The Coaches

The Purdue Equestrian Team is excited to announce that we have selected Kathryn Kraft to take over the mantle of coach this season!

Kathryn has a background in the hunter/jumper industry as well as having IHSA experience. She has been riding in the Indianapolis area since the age of five, and has shown on the A circuit in the equitation and hunters for most of her life. She attended Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College where she was on scholarship for both basketball and riding. During her intercollegiate career, Kathryn rode as an open fences and flat rider for the hunt seat team and was a very competitive rider on the western team as well. She had lots of success in IHSA including many high point rider awards and top three placings at national events. Over the last year she has served as the graduate assistant for the equestrian team at SMWC.

This year at IHSA Nationals Kathryn competed in Hunt Seat Alumni Fences and Flat where she was crowned Reserve National Champion and National Champion respectively in those events. A few weeks after, Kathryn went to compete at the prestigious, IHSA Alumni Tournament of Champions where she was Champion in Advanced Flat, Reining, the Western Cup, and was on a successful alumni team both days.

This summer, Kathryn has only continued to grow her teaching experience and resume as she was selected to be an assistant trainer at Talbot Street Farm in Indianapolis, Indiana under Michelle Arnold.

We are so excited to have Kathryn head our program at Purdue, and can’t wait to see what the future holds for the team under her amazing direction!