Personal Background:

Kat has been riding, owning and showing hunter/jumpers since she was 9 years old. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, she began showing out of Middleground Stables with Anne Grossman and Mary Anne Rank in 1983. She started in Short Stirrup with her seasoned large pony, 'Charisma,' and moved up through the ranks of Large Pony, Children's, Small Juniors and then Amateur Owners as a young adult, focusing quite a bit of her time on Equitation as a junior rider. In 1989, Kat began riding with Scott DeHelian, and in 1990 she won the OHJA Equitation Finals aboard 'Theatrical' during her last junior year. Kat took 8 years off from riding and showing in her early 20's, but has been back to "normal" since early 2004. She now rides with Matthew Payne of Meriwether Farm in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is currently bringing along ''Happy Hour,' her promising young Thoroughbred off-the-track.

Kat has boarded at full care boarding facilities for 21 of the 25 years she has owned horses. As a seasoned boarder, she knows how to manage expectations with farm management, farm owners, trainers and fellow clients. She has boarded her horses at more than 10 boarding barns (in Central Ohio, Southwest Ohio and North Carolina) over the past 21 years, and her broad experience in different barns lends to an incredible knowledge of the ins and outs of boarding services, both provided and expected. Most of all, she acknowledges the delicate balance of value and peace of mind that boarding services need to provide to clients and their horses.

As a young adult, Kat had the incredible opportunity to manage a 5-acre, 4-horse boarding barn where she and her family resided for 4 years while she was in college. Through this invaluable experience, Kat learned the expectations and responsibilities that come with owning and managing a horse farm. She managed the entire business of their farm. It was at this point that she discovered that she wanted to own and manage her own horse boarding business someday. She also learned that there must be a balance between the services expected, the care provided and the value for the money paid in board. Often, the care provided by the staff/facility is the ultimate decision maker, and must maintain a level of excellence to draw and retain loyal clients.

Since moving to Cincinnati in 2000, Kat has boarded her horses at 4 local barns, seizing the opportunity at each facility to learn more about the boarding business from each owner/manager. In fact, she boarded her horses at Chatham Farm (then Shiloh Stables), where she became intimately familiar with the particular functioning of this farm. Kat and her husband Tony fell in love with the property and actually expressed their interest of "someday" purchasing this farm to the late Danny Watson (farm owner) as early as 2004 (see Farm History page). Danny became a good friend of the couple and spent a lot of time sharing his knowledge of his business and his farm, always saying that when he retired he would give them first option to take it over. He was an incredible mentor, and shared many of his trade secrets, having owned the farm since 1986. In hind sight, it is truly bittersweet that Kat and Tony have the opportunity to carry on Danny's legacy, a farm with which they fell in love several years ago.

Equine Industry Sphere of Influence:

Kat is very well connected within the local equine industry. In addition to her varied boarding experiences throughout Central Ohio, Southwest Ohio and North Carolina, she has developed long lasting relationships with some of the best professionals in the industry: trainers, farm owners/managers, farriers, veterinarians, horse show managers/staff, local tack shops owners and fellow equine friends and acquaintances. Ohio has a very tight-knit equine community, built of many disciplines of riding, with one common thread: their passion for horses. Kat is part of this strong community. She has been an active member of the Ohio Hunter/Jumper Association, the United States Equestrian Federation and the United States Hunter/Jumper Association since 1984.

In addition, Kat was recently selected to be the Coordinator for the soon-to-be formed chapter of CANTER Ohio (Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses) for the Cincinnati area. This non-profit organization works with local racetracks to find new homes for ex-racehorses "after the finish line," and is working to become a viable alternative to horse slaughter. Although not yet up-and-operating in Cincinnati, this initiative is one of Kat's long term goals. She plans to incorporate her important work with CANTER into a limited foster rescue service at Chatham Farm.

Professional History:

Kat is a Senior Analyst for Healthy Advice Networks, a healthcare media and patient education company located in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has been a business/research analyst with the company since 2003. Kat graduated Cum Laude from Denison University and completed her graduate work in Clinical Health Psychology at The Ohio State University.

Tony owns a dental practice in Milford, Ohio, located just 10 minutes from the farm. He has been practicing family dentistry since 2001 and recently purchased an established dental practice from his business partner, Dr. Michael Getz, DDS. He built out and opened a brand new office space in Milford in January of 2008. Tony completed his undergraduate work at Xavier University and attended The Ohio State University for dental school. If you are looking for a new dentist, please let us know!