spot for OTTB’s, you’re going to adore Lara!

Lara Borson Knight was raised in Catharpin, VA on a small farm nestled on the edge of the Manassas Battlefield National Park. She grew up galloping down the trails on her mother’s retired arabian endurance horses, participating in Pony Club, and eventing under the direction of Deanna Vaughn.

In 1993 she discovered the sport of equestrian vaulting which is best described as gymnastics on horseback. After a few years she was invited to become a member of the US Friendship Vaulting Team and performed nationwide with them. Retiring from the competative side of vaulting in 1999, she continued to coach her home based team, Virginia Vaulters, as well as coach/clinician other teams to numerous awards and championships until her relocation to Nashville, TN.

Upon moving to Nashville in 2003 Lara once again became competative in three-day eventing. Though she still occasionally does clinics for vaulters, she loves teaching eventers and starting young riders. “Being able to start someone out right and give them a good foundation is very rewarding to me. And with my background in vaulting as well as riding, I offer a slightly more unique lesson for my beginning riders that they wouldn’t find elsewhere. We center on balance, rhythm and harmony with the horse and classical prinicples.”

Lara has been blessed to train with world notable masters such as: Torrence Watkins, Phillis Dawson, J. Beal, Stephen Bradley, Dominique Barbier, and Monty Roberts, Leslie Law, Phillip Dutton, Jimmy Wofford and Dorothy Crowell.

As well as running her competative training barn in Nashville, Lara is also the Head Trainer of the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center located in Lexington, KY, a non-profit organization dedicated to the reschooling of OTTB’s for second careers and adopting them to new families.Horses have always been and integral part of Lara Knight’s life and since discovering the sport of Eventing she has never shied from the hard work and dedication necessary to make opportunities to keep pursuing her dream of representing the US in international competition. She currently competes at east coast based events (Chattahoochee Horse Trials, Jersey Fresh, Poplar Place, Ocala, and Ky Classique Horse Trials). Lara currently has a couple horses making they way up through the eventing ranks, and we look forward to seeing her at Rolex in the future!

We are thrilled to add these two highly knowledgeable and highly skilled rider to our board. With their expertise and guidance, Draper Therapies can continue to expand it’s knowledge base and continue to create quality products for horse and rider.

Welcome to the Advisory Board Todd Minikus and Lara Knight!