Diane and her quarter horse cross, Free Friday were unstoppable. Not only did they win everything here in Arizona but they competed very successfully up and down the California coast.

Diane always tried to lose her helmet at the first jump (don’t try this at home, not a good idea!). This was in the days before ASTM helmets so if you lost your helmet while on course, and many riders did, you could continue with your round.

Katie’s mother, Debi Rosenzweig, is also a horse lover. In the 1980s, Debi rode a little Arabian named War Raff who was a grandson of the world famous Arabian stallion*Bask++. She successfully competed through Prix St George level in dressage, quite unusual at the time. Debi rode until she was six months pregnant with Katie!

Katie’s grandfather, Kirk Fieselman was born in 1914. He was a war veteran and took pleasure in many things during his life and he especially loved horses. In the 1930s he rode American Saddlebreds and although he would never own a horse, he was lucky enough to have a beautiful stallion named Hollywood Rex enter his life. Kirk loved that horse until Rex died in 1940.

Kirk loved to watch Katie ride. Even when he was 90 years old, he would make trips to the barn to watch her ride and feed the horses carrots.

Katie’s group of special equine partners over the years:

GETTYSBURG - Short Stirrup	SILVER SKY - Medium pony
CHIVALRY - Zone 8 Champion Children’s Hunter and Junior Hunter	FALCON - Children’s Jumper (Owned by Amy Golding Johnson)
WHO’S THAT - 2004 USEF National Reserve Champion Small Junior Hunter	MIKHAIL - 2004 USEF National Reserve Champion Large Junior Hunter (Owned by Pat Carleton)
PICASSO - Grand Prix Jumper and 2004 Silver Stirrup National Champion Junior Jumper

Katie spent her entire junior career with Willoway Farm. She was fortunate to ride Pat and Jennie Carleton’s horses along the way.

After graduating from Arcadia High School with Honors, she attended college At Southern Methodist University. Her faithful partner, Who’s That (a horse she got while he was still very green), went to university also. The two of them took the Texas Amateur Owner hunter division by storm. In 2006 they were Zone 7 A/O Champion. Katie and Who trained at Woodhill Farm with Matt Cyphert during her college years.

After graduating Cum Laude in 2009, Katie returned to Willoway Farm to begin her professional career.
She is also actively pursuing her judge’s card with USEF.

So the question is, Heredity or Environment? You be the judge!