By Kat Wojtylak
Kate Samuels is a writer for Eventing Nation. She tackles the obstacles in her life as an event rider and does it all while she moonlights as a foodie. Kate ‘s story is like many others out there. She is trying to make it as a professional rider while she enjoys some of the finer pleasures in life. She likes to quip about the antics of her six year old gelding and throw dinner parties. She’s not your average equestrian, but then again, who is?
KW: Tell us about your background with horses and how you got started with it all.
KS: My mom has ridden her whole life and was responsible for getting me a pony when I was three. Before that, I was propped up on her horse in front of her. By the time I turned seven, I purchased a wild yearling from a herd of Spanish horses in North Carolina. I was feral as a child. I used to go out bareback with a halter and a leadshank and leave the farm for hours at a time, exploring on my own. Bless my parents, they let me do that. It certainly taught me a lot about stickability! My first job was riding at a race track when I was thirteen which was probably another questionable parenting choice, but I loved it. I’ve been eventing since I was twelve, with occasional forays back into the racehorse scene. However, nothing can top the thrill of cross country so I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do anything else.
About the writer: Author Kat Wojtylak is a horse enthusiast turned food blogger. She maintains a day job in the horse world handling marketing and brand support to various companies, while enjoying her evenings and weekends writing recipes and blogging all about her culinary experiences. Visit her blog at EatYourTarteOut.com or email her at tartechic@eatyourtarteout.com.