By Lauren Simpson
Cornell Athletic Communications

ITHACA, N.Y. – Since being a member of some of Cornell's earliest varsity equestrian teams from 1997-98 to 2000-01, Laura Rubinate '01 has never lost her passion for the sport as she has embarked on life's journey. Upon donating her horse, Chase, to the Cornell equestrian team in the fall of 2020, one could say that her connection to the Big Red has come full circle.

Rubinate's memories from her days on Cornell's equestrian team are still vivid, and she hasn't forgotten the transformation that the program made as it solidified itself as a varsity sport after years of competing at the club level. With the first year of varsity equestrian competition at Cornell being 1995-96, Rubinate was very much a part of the program's "early days."

"My very first year, the team was just transitioning from a club to a varsity sport," said Rubinate. "There were a lot of little things. We had a little van and the coach had to drive it, and we couldn't bring all of the girls. Just to see the evolution to the end was kind of cool. We'd get these giant buses that were very fancy and had a TV in them and an actual driver."

The growth that occurred within the Cornell equestrian program over Rubinate's four years wasn't the only change happening, however, as Rubinate's time with the Big Red was an experience that would be impressed upon her for years to come.

Rubinate helped the Big Red reach great heights, as Cornell won the Ivy League show in three of the four years that Rubinate was on the team. She also excelled individually, finishing first in intermediate flat at the 1997-98 and 1998-99 Ivy League shows and qualifying for regionals in both intermediate flat and fences as a junior in 1999-00. A co-captain in her senior campaign, perhaps it was the relationships that she fostered while leading the Big Red that she holds closest to her heart today.

"They are all cherished memories. I loved my time on the team and the friendships that I made," said Rubinate. "I'm still really good friends with several of the girls that were on the team with me."

It's safe to say that Rubinate's time on the Cornell equestrian team positively impacted her. Her memories are ones that she's carried with her over many different phases of her life: medical school, internship, residency, and today, as an ophthalmologist, where she is better known as Dr. Laura Rubinate, D.O. She's also carried those memories with her as she's continued to ride, regardless of the point in her life.

Upon graduating from Cornell with her bachelor's degree in animal science in 2001, Rubinate went on to work at GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical company, for three years before starting medical school at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Even the challenges of medical school didn't prevent Rubinate from riding.

"I definitely kept up with the riding while I was working," said Rubinate. "In medical school, it got tricky, so it was off-and-on for those four years. I did as much as I could, but it wasn't my own horse. I was just riding at someone's barn whenever they would allow me and my schedule allowed."

As Rubinate neared closer to her graduation from Nova Southeastern in 2008, she prepared to start her ophthalmology career, but not in a traditional office setting. Rather, as an Active Duty Officer in the Army.

"For the Army, specifically, as opposed to the Air Force or Navy, they are the biggest in the Deployable Operations Group (DOG) for their medicine specialties," said Rubinate. "I went that way because my chances for getting into a residency that I wanted were higher than in the other two branches."

After medical school, Rubinate was accepted to both internship and residency within the military hospital system in San Antonio, Texas. She completed her transitional internship at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) and Wilford Hall Medical Center (WHMC), followed by her residency. Upon finishing her residency in 2012, Rubinate became an active duty Army staff physician at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas. 

This was an exciting moment for Rubinate, but for additional reasons aside from it officially marking the start of her career.

"Pretty much right after I finished residency, I had a lot more time and money, so I bought my first horse that I had since I was a little kid, like a teenager practically," said Rubinate. "I've kept that as part of my life ever since then." 

Here Rubinate was, in a new part of her life, but still with an everlasting constant – equestrian.

Rubinate was honorably discharged from the Army in 2016 and, today, resides and practices ophthalmology in Florida. Many of Rubinate's days don't start at her office, however, but instead, with an early morning trip to the barn to ride before she starts seeing patients for the day. Although Rubinate never stopped riding over the varying chapters of her life, she admits that it's been great to get back into the sport more consistently.

"I had never completely stopped riding. Even during my busiest times of medical school and residency, I still was able to go once a month," said Rubinate. "I didn't forget how or lose a lot of muscle memory, so I was able to at least keep that going to a degree. But it was, obviously, really nice to be able to get back into it on a regular basis." 

As Rubinate continues to compete in horse shows today, she still hasn't forgotten about her time showing collegiately for the Big Red. So much so that when her horse, Chase, was ready for a change of pace, she knew just the potential home for him. In talking with Cornell equestrian head coach Joanna Novakovic, it became increasingly evident that the Big Red could be a good fit for Chase.

"I knew it wouldn't be so far of a reach to think that maybe Joanna would want to use him," said Rubinate. "He's showed and competed up to a really high level, but I've also put my four-year-old son on him. I thought he could be flexible for the different things that they do." 

Rubinate officially donated Chase to the Cornell equestrian team in the fall of 2020 and he already fits right in. Having experienced the Big Red culture herself, Rubinate knew he would be in good hands.

"Knowing Cornell, the facility, and how well we used to take care of the team horses, I knew he'd have a good home with girls who love him," said Rubinate.

Today, 20 years after Rubinate competed in her final show in a Big Red uniform, she continues to positively impact the Cornell equestrian team, both tangibly through Chase and figuratively in how she helped establish the culture of the program in its earliest years. She's been a key member of the Big Red during multiple periods of her life, just as Cornell and the sport of equestrian have remained an important part of hers.