Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
If you asked someone to build the perfect CCI5* event horse, starting with pedigree, it’s fair to say that not too many people would pick a Canadian-bred Arabian stallion and a Thoroughbred mare. However, that’s the exact formula that produced Lauren Nicholson’s World Championships partner, 5* veteran, and our 2024 USEF CCI5*-L Eventing National Champion, Vermiculus, better known in the barn as “Bug”.
Bred by Lawson Williams, Bug is the full brother of Lauren’s first CCI5* horse, Snooze Alarm, who Lawson also bred. Lawson’s breeding program started in Southern California, where he was a hobby breeder for many years, mainly breeding Arabians and Thoroughbreds for racing and endurance. In 1993, he made the decision to relocate to a more central location and settled on a farm in Southern Indiana, where his breeding program remained until its dispersal in 2013.
Bug’s dam was the Thoroughbred mare Wake Me Gently, who ended up being a fantastic producer of both racehorses and sport horses for Lawson. He recalls, “The first time I saw Gently was at the farm in Southern California where I had stationed my horses while waiting for the new barn and fencing for the farm in [Indiana]. She and a grey filly were in a paddock together, and wanting a closer look at the grey filly, I went to the paddock. While giving the fillies pats and rubs I remarked on their good conformation.”.
A deal was struck, and by the day’s end Lawson was Gently’s new owner. Born in 1990 and bred for racing, the bay mare was by stakes-winning stallion Unpredictable, out of a mare named Reville Song, by Battle Call. She trained and raced in California for two years until an ankle chip put an end to her career at the track. Gently made a total of 21 starts, winning once and earning a total of $5,772.
She came off the racetrack in the month of May, already fairly late in the breeding season for a Thoroughbred. She was sent to a nearby farm to be bred to a Thoroughbred stallion there, only for Lawson to find out that the stallion he chose had already completed his breeding season. Gently was already cycling and ready for breeding, so rather than wait until the following season, they instead decided to pivot and breed her to the stallion they had been using for teasing, an Arabian named Serazim.
Serazim had already proven to be a successful sire of Arabian racehorses and endurance horses, so Lawson thought that crossing him with Gently could potentially be a good match. The breeding was done, and Gently was confirmed in foal to Serazim.
Bred in Canada, Serazim was a 15.2h bay stallion with a very versatile background. A successful racehorse, he also won the Canadian National Exhibition Halter Stallion Championship, and was shown in show hack, hunter pleasure, and costume classes. His pedigree can be traced back through his sire line to the well-known Arabian stallion *Serafix, who was imported from the Crabbet Arabian Stud in England in 1954.
That first breeding between Gently and Serazim produced the chestnut colt that became known as Snooze Alarm, born in 1997. After that, Gently went on to produce six Jockey Club-registered Thoroughbred foals, and Snooze was sold to Lauren to begin his competitive career as an eventer.
Lauren Kieffer and Snooze Alarm. Photo by Michelle Dunn.
The elegant, pint-size Anglo-Arab began climbing up the ranks of the sport, taking Lauren to Young Riders in 2005, 2006, and 2007. At that point it was decided that perhaps the cross between Serazim and Gently was a good one, and the breeding was repeated, producing Bug in 2007 when Serazim was 31 years old.
According to Lawson, Bug stood out as special from the day he hit the ground. “He was easy going and fun to be around, and good mannered for a young colt. He loved the large pastures and loved to run around them like he was on a racecourse.”
As baby Bug was growing up, Lauren continued producing Snooze up the ranks, with the pair eventually making it to Kentucky CCI5* in 2010. When Lauren went looking for her next young prospect – on a limited budget yet again – buying Snooze’s younger sibling seemed like an obvious choice. “I’d gotten his brother to five star,” Lauren recalled, “so I figured I might as well try again!”.
A very small baby Bug.
While Lawson and Lauren saw Bug’s early potential, that wasn’t always true of everyone. Being small, plain bay, Anglo-Arab, and relatively unassuming, it would be easy to pass him by in favor of the bigger, flashier warmbloods. “David [O’Connor] always said no one would notice him until he went five-star, and he was right!”, says Lauren.
Now 17 years old, Bug is at the top of the sport and looking better than ever. He has seven CCI5* completions under his girth and was part of the US Team at the 2022 FEI World Championships at Pratoni. Among his CCI5* finishes he’s been in the top 10 at Burghley, Luhmühlen, and Kentucky.
While he’s never the flashiest horse in the warm-up, there’s no arguing that this little American-bred Anglo-Arab is one of the best event horses in the world, something that can be attributed in large part to his breeding. Lauren says, “He’s very intelligent and enjoys mental challenges, and his Arabian breeding certainly contributes to his longevity in the sport.”
While Lawson’s program disbanded in 2013, Bug’s successes continue to bring a deep sense of fulfillment to his legacy as a breeder. “For any discipline I feel there needs to be a purpose and an objective when a breeding is made.” He says. “And there’s a great deal of satisfaction when it’s successfully accomplished.”
Lauren Nicholson shares a moment with Vermiculus after winning the USEF CCI5* National Championship. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Although he is retired from breeding, Lawson continues to keep up with Bug and Lauren’s storied career. While he’s proud to take credit as the breeder of two exceptional horses, he’s also quick to give credit where credit is due, especially when it comes to Lauren. “She has accomplished so very much with both Bug and Snooze. [It} would not have happened without the tremendous care, training, and expert abilities of Lauren.”
Breeding a good horse is only one part of the equation… getting that horse into the right hands is another. When asked for his advice to breeders or to people looking to buy a young horse, Lawson responded “Wow. A book could be written on these points!”.
“For breeders, ask what are your main goals? Identify the objectives you want your breeding program to accomplish. Be realistic. For riders, when shopping for a nice young horse, ask yourself what is the main objective for the horse? Once identified, does the pedigree say yes? Identify the correct form to function of the young horse – conformation knowledge is very important! And if needed, seek assistance from knowledgeable advisors”.
While the legitimacy of the Thoroughbred mare in producing top-level event horses has been proven time and time again (2024 Defender Kentucky winner Cooley Rosalent, anyone?), the success of horses like Snooze and Bug also lends credence to the intelligence and durability that a good Arabian can bring to the table. There is no better eventer than a blood horse, after all.
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