Kathleen M. Shorten - Obituary
Monday, January 6, 2014
Morgan horse trainer, Kathleen M. Shorten, 64, of Bellvue, Colorado, passed away on December 24, 2013.
Kathy was born and raised in Warwick, New York, on February 15, 1949 to Thomas and Theresa Cooney. Kathy has been riding since she was able to sit astride a horse and learned to communicate with horses before people. At 11 years old, she began giving riding lessons to riders as well as being a trail guide for the academy. Her childhood days were spent with horses at the academy.
As an adult, she became a private trainer at Broadway Morgan Farm, a breeding and training barn, owned by Rich Majewski in Warwick. She taught the children in the family,
Tammy and Tiffany, to ride both Saddle Seat and Western. They were very successful in Class A, regional, and the Morgan world shows winning championships in equitation and junior exhibitor. Under Kathy's tutelage, Tammy Majewski rode twice in the “Good Hands Class” at the National Horse Show, which at that time was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City.
After 15 years at Broadway Morgan Farm, Kathy opened her own stables where she continued to train other people's horses and instruct their owners. Her success continued with her clients and client's horses being very successful on the show circuit and at the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show®.
Kathy was offered a private training position in Colorado and made the move west.
She worked at Stove Prairie Ranch near Bellvue for 15 years. She was their private trainer as well as developer of their breeding program and manager of the ranch. Through hard work and Kathy's coaching, Gail Bratz of Stove Prairie Ranch, went on to win world and national titles at the Grand National.
For 20 years Kathy was a “R” judge in both Morgans and Saddle Seat Equitation and judged various shows throughout the country and in England, including the Grand National.
Kathy accomplished much in her life. In addition to her many years working with horses, she also graduated from college with a degree as a registered nurse and worked 14 years as a part-time geriatric nurse prior to her move to Colorado.
Kathy is survived by her sister Mary (Steve) Kelley; and her children, Stacy (Lars) Betten and Thomas (Christiana) Shorten. She is also survived by four grandchildren. A memorial service was held in December 28 in Fort Collins, Colorado.
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