For 18-year-old Katelyn Harper, her ‘two-hat’ responsibility is no dilemma. In fact, she manages to make it look easy.

Her hats are both worn in the show ring, as horses are a big part of Katelyn’s life and have been since she was a toddler.

Both Mum Shorty and Dad Steve have lifetime interests in horses so it was almost natural progression for Katelyn to ‘have horses’.

The hats are indeed quite different. One is styley, fashionable and matches the very smart dark blue jacket and skirt – yes skirt – and dare we say stockings, she wears in the led-class show ring.

The other hat is a helmet, promoting safety first, and is worn with riding jacket, stock and jodhpurs when she is riding her two show jumpers.

The horses involved could also not be more different. One is a 15.3hand coloured mare, which excels over the jumps and is very much Katelyn’s favourite.

“She is my best friend, my little handbag. She loves her job, absolutely loves jumping. I have never met a horse who loves jumping as much as she does. I trust her with my life.”

The others are cute small very small ponies who have plenty of attitude.

Loveable pony

Katelyn has grown up like many horse-mad youngsters firstly in the led-class on a small loveable pony, graduating to the pony classes and then on to jumping.

There have been a number of ponies in her life and now she’s into the hack class with three horses – her favourite Tyche, a 15.3hand coloured mare, GT a youngster with plenty of scope and a new addition Gary – an off-the-racetrack thoroughbred, which Katelyn hopes to turn into a handy show jumper.

The involvement in two completely separate horse disciplines goes back to when Katelyn was 10. Her parents had separated and dad Steve was interested in showing miniature ponies. It was only natural for Katelyn to become part of this as well and they bought Tiny, a two-year-old miniature with the show name Sherwoods Phantom Magic and then a little later six-year-old New Zealand Inny Weeny Phantom’s Affair – one of New Zealand’s best miniature horses, which was very successful in the mini classes.

“He taught me everything I needed to know,” says Katelyn. Their first big success was at the Cambridge show, where Tiny won all of his classes and won Supreme Category A.

Horse of the Year

The pair went on to win everything they entered and at 2013 Horse of the Year won three classes and Best Presented.

And while of all this miniature action was happening Katelyn, who was also riding her two ponies Harley and Bilbo, was competing at shows. Her riding ponies and now her horses are kept at home base in Cambridge while the miniatures are at Steve’s home near Hamilton.

Katelyn Harper in her riding helmet.

Recently, Katelyn has been showing ‘Panda’ – or Springdales Pandemonium – a two-year-old pony and won Champion Led Saddle Hunter Pony Under Three Years at the Show Horse Council NZ Nationals in Taupo.

The next day at Pukekohe she rode her coloured mare – Tyche and won the Wade Equestrian 1.20m championship and also took out the ‘Style’ prize, which is judged on both horse and rider turnout and equitation. Proving she does know which hat to wear and when.