Spotlight on Kate, Katy & Leigh
At StableSecretary, the mission has always been simple: make barn management easier so horse people can spend more time doing what they love. That mission exists because of the horsewomen behind the scenes — riders, pony moms, competitors, and lifelong equestrians who understand exactly what barn life demands.
Today, we’re highlighting three of them: Kate, the founder; Katy, a lifelong rider and invoicing enthusiast; and Leigh, an equitation alum turned amateur jumper rider. Their stories are different, but their passion for horses and for helping other equestrians brings them together.
Kate: Founder, Horse Lover, Hunter Rider & Pony Mom
Kate first climbed into the saddle at just five years old at a small farm near her childhood home in New Hampshire, and she never looked back. Riding became her favorite thing then, and it still is now.
She grew up as a hunter rider, with a brief and charming childhood phase in costumed saddleseat classes on a friend’s Morgan. She competed in hunters and equitation through high school and even managed to squeeze in rides during college. As an adult, breaks from horses came and went, but she always found her way back.
One of her proudest memories came in Wellington: after buying a young horse as an “investment,” she poured her heart into developing him into a green hunter. Years of work paid off when the pair took 2nd in a 3’6” Green Hunter class, a moment she’ll never forget.
Today, Kate gets her horsey fix through her daughter’s pony, Luna, who is nothing short of perfect… sweet, safe, kind, and happy to do everything from short stirrup to bareback trail rides. And when she’s not helping her daughter, Kate happily rides any sweet, steady horse she can get on.
If she could spend a day learning from anyone, she’d choose Buck Brannaman for his quiet, confident horsemanship and deep understanding of the equine mind.
Her Vision for StableSecretary
As the founder of StableSecretary, no two days look alike. Kate switches between customer support, product planning, testing features, and dreaming up marketing ideas. Her favorite feature — the health records — was born from her own frustration as a barn manager trying to keep organized and stay ahead of veterinary needs.
When users log in, Kate hopes they feel nothing but peaceful satisfaction, that they can find exactly what they need quickly, easily, and stress-free.
Katy: The Barn Rat Who Never Outgrew the Horse Bug
Katy’s equestrian story began the summer she turned eight, when her parents sent her to a sleepaway riding camp. One week was all it took, and she was hooked for life.
After that summer, Katy started weekly lessons, then half-leased school ponies, and eventually bought her first horse at twelve. She proudly calls herself a barn rat, happy to sweep, muck, scrub buckets, or do anything if it meant an extra ride.
Today, she still rides actively and owns three horses:
- Nantucket, her lovely mare
- Surfside, Nantucket’s now-three-year-old baby
- Loki, her 9-year-old sweetheart who takes care of her in and out of the show ring
If she could spend a day with any professional, Katy would choose Margie Engle, a rider she admires for her grit, tenacity, and incredible body control (especially inspiring as a fellow petite rider!).
Her Favorite Feature & Philosophy
Katy’s top StableSecretary feature is the invoice tool. After wrestling with QuickBooks for years and trying to make it “work” for a horse business, she loves how simple, clean, and straightforward StableSecretary is — even for the “least tech-savvy friends.”
Her hope is that users feel comfortable every time they log in, knowing that the platform is easy, accessible, and supported by real people who get it. And above all, Katy is simply grateful. Grateful that her life lets her blend personal passion with professional purpose. To her, “horses make everything better.”
Leigh: Equitation Girl at Heart, Jumper Rider by Passion
Leigh began riding at six years old and, like many, stepped away during college and early adulthood. But about ten years ago, she made her way back — and hasn’t looked back since.
As a junior, she competed in the 3’6” equitation and junior jumpers. Today, she focuses on the low and medium Amateur Owner jumpers and still shows in equitation whenever she can — especially at the New England finals, which she loves.
Her lifelong lesson from horses? Work ethic. Horses need care every day, ready or not. The barn taught her responsibility, discipline, and how to juggle big commitments, skills she carries into every part of her life.
Leigh currently owns three jumpers with big names and even bigger personalities:
- Lancetti VZ (“Roger”) — after Kenny Rogers
- Iworka 925 (“Dolly”) — after Dolly Parton
- Ferocio Des Carmilles (“Ferdinand”) — giant, gentle, and aptly named
Why She Loves StableSecretary
For Leigh, the hardest part of horse ownership is managing the sheer volume of details: vet visits, medications, show schedules, billing, farrier notes… it’s a lot to track. That’s why she loves being part of a company that makes those details manageable.
In her marketing and partnerships role, she spends her days writing, brainstorming, creating content, and finding new ways to reach barns that would benefit from StableSecretary. Her favorite feature is the ability to build custom services and apply them easily for invoicing, a win-win for transparency and easy billing.
Above all, Leigh believes the heart of the equestrian world is the people: “Horses are the heart of what we do, but the people make the journey special.”
Three Horsewomen, One Shared Purpose
From Kate’s founder vision to Katy’s lifelong barn-rat enthusiasm to Leigh’s competitive spirit and marketing creativity, these three horsewomen embody the values StableSecretary was built on: passion, dedication, and a deep understanding of the equestrian world.
Together, they help ensure that StableSecretary gives riders, trainers, and horse owners the freedom to spend less time on paperwork, and more time with the horses who make life better.
