Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship for The Charlotte News.
HINESBURG— Katie Cook is a self-proclaimed “horse girl.” She’s been so since a young age.
“I was just the kid that went to the library and picked out all the horse books and my mom was like, ‘Okay, you can only take as many as you can carry.’ I could barely see over the pile of them,” Cook said.
What started as a childhood fascination for Cook has turned into a lifelong pursuit.
Cook grew up in Chicago before moving to Vermont. In college, she briefly considered a career in law but decided “arguing for a living was not going to be for (her).”
This decision brought her to Vermont, where she had attended UVM for two years. Cook briefly worked for a farm in Benson before deciding to start her own business, Synchrony Bit and Bridle.
Starting out in the horse business is rewarding but expensive, according to Cook. Many business owners decide to work with a multitude of sponsors as a way to mitigate cost. But Cook is different.
With sponsors come expectations.
“Sometimes that, unfortunately, in this business makes people push horses to do things beyond what’s in their natural capacity or skill set,” Cook said.
It’s important to her that the horses she works with feel safe and cared for.
“Humans are predators and horses are prey, so you have to navigate that naturally uncomfortable relationship in a way that makes them feel comfortable,” Cook said.
Before her business ventures, Cook competed with horses in dressage, an equestrian competition that prioritizes skillful movement and connection between horse and rider. In 2004, she garnered a silver medal rider award from the United States Dressage Foundation and competed in the North American Young Rider Championships.
Competing in dressage takes patience and a serious investment of time, Cook said. Dressage riders train horses for up to six years to get them ready for competition.
But when Cook was asked how she prepares for this arduous and time-consuming task, she distilled a simple motto:
“One day at a time.”
Aside from dressage, Cook’s business is concerned with what she calls “an even more niche thing,” bit and bridle fitting.
Cook works with a master bridlemaker in England. The bridlemaker personally sources and assembles the hand-stitched bridles that Cook then fits to patrons.
These bridles ensure that Cook can supply buyers with something personal.
“It’s cool to have something that’s made to measure for your horse,” she said.
It’s also important to Cook that her products are centered around the animal.
80% of gray horses older than 15 years old develop melanoma. Cook works with her bridlemaker to craft equipment that accommodates these horses’ tumors, ensuring that both rider and horse are safe and comfortable.
This is a crucial guiding principle for Cook, the connection between horse and rider.
“To promote horse welfare while it’s being ridden, you really have to think about the horse’s general fitness, and then you have to think about the rider’s fitness and ability,” she said.
For those in the horse business, Vermont isn’t necessarily the best geographic option. But Cook is firmly rooted in the state.
“I like it here,” Cook said. “I’m not going to switch it all around just because I could make a little more money. If I were more money motivated, I’d be somewhere else. I’d be in New Jersey doing it.”
Cook’s work in bit and bridle fitting is predicated on her understanding of horse personality and expression, a skill she gained through her years in training and competition.
She’s learned to nonverbally communicate with horses by studying their body language.
“They’re telling you something is annoying. Behavior is communication,” Cook said.
Cook’s work with horses is informed by her view of the equal relationship between horse and rider.
“I don’t like to think of it in the way of, ‘I own the horse, and it will do the thing that I want it to do,’” she said.
Horses are not animals that can be persuaded by financial obligation, she said.
“If you think that because you pay for something’s bills it’s going to do what you want, horses will explain to you that that is not the case,” Cook said.
For Cook, even though a life spent with horses can be difficult at times, it’s the fulfillment of her childhood curiosities.
“They’re ridiculously expensive. They hurt themselves all the time. They’re stressful,” Cook said.
But the connection makes it worth it.
“You get to borrow the power of a 1,500 pound animal. That’s fun!” she said.