Cover Girl — KAT fuqua...Equestrian to Cover Girl

“Growing up taking care of horses, training & competing, I learned business along the way observing everything around me. I started wearing hair bows in ponies, and my mom reminded me to get my photo taken with the bows in front with my blue ribbons. I ended up having a bow named after me, in blue. Everything you do influences people when you are in the spot light.

To have a balanced life, I make a concerted effort to establish myself outside the norm. I went to a regular school in Atlanta and commuted to Wellington on the weekends. You watch the world around you, the adults, the parents, the trainers, the show organizers, they impact how you want to be and who you want to become.

Education & College have always been important. I have been in a movie, multiple photo shoots, represented elite branding, and learn about promotion, horse sales, design and public speaking. It takes it all to be a success! My skillsets are far above my years, as are the championships I set out to win. One goal at a time but with multiple disciplines and agendas, because why not?”

brand PASSION representative

& Palm Beach fashion shoots.

I learned from the age of six, to find what you love, and promote the brand, for the love of the product, asking nothing in return. My mother who started GumBits, always appreciated the riders who promoted how her product helped their horses, never asking for “free” product or anything. She shared with me that the ones who call to represent you but have never used or knew anything about her company, was not the person I should be.

Over the years, I promoted KEP, when no hunters ever wore the helmet. Even when my trainers made fun of me, and eventually said I would be scored down for not dressing the look, did I have to stand up for my passion for what I liked.

I really liked my stirrups and used them on my saddles. Then the one big day, I won a major pony championship, we changed the saddle at the last minuet. That saddle had been set up for a different discipline of jumpers to keep me more secure in big jumps. The owner of my main stirrup never spoke to us again. I felt bad.

I chose products that helped my horses feel good, like our indoor footing. It felt great to promote wonderful things that added to my success. The best was when I always wore blue bows then I was six and seven. The bow company asked me to design one, and she called it the Kat Bow. I felt good because my first serious pony trainer, told me to always wear blue. She was a judge -so that Bow was for her.. Mindy Darst who passed away from cancer but chose me to teach in her last season. I owe her alot.

You learn real fast how business works with products and with ponies and horses in high competition. It is not just the product to pick but the people around the product. Business is where I will be… having lived in the heart of the horse world, the products, the marketing for entertainment value, the trainers all have a finger in the pie. The entire horse industry I am told could be as cut throat as wall street. Being honorable and standing up for what you love and working hard is the only way.

PASSION and LOYALTY is all you have to put your name on something, and it should be a two way street as well.