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“I have to pinch myself; I feel so grateful and lucky to have this horse,” Katie Dinan tells World of Showjumping about Out of the Blue SCF (Verdi TN x San Patrignano Cassini, bred by Spy Coast Farm). With the 12-year-old mare, Dinan jumped to a third place podium finish at the 2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Fort Worth, after finishing 8th the year prior in Basel.

To World of Showjumping, Dinan tells about her striking seven-year record of attending the FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final, the exceptional horses that she has competed with, and how she balances her riding career with impressive academic ambitions.

Dinan took over the reins on Out of the Blue – who was produced by Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam – in December 2023. “We came together quickly enough, but we both had to learn to get to know each other,” Katie says about the bond between her and the talented grey mare. “She had a great upbringing before I got her, but also still needed some experience.”

“I am very grateful to our coach, Beat Mändli,” Katie continues. “He has helped so much in building our relationship. He was the one who saw the horse with Shane and thought it would be a good match for me. Even though we jumped some big classes fairly quickly, I feel like we've grown together in the last two years.”

“Our first goal for this year was to qualify for the World Cup Final. Last fall and this winter, the World Cup qualifiers were the main competitions we aimed for,” Katie explains about the road to Fort Worth. “This summer, the World Championships will be held in Aachen and it's always been a career dream of mine to represent the U.S. at those championships. That's a dream – we will see, we will do what we can,” Katie – who is shortlisted for the American team for Aachen – says about the rest of the season ahead.

I feel like we've grown together in the last two years

The last two years, Katie has jumped at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final with Out of the Blue. “Both years went beyond expectations,” she tells. “Last year in Basel, she was spectacular. She jumped three out of the four rounds clear, and we were the only double clear on Sunday. When I came back this year, it felt slightly different. I knew that if we were in form, we could do well.”

“For me, championships have always been a dream, and it has been a goal to represent the United States. As an athlete, to represent your country and to do it on the world stage is something unique. I think that the World Cup Final has a huge amount of history. When you look at the trophy, it's all the greats of the sport and the history of showjumping. We have many big shows all year, but I think this final still stands out – and that's why I have wanted to prioritize it.”

While Katie has an impressive record of results, she does not ride full-time. “I rode full-time for about two years after university,” the 32-year-old explains. “More or less, I've always been either working or studying. I studied biology at Harvard from 2012 to 2016 and then I was working a bit in between and trying to figure out a direction for my life."

I have an amazing program at our stable and a great team around me

"I went back to Harvard for a master's program that finished in 2022, and have since started a PhD program – a doctorate. I'm in my fourth year, and that's in New York, at the Rockefeller University. It's a research institute for biology and biomedical sciences, and I currently work in a biology lab. Right now, I'm finished with all my coursework, so I do laboratory research and I hope I'll publish a dissertation in the next years.”

“The reason I can do all this is not because of me, it's because of Beat,” Katie points out. “I have an amazing program at our stable and a great team around me. For me, it's a bit of a give and take. Currently, I have two horses to jump Grand Prix classes with and they obviously can't go every week, so it works well.”

“The World Cup Final has been something that I have always aimed for,” Katie explains about her impressive record of seven FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final attendances. “Growing up in the United States, it always seemed the World Cup Final was this really big thing, where not only the top riders from the U.S., but also those from Europe and around the world, went to. I remember watching the finals on TV when they were in Las Vegas, and that was one of the first times I really saw all the European top horses and riders. Back then, we did not have FEI TV and Clip My Horse, so it was exciting to see them on TV.”

“In the beginning of my riding career, I was training with McLain Ward,” Katie continues. “My first big year was in 2012, when I was 18, and McLain told me that we should aim for the World Cup Final. I didn't put myself in that group of riders at all, and I never thought I was going to do something like that.”

The World Cup Final has been something that I have always aimed for

Katie was 19 at her first World Cup Final in Gothenburg in 2013. “Everything was totally new to me; I had only jumped a handful of times in Europe,” she recalls. “I had a super special horse, Nougat du Vallet, who changed my life. He was 12 at the time, and he didn't have so much experience – we kind of came up together in the sport. I still remember jumping clear on the first day in Gothenburg. It was a life changing moment for me, because it was the first time I was competing on the world stage and got a taste of the high-level sport.”

In 2014, Katie started training with Beat Mändli. “I think many of the European riders put a huge value on the World Cup-series because there's all these amazing indoor qualifiers that lead up to the final. That's kind of been the traditional winter season in Europe. As I, again, was coached by somebody who prioritized the final, we went with Nougat to Lyon in 2014. It was one of my best performances with him, he jumped two clear rounds there and was amazing.”

“I had one or two World Cup finals that were not so successful – and it can be very discouraging,” Katie continues. “After a few years I was kind of rebuilding in the sport and then I had Brego R’N B, who took me back to jumping big tracks. We went together to Leipzig in 2022, and we had a strong week there. That gave me the motivation to come back.”

“He's seen me grow up and feels more like family than anything else at this point,” Katie tells about her connection with her trainer, the Swiss three-time Olympian Beat Mändli. “He started helping me when I was 20, still in university and basically a kid. Now I'm 32, married and trying to be an adult. Beat and his wife Amanda are almost like second parents to me. They definitely did not sign up to have another child in their life – they already have their own wonderful son, Thomas, who is actually around my age – but when you work with someone for so long, and you have the high and the low moments that are so emotional, you create a very strong relationship. I'm so fortunate to work with them.”

When you work with someone for so long, and you have the high and the low moments that are so emotional, you create a very strong relationship

“I don't come from a horse family,” Katie points out. “My parents are very supportive of me, but together, we don't have the experience of horse people. I've been able to learn so much about horsemanship, how to do this sport, bring up horses and have them in the best program – and that's all from Beat. I could not do this myself, and I wouldn't want to – I'm still learning.”

“There's always ups and downs,” Katie continues to tell about the realities of sticking with your team through it all. “Sometimes it feels like there's more downs, and when it rains, it pours in both directions. During my career, I’ve had about three or four years that felt like we were always trying to bring my best horse back from injury, and it was a long road trying to get him back into the sport. I had a few years without much success, and you can get discouraged, both in yourself and in what you're doing.”

“Beat has a wide view of the sport because he himself has been doing this for a long time,” Katie tells about her trainer’s support. “He is tough on everybody, mostly himself, but he would always remind me that I needed to get through these challenges, that every rider has them. Riders have moments when they don't have a group of horses that lifts them up, and it's these moments where you need to dig in and keep going, while also being patient.”

Working with someone like Beat, I have realized first hand that this is a long journey

“After everything he's won and what he's done in his career, every morning he is on the first horse by seven and working to improve himself,” Katie tells about the inspiration she draws from Beat. “Working with someone like him, I have realized first hand that this is a long journey. Another important factor is that you really have to believe in the people and the system around you. I always believed in the program I was in from a horsemanship perspective and that in everything we did, we tried to do the right thing by the horse.”

“When things do not go well, I always put it more on myself,” Katie shares. “I would feel like I'm letting my horses and the people around me down. I think that is why our success in Fort Worth was so special for my whole team; we have stood by each other for almost 12 years, and it was so emotional to do it together. I felt like I was on that podium with a whole group of people. I don't want to ride in the arena by myself and for myself; I'm doing it with and for my horse, my coach, my groom and my family.”

5.5.2026 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.