Kate Levy

In March 2007, Kate Levy and Vent du Nord were the second-place finishers in the $100,000 Zada Masters—a qualifying class for East Coast riders for the Rolex FEI World Cup. Though she said her horse was still somewhat young and green, it was his big stride that gave the added boost to their performance. Another second-place finish came in the $25,000 Winter Equestrian Festival Challenge Cup at the Tampa Bay Classic CSI-W. This month, the pair came in at eighth place at the $75,000 Grand Prix of Tampa, CSI-W.

In 2006, Levy won the $25,000 Horse Valor Ventures Grand Prix at Littlewood aboard Mademoiselle. Levy put down respectable placings at the 2004 and 2005 Hampton Classics aboard several mounts, including Sampson Vent du Nord. In 2002, she placed fifth in the $75,000 Grand Prix of Tampa and placed eighth in the 2001 $100,000 Cosequin U.S. Jumper Championships in Wellington.

Since 1998, Levy has been in grand prix competition. That year, she won a Silver medal in the Junior Olympics (AHSA Final) at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, and she finished 10th at the 1999 Pan American Games Show Jumping Selection Trials.

Levy's competition horse, Vent du Nord (otherwise known as Spirit), came to her at the age of five as a part of a rather complicated horse deal. "In the beginning he was consistently disobedient," said Levy. "It was apparent that he had a lot of talent…I just had to figure out how to channel it. Now, I see that his spark gives him an edge."

Levy has her own edge, and despite her small frame, she has packed a punch playing a multitude of sports. "I have had many injuries like shin splints, sprained ankles and feet problems doing other sports like lacrosse, field hockey and cross-country," she said. "But, they have not really affected my riding."

Levy maintains a hectic schedule of barn managing and teaching clients. She is a very "hands-on" person who does her own paperwork and grooming. Unlike many of her peers who were reared in an equestrian environment, Levy came from a family that had nothing to do with horses, which she says turned out to be beneficial in certain ways. When not in the barn or in the show ring, Levy spends her small amount of spare time with her boyfriend of several years, Greg Morel.