KAT FUQUA GOES CLASSICAL WITH NEW “DREAM GIRL”
Hunter phenom, Kat Fuqua, the three-time USEF Pony Finals Champion and rising Junior Hunter 3.6 foot jumping star, just imported her new horse, “Dream Girl,” from Holland—but she’s not a hunter horse. Kat’s adding dressage to her repertoire.
A Hunter Champion Twelve-year-old Kat, from Atlanta, Georgia, has racked up a list of national championship accolades that rival many adult professionals. She has won over 200 division champions with her ponies and horses since she started showing at the age of five. Kat’s most prestigious victory is being crowned Champion of the USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm two years in a row, 2018 and 2019, on two different ponies. Both years, she competed against over 400 combinations.
She’s a freak. She’s a real talent. She’s got ice water in her veins.
Jimmy Torano
“She’s a freak. She’s a real talent. She’s got ice water in her veins. To come in and do what she did was unbelievable. To win it last year, you go late, you’ve got your former Grand National Champion mount Brighton coming in behind you, and to be able to nail it the way she did—It was unbelievable. During the Pony Medal, standing in the lineup, the coaches here were all pretty nervous. But I was pretty confident she had won. She nailed the first round, and put in the second round flawlessly. There was one spot where she could’ve made an inside run and didn’t but the round was beautifully ridden and so beautifully executed. I was sure she won.” And she did.
Horse Hunting
I just said I’m going to Europe to find Kat a dressage horse.
Jason Canton
Jason worked with Kat regularly, and during that time moved to Athens, Georgia, which put him two hours closer to Collecting Gaits Farm. “I watched the Fuquas purchase nice ponies and hunter horses,” he said. “I tried to teach Kat the basics and not mess up the hunter way of going. One day, I told her mom, it’s time for Kat to really learn to sit and work on more refined detail. So in November (2019), I just said I’m going to Europe to find Kat a dressage horse.
Dressage Meets Hunter
“Kat loves to jump and do the hunters,” said Jason. “I met Jimmy Torano at the 2019 Atlanta Winter Classic recently. I had never seen Kat compete and got to watch her win the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal. I have to admit it was impressive.”
