Photo by Devyn Ivy Media.
Anyone who knows U.S. Olympic eventer Will Coleman most likely knows that a big part of his success is his wife, Katie Coleman. Featured in his own Masterclass and Barn Talk shows on Horse & Country (H&C), Will Coleman shares insights about training horses and gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his stables, including how Katie fits in as the barn manager.
But what many may not know is the long and winding path Katie herself has taken in the equestrian industry from growing up riding in Pony Club in Canada, working as a groom in eventing and hunter/jumper barns, and training and reselling horses in Florida, to meeting Will, running his barn, managing his staff, and becoming a mom to their two kids. While H&C’s Barn Talk provides an introduction to Katie, we wanted to learn more about her and see how she helps one of the world’s best riders stay at the top of a demanding sport.
Growing up on a 90-acre farm in Ontario, Canada, Katie followed in her sister’s footsteps when it came to riding horses, starting with lesson ponies and moving into Pony Club rallies and eventing in the Toronto area. She became a working student at the age of 12 at Grandview Farm, continuing there throughout high school. She evented through Preliminary level until she transitioned to the jumpers. Following her sister once again, after her first year at university she started grooming for Mark Hayes, a well-known hunter/jumper/equitation trainer in Ontario, who would become a mentor and touchstone for Katie throughout the early years of her career.
“That was when I got my first taste of that ‘A’ circuit world and high performance horse care,” said Katie. “I sort of flew by the seat of my pants as a young rider in the eventing world. What I learned about horsemanship was probably more from Pony Club. I didn’t learn as much as I should have at the eventing barn where I grew up and worked. Mark really showed me what it means to care for high performance horses and hone in on the face that they are athletes, and we treat them as such. I really loved it. It was very rewarding and fulfilling.”
With pressure to return to university, Katie went back but struggled to decide what school would provide for her future in horses. The thought of veterinary school felt daunting, as were her undergraduate student loans that she was paying herself. She made the decision to turn her attention to horses full time by grooming and bringing along an off-the-track Thoroughbred. “I worked so hard,” she remembered. “I think I was perpetually tired and exhausted. Honestly, my early 20s are a bit of a blur!”
Katie Coleman and Michael Pollard’s Shoensgreen Hanni at the Pan American Games in 2011. Photo courtesy of Katie Coleman.
In 2008, Katie traveled to Ocala, Florida, for the winter for the first time in 2008 with her friends Lindsay Traisnel and Sam Forsyth. Katie sold her project horse, which proved to herself and her family that she could make a living in the equestrian industry. She then became a working student for Clark Montgomery, a rising eventing star who would later represent the United States at the 2016 Olympic Games.
“That was my first experience in an American program, really,” explained Katie. “It was very closely related to the O’Connor program, because Clark had been a student of David and Karen’s for a long time. It was also eye opening, because I took all the performance things I learned in the jumper world and applied them to the eventing scene and eventing horses, where the care is even that much more detailed and important. I was like, ‘I love this.’”
After a couple of years and cycles of “horses, then back to real life working as a bartender,” opportunity returned in the form of a management position at Michael and Nathalie Pollard’s farm through Montgomery, who was working for Pollard. At that point, Katie had two Thoroughbreds she was retraining, and the chance to bring two horses with her was something she couldn’t turn down.
“At Michael’s I was able to take everything I’d learned along the way, and I could make it my own and be in charge,” said Katie. “It was really sort of a natural thing. I really enjoyed it, and Michael’s program was growing and developing at that point, too.”
With Pollard, Katie attended her first five-star events in Kentucky, Burghley, and Luhmühlen. She sold both of her horses while working there, which gave her the time to focus on barn management and being his head groom. Katie worked for Pollard for more than three years, and it was during this time that she met Will Coleman. They started dating at the end of 2012, and when her visa fell through in the summer of 2013 for a job working with Lynn Symansky, Katie knew they had to make a decision.
Katie Coleman competes with Quincy. Photo courtesy of Katie Coleman.
“We still obviously wanted to be together, but there was this elephant in the room,” she laughed. “I went back to Canada and worked for Mark Hayes, who was always there for me. Will and I visited back and forth for a few months. We got married at the courthouse in 2014. I think we were engaged for a week.”
With their marriage and Katie’s ability to live in the U.S., her entrance into Will’s barn and program felt “natural,” thanks to their complementary strengths. “It really happened fairly organically,” said Katie. “I think our strengths served us well in that he was good at the riding, obviously, and I was good at the management and grooming side. Having lived that life, I think I was able to empathize with the staff a bit more easily, which is important because training and retaining our staff is the bottom of the pyramid and fundamental for us.”
Katie has transformed Will Coleman Equestrian into a five-star program, using her decades of grooming experience to create a welcoming and comfortable learning environment for the employees under her care.
“I know what it’s like to work as hard as they do in the barn, especially when you know nobody sees how much you’re doing behind the scenes,” remarked Katie. “It’s not like your boss shows up, and you’re both there from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. I think there’s a lot of work a groom can do in a day that can feel like it goes unappreciated. We try to do as much as we can within our means to show our staff that we value them.”
While Katie enjoys training at home, Will’s competition goals – and, eventually, caring for their children – became the priorities. However, as the children have gotten older, she has found more joy in focusing on dressage, both riding and training.
Katie and Will with their two children, West and Charlie. Photo courtesy of Katie Coleman.
“I think our roles really happened on their own, which is probably what makes us successful,” she said. “I’m not striving to be a five-star rider. I’m very happy to be behind the scenes. I do like challenging myself in the arena, though. I think that’s how you grow and get better, by putting yourself in front of the judge and being evaluated.”
In the 10 years since they joined forces, Will, who had already made an appearance at the 2012 London Olympic Games when they met, competed at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games and helped the U.S. win the silver medal at the 2022 World Championships. As one of the top eventing athletes in the world, he has notched 20 international victories in the past decade.
Katie has been at Will’s side during each of those 20 victories and felt the ups and downs that come with equestrian sport. Seeing him succeed and supporting him along the way has been incredibly special for her, especially knowing how Will struggled with perfectionism in the past.
“He puts so much pressure on himself to generate those results. He believes he needs to validate what he’s asking of his people and his owners, and he feels like he needs to perform for them while also bringing home big results for himself,” she related. “To see him actually being rewarded for all of that hard work and some of that mental strain he’s been putting on himself is wonderful.”
Along with age and wisdom, Katie feels that becoming a father has brought perspective to Will’s life as an athlete, plus some balance outside of horses. “It has added to his ability to manage those pressures and stresses in a more productive and wholesome way,” she noted. “Where a bad ride or a bad result might have stuck with him a long time in the past, now he’s got these kids who could care less what he did during the day, and if he’s upset about a result, it’s gone the second he walks in the house and he’s Daddy. In my opinion, it was a marked change in him, honestly, when he became a father.
Off The Record’s crew. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
“It’s been wonderful to see him grow, not just as an athlete, a rider, and a horseman, but also as a father. And for sure, I feel a part of those successes too. The pride we share as a team and as a program is immense.”
As Katie and Will continue to develop their barn and plans for the future as their lives grow and change, Katie’s love for the horses remains steadfast. As H&C provides many ways for members to learn more about riding and horsemanship, we asked Katie her advice to aspiring athletes, grooms and barn managers.
Her response? Honing in on your observational skills is key. Clue in on the details, appreciate the day-to-day parts of the routine – don’t just go through the motions – and step back and evaluate why your horse acts the way it does. When you open the stall door, does your horse come to see you? Does it turn its head to you? What are the moments that your horse is showing stress? How do they like to be groomed? What does their facial expression say when you walk up to them with a saddle?
Katie adds, “For the performance horses, I like to feel like I’ve thought of them as athletes throughout the day. Am I taking care of their bodies? Am I making sure their shoes are fitting properly? Am I asking questions of my farrier, or am I asking the right questions of my vet? Am I asking enough questions, period? Or am I just taking everything at face value? Being curious and really engaged in their everyday experience is what we’re all about here.”
Learn more from Katie and Will with Horse & Country’s seven-day free trial, where you can watch Will Coleman’s Masterclass and Barn Talk episodes, along with 1,800 additional hours of programming including Masterclasses from other top riders and trainers. Visit the U.S. Eventing Association Channel for curated content!
In this winter off-season, eventers can find a plethora of shows on H&C+ to watch, including:
- 2024 Eventing shows on demand, such as Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials CCI5*, USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds, Blenheim Palace Horse Trials, Defender Bramham International Horse Trials, and more
- Alex Bragg’s Winter Training for Eventers, Athlete Training with Pippa Funnell, Back to Basics: Retraining of Racehorses, and more
- Masterclasses from Will Faudree, Lauren Nicholson, Ariel Grald, Kai Steffen-Meier and Sydney Elliot, Hannah Sue and Matt Hollberg, Oliver Townend, William Fox-Pitt, and more
Visit www.horseandcountry.tv today for your free trial, then sign up for live stream events and even more fun and educational content coming your way every month!
