Meet Kat. 

Horses have played a role in my life since I was a young kid, and I have chased them up and down the Western Hemisphere. I have ridden horses in the USA, Ireland, Canada, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Argentina, and Brasil. I have jumped, crossed the country, galloped down beaches, trotted down centerlines, joined up with horses, moved herds, learned how to work with stallions, and I have seen horses hold space for groups of powerful people. KNH Dressage is the love-child of all of my previous experiences and what I have taken from my teachers, human and horse alike, to share with my students here. 

WHY DRESSAGE?

Dressage is the foundation for all equitation. I spent an extended period of time studying the French Classical Principles and how they help transform horses by teaching them their balance in self-carriage. Dominique Barbier, student of Nuno Oliveira, along with his wife, Debra Barbier, have been an undeniable influence in finding my place in the equestrian world by teaching me that dressage is not just a sport, but originally a form of art.

I love the puzzle of each horse; how they move, how they relate to their riders, and how they need to be worked in order to be comfortable and later find expression. Through my time training in Colorado, I was fortunate to have the chance to work with a variety of breeds with different histories. Their riders had different goals. To jump, to trail-ride, to ride dressage...and using the classical system (adjusted to tailor-fit each horse and rider combination) helped them all to find a new level of balance. So, for me, it isn't about flying changes and piaffer-passage transitions (okay, just not all the time). It's about better horsemanship and putting out horses and riders who have a strong foundation and who can find their flow together. ​​