About Katie Wherley

Katie began her riding career at the age of seven, while attending summer camp at Butler School. Soon after catching the riding bug, she joined Seneca Valley Pony Club, where she graduated with an ‘A’ rating at age 19. While in Pony Club, Katie fondly recalls participating in National Championships three times with the Capital Region. Around the same time, Katie began competing in USEA (then the USCTA) recognized horse trials at the age of 12. She quickly progressed to the Preliminary-level by age 14 and Intermediate by age 20. She completed her first International competition at the Kentucky Horse Park in 1998. More recently, Katie’s first upper-level mount, Digger, is now enjoying his retirement at the farm while Katie brings up the next string of stars.

Katie graduated magna cum laude in three years from Elon University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Medicine and ACE Certification as a personal trainer. While in school, Katie continued to teach her students and grow her business. Additionally, in more recent years, Katie has expanded her health education as an office manager for a local equine vet. These experiences have enabled her to better understand her horses and their training needs.

More recently, Katie has taken a step back from top-level competition, and has found a nice balance between barn life and home life. Not to be fooled, Katie is still plenty busy producing top horses, like Grateful Heart, at the Preliminary level as recently as summer 2023. Katie is still actively involved in her community attending numerous local clinics and continuing to support the Pony Club program. When not in the barn, Katie can be found spending time with her son, Nico, and past horses whom she has retired to her farm.