Katrina was born with horses stitched into her soul. She got her first horse at eight years old—an unbroken, 2-year-old Appaloosa filly named Tiki—and spent the next decade supporting her horse habit by working as a stable hand, groom, and head schooler at Morgan show barns in Northern California. She competed in English and Western Pleasure, equitation, trail, and vaulting classes, as well as three-day events, qualifying twice with two different horses for the Morgan Grand National Show.

The stitching loosened (but did not unravel) for 35 years, and during that time Katrina stopped working with horses and instead picked up undergraduate and graduate degrees in acting and writing, was a white-water river guide, an opera singer and actress, traveled widely, and landed on a career as a freelance writer and editor. She was a guest instructor in the MFA program in Creative Writing at Pacific Lutheran University, and has published widely in various literary journals.

In January of 2020, a book brought horses back into the fabric of Katrina’s life. Horses Never Lie by Mark Rashid allowed her to find a path back to horsehumanship. She started riding again, became a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner, and volunteers at Healing Reins, an equine-assisted therapy barn in Bend, Oregon. Katrina offers “Cultivate Rapport” classes to help humans help horses by means of mindful presence and Masterson Method Techniques, and has the great joy of leasing and working with Finney, a Welsh Cob/Thoroughbred of uncommon patience and wisdom.

www.vieaequinebodywork.com | katrina@viaequinebodywork.com