TEAM TOMLINSON is taking Florida by storm.

A fortnight after Olympic gold medallist Laura Tomlinson opened the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington with a double victory, it was the turn of her protégé Lara Griffith to shine this weekend.

Griffith, who is based at the Tomlinson yard owned by Laura’s parents Dr Wilfried and Mrs Bechtolsheimer at Ampney St Peter, enjoyed two top tests on her best horse Rubin Al Assad (Rufus), including first place in the Grand Prix Special on the last day of FEI CDI 3* competition.

The combination scored a 69.608% to take a narrow win over Sharon McCusker from the States.

Griffith had previously finished runner-up in a large class for the FEI CDI 3* Grand Prix with a score of 71.020%.

“This was only the second Grand Prix Special I’ve ever done with him and it went really well, but it’s still new to us,” Lara told the event’s website. “We had a few mistakes today in the test, but in general we’re on the up.

“Rufus has improved dramatically in the Grand Prix from two weeks ago with the work we’ve put in since being here.”

Tomlinson, who lives in Oaksey, and Griffith have brought a team of five horses from the chill of the Cotswolds for seven weeks of intensive training in the Florida sun as well as some serious competition which they hope will see them land running for the European season when they return next month.

Laura’s international polo playing husband Mark is also making good use of the excellent facilities.

He has brought six polo ponies to the Grand Champions Polo Club just a mile away from where Laura is training. It is the perfect family set-up for the 2015 winter season.

Two weeks ago Laura and the massive 17-hands mare Unique, mischievously known as ‘Minnie’, were two for two in her first competitions since having her first child Annalisa last July, winning the Prix St George in 73.31% and the Intermediaire I with a score of 74.632%.

“It was Unique’s first time back in the ring since the National Championships in 2013,” said Laura.

“Both of us just needed to get back in the ring and find our feet again, so I’m really happy with the way she went. She was really responsive. I couldn’t have asked for more today.

“Over in Europe at the moment all of the Grand Prix shows are World Cup qualifiers and the horses are not quite ready for such a big atmosphere indoors.

“I’d have to travel to Germany or Holland, whereas here you travel a mile down the road here and compete every other weekend.

“We need to gain the necessary confidence in the ring, hence we are hoping to progress up the levels while staying here in Florida.”

In 2010, Laura won three silver medals at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky – and then reached her competitive peak at the London Olympics in 2012 when she and Mistral Hojris won team gold and an individual bronze medal.

Mistral Hojris or ‘Alf’ was subsequently retired and while Laura took a year away from the competitive arena to have her baby, Lara took over the ride on the stable’s second Grand Prix horse Andretti H with such great results that she forced her way on to the World Class Development Programme for promising young riders and was named a non-travelling reserve for Team GB at the last year’s World Equestrian Games.

Andretti H was himself retired at the end of 2014 but team Tomlinson are now unleashing another batch of young horses who could well be representing Great Britain in the near future Both Laura and Lara are hoping to make the British team for the FEI European Championships in Germany this year, but the 2016 Olympics in Rio remains the long-term target.

"My goal is ultimately Rio and the other competitions between now and then are stepping stones to that point," said Laura.

“Rio is the name of the game, and everything has to be done with that in mind."