The last time I interviewed Katie Bussing, she was a 15-year-old girl with a dream of winning the Western Pleasure at the American Quarter Horse Association’s Youth World Show with her Quarter Horse mare, A Good Cookie.

Much has changed for Bussing over the past four years. She is now 19 and studying Biochemistry at the University of Evansville in Southern Indiana, but her dream of winning the coveted Western Pleasure gold trophy at the Youth World has not altered.

Bussing started riding when she was just a toddler, getting bitten by the “I-wanna-ride-horses” bug at age three, after watching her sister, Amie, take lessons. By the time she was 7, she was training at P5 Equestrian, a facility in Indiana, owned and operated by Brad and Vicki Pitts, (with their recently turned-professional daughter, Carli). Since then, she’s been strategically climbing the ladder and having success in everything horses.

“Katie has always been one of the most determined riders I have ever trained,” said Brad Pitts of his client. “From the time she started in our lesson program, through all the trials and tribulations of becoming a polished competitor, she has never lost focus of her dreams and has continuously put forth a 110 percent effort.”

In 2011, Bussing acquired A Good Cookie, a 2007 sorrel mare by Zippos Mr Good Bar and out of One Classic Chip (by Zips Chocolate Chip). Together they earned finalist ribbons as well as an eighth place medallion in Western Pleasure at the American Quarter Horse Youth World. In 2012 they clenched a Reserve Congress Championship in 12-14 Youth Western Pleasure.

Four years ago Bussing set a goal of learning to master the intricate Western Riding class with A Good Cookie. Since then, that goal has expanded to encompass an all-around approach. With a win in the 14-18 Western Riding at the 2016 Farnam Central Novice Championships, Bussing and Cookie have solidified themselves as a force in the Western Riding arena.

“I think it would be great to be a finalist, or in the Top 10,” Bussing said with confidence when asked how she’d like to end her Youth World career with her show partner of five years. “I think we’ve gotten so much better as a team. Ellie’s nine now and this will be my eighth and our fourth World Show. She’s gotten so much better as a show horse. So broke now. At a show a few weeks ago, someone put their little daughter on her back and had her jog around like an old show mare.”

Bussing isn’t so modest when she speaks of her newest Western Pleasure partner, Cool Lookin Moonie. It’s clear that her relationship with the 2011 bay mare by Only In The Moonlite and out of Cool Lookin Lady, is very different.

Cool Lookin Moonie is already a Reserve World Champion and Katie is looking for the gold globe this trip.

Brad Pitts tracked the progress of Cool Lookin Moonie her entire 2-yearold year with then trainer Brian Cox.

“In 2014, the P5 clan and I went to Ohio to see what she was all about,” Bussing recalled. “After Brad and Carli tried her out, it was my turn. When we were all done, Brad said: ‘Well I think she went best for Katie!’ That’s when we bought her.”

Since the two started hitting the shows together, they have racked up numerous accolades. Most notable are their fourth place finish in Western Pleasure at the AQHA Youth World Show and third place finish in Youth Western Pleasure 15-18 at the Quarter Horse Congress last year. Brad Pitts also placed third in Junior Western Pleasure aboard Cool Lookin Moonie at the AQHA World Show.

“We’re always tweaking her, but she’s five now and much more mature. It’s all about taking those details she’s been learning and putting them all together come show day,” Bussing said.

Bussing has also enjoyed quite a bit of success with her three-time World Champion Performance Halter Mare, CK Mardi Gras. The 2006 chestnut mare has recently been retired from the show arena but there are big plans in store for “Mardi.” As of January 2016, Bussing’s three horses are the first group of mares to be a part of her new investment company, Bussing Performance Horses.

“Basically, the plan is to breed my mares to the best studs, raise babies, train and sell world-class Quarter Horses,” she explained. “Brad was always saying, ‘Your mares are so nice, why don’t you breed them?’ I thought, what a great way to transition into my amateur career. Raising babies!”

This past March, Bussing received news that not only could she claim ownership, but is also the proud breeder of a weanling out of CK Mardi Gras and by VS Code Red.

“It’s all happening so fast. We just started talking about this a couple years ago,” she said with excitement.

They have plans to again cross Mardi with VS Code Red and are also expecting an Only In The Moonlite out of A Good Cookie. They will also cross Moonie with Machine Made and Zippos Mr Good Bar.

For now, Brad Pitts is taking care of the decisions about crosses on the mares and he will be responsible for training the resulting foals.

“In the future, I’ll probably be more involved,” Bussing said. “It’ll always be a team effort, but I’m too busy with school at the moment.”

Bussing is a pre-med student and has already been accepted into the new Indiana University medical program which will be housed in new buildings being constructed in Evansville, Idiana. The school is set to open in early 2018. Bussing entered to be one of only a few people selected per year to the Baccalaureate to Doctor of Medicine (B/MD) Program.

In April, she received the Chemistry Department Outstanding Freshman Award. But even with everything she’s accomplishing, she’s not ready to fully commit to the future.

“At this point, I really don’t know what category of medicine I want to go into,” she admitted, “but I think I have enough time to figure it out.”

The one thing she can commit to is horses being in her life for as long as she can dare to imagine.

“I expect that I’ll always have horses and be actively showing to some extent. I think that having Bussing Performance Horses is a good way to solidify that,” she said. “It’s not just about showing anymore, it’s about breeding, buying, selling and really being a part of the industry.”