Biography

It will be the second visit to Badminton for UK-based American rider Katherine Coleman (39) who made her debut here in 2017. During the season Katherine is based near Marlborough in Wiltshire but returns to America during the winter months. Badminton will be the first 5* for Monbeg Senna who in 2022 with Katherine completed Boekelo and Strzegom 4* internationals.

Katherine, one of five sisters, is a native of New Orleans and due to her geographic location did not get into competitive eventing until college. She graduated from the University of Georgia (business management) with the aim of getting a job but after a year decided to go with horses and started working on the family farm. She competed in showjumping and dressage and earned her US Dressage Federation bronze and silver medals. The acquisition of an eventing type young horse took her into the sport. In 2006 she won the CCI1* at Lexington.

Encouraged by Lucinda Green whom she knew from having attended her clinics in 2012 Katherine came to the UK to work for Sam Watson and began to build up her string of event horses.

In 2016 she returned home to America to prepare for and contest her first four-star event at Lexington with Courage on Fire but the pair withdrew after cross country.

Monbeg Senna owned by Kalai LLC is a 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse registered gelding.  He is by the KWPN international showjumper Zapatero out of a mare by (Heritage) Fortunas. Senna was acquired as a six-year-old from Irish rider Aoife Clark and has been brought through the grades by Katherine. Badminton will be the horse’s first 5*.