Interview with Sponsored H4YC FEI dressage rider, Katelyn Kok

Katelyn riding Disco Divo, owned by Carl Glover, at the US Finals for

Open I1 Championships (Placed 6th)

See Katelyn’s Business ad here to contact her:

I was just a kindergartener when I started riding, my best friend and I became tired of playing with Barbie horses and begged our parents to try the real thing. It was happily ever after and all consuming. What my parents hoped was a phase ended up being something more than a passion and has shaped my life and every day since that first ride on a school pony in someone’s front yard. Horses have helped my learn so many things about myself and pushed me to become a better human, they have also taken me around the world in search of knowledge to become a better rider and caregiver to these special creatures.

It can be pretty hectic, as most horsey lives are! My day starts with a workout because apparently 10 hours of barn work isn’t enough physical movement, then off to the barn where the real fun begins! KV Dressage is home to about 10-12 horses depending on sales and young horse training. My day is spent riding, teaching and answering the many emails/calls that come in on the sale horses. I do take a little pride in answering most emails within an hour of receiving them. We have been based in Kansas City for nearly a year now and KV Dressage has developed far beyond what i thought was possible in that time frame! It is a fun diverse group of horses, I have all different breeds, ages and levels. I chip away at my riding list, sprinkling in teaching a lesson here and there and trying to remember to eat lunch. One part of my day is working with the 2-4 year olds and backing them. I love the process of starting young horses and feel trainers have an obligation to give youngsters a well rounded start, exposing them to all different environments and stimulus while keeping their stress levels low and fun in the work. A couple days a week I also travel to several local barns to teach and weekends you can find me traveling for clinics. Most days I am finished loving on the horses around 6 or 7pm and head home to my dog and wonderful boyfriend and usually finish up computer work for the sale horses under a blanket with netflix in the background. I wear many hats during the day, but that’s the fun part of this lifestyle, one minute I am a groom, then a trainer, then a marketing producer or editor.

Katelyn sharing a quiet moment with Fhetzer,

a wonderful young horse that was owner by Andrea Manos

I feel like most would expect for me to list my Grand Prix horse or the horses I have made it to the US Finals or Festival of Champions on, but for me it’s the horses that overcome large hurdles to find success on centerline. That could be an “off” breed like the Georgian Grande Stallion I started and bought into his first competitions or an extremely reactive and spicy redhead mare that learned to enjoy Dressage and perform.