Her Junior Years

Kristin started riding at a very young age - her parents and both older brothers rode, trained, and helped with running the family farm. Her older brothers have gone on to have their own successful training businesses. 

Kristins first pony, "Supersport" took her from the shorts stirrup all the way up to the regular medium ponies, From there she went on to compete in the Medal and Maclay classes at the age of 10 on a family bred Lippizan/Thoroughbred cross.

At that time the Kocher family really specialized in retraining off the track Thoroughbreds for the hunters and jumpers. 

Kristin went from pony hunters, and the Medal and Maclay to the Preliminary Jumpers (1.30m or 4'3") on an infamous large pony named Suzy Suds. 

Kristin qualified for the USET Talent Search, Medal Finals, and Maclay Finals years 1989-1991 on multiple horses. It is worth pointing out that she qualified for this never riding the same horse, it varied from horse show to horse show. She had to ride what was available to her at the time. 

Because of Kristins ability to switch from horse to horse she became a sought after Junior Hunter and Junior Jumper catch rider. She was responsible for qualifying many horses for Washington, Harrisburg National,  the National held at Madison Square Garden, and Devon.

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Post Junior Years

After high school she competed in the Amateur Owners through college on her beloved Port Emerald and a few others that her brothers gave her to bring along. She graduated from Penn State with a BS in Marketing. Right out of college she got a job riding sales horses and teaching kids at Rafeen Farm under Time Russe. One feeling she says she will never forget is her first student going on to compete at Medal Finals. She is now the head coach at the College of Charleston. Kristin continued working at Rafeen Farm qualifying many riders and horses for Devon and Indoors. At the age of 26 she decided to hang up her helmet and focus on family.

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Getting Back Into It

Kristin took a break from horses for about 10 years. In 2003 her mother bought Piper, a walk/trot brok 2 year old pony. Piper was meant to be her daughter, Eliza's, first pony. This forced Kristin back into riding again. She slowly started by training just her own daughter and then little by little took on more clients and more horses. This all was made possible by working out of her brother, Kerry's, Stone Fence Farm in Centre Hall. Eventually she opened her own Kocher Equestrian Center out of Kocher Farm in 2014. 

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