Kathy Priest
Dressage Rider, Trainer and Instructor

Newest Horses

Sommerville Harris has been riding with Kathy since 2005 and is especially excited about the horses she currently rides with Kathy.  D-Niro, by D-Day is her newest mount and the first horse she’s ever imported from Europe.  “I am very excited about this horse,” says Sommerville.  “With Kathy's help and guidance, I hope he will be my first Grand Prix horse one day!”  The 2000 Swedish gelding is a horse they are aiming for the Brentina Cup with, in 2010. “The plan is for Sommerville to show the small tour with him this winter and next year,” Kathy says.  “The horse has a little bit of everything on him, but we hope to finish him up in the next year.”

Almost as exciting is April’s new mare, the 2000 German Warmblood Tres Chic.  “We have great expectations for April starting to show this winter in Florida,” Kathy says.  “This will be her first experience showing, and she’s so excited.  She’s really doing well.  I’m really happy that it’s worked out for her.” 

April says the true team atmosphere at Woodspring is what inspired her to start riding and says she’s been blessed to meet some great ladies at Woodspring who she is fortunate to call friends.  “However, without the ‘perfect’ horse I was not interested,” April says.  “It has been a wonderful surprise to have this mare.  She is really in tune with me. 

Kathy is very passionate about her work which proves for enthusiastic lessons.  With each lesson I am gaining confidence in myself.  My goal is to show at training level this spring.”

Kathy’s newest horse is an international Grand Prix horse that sponsor and friend April Harris purchased in Europe earlier this year.  “He’s a very nice horse,” says Kathy.  “We hope to compete this winter in Florida and have dreams of a big future for him.” World Fire is a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Weltmeyer.  “I expect nothing but wonderful things from World Fire and Kathy as he is a super horse and she is a wonderful rider,” says April’s daughter Sommerville.

Photos by Jeannie Blancq Putney