Kat

Kat is a Head Guide at Wanaka Horse Trekking. Together with Sam they do the planning, emails, phone calls and team schedule. When not guiding at West Wanaka Station, Kat can be found hacking or horse packing in the mountains with friends. After work she likes to relax on the water, go kayaking or in the winter ski-touring. On rainy days studying conservation, beekeeping, photography or binging very odd tv shows.

 

Kat's accent is not easy to guess. She comes from the Czech Republic where she learned the basics of horse riding when she was a kid. She spent a number of years studying and living in Denmark and France. In 2016 she moved to beautiful British Columbia, Canada where she worked in visual effects production for Hollywood movies for 7 years.

 

In 2023 stars aligned and she travelled to New Zealand for a working holiday, where she followed up on her passion for horses, guiding treks in a couple of places. Kat first joined Wanaka Horse Trekking team as a part time casual guide, thinking she'd be back to Canada soon, but she fell in love with New Zealand so much that in July 2025 she became a full timer with us.

 

Working with people and horses in such a stunning place is a dream come true. Kat finds guiding very meaningful, helping guests to find a real connection to horses and nature, providing a five star horseback experience and throwing in some cool local stories for those who are interested in learning more about the area.