Cathrin Gutmann Launches Gutmann Performance Horses in Austria

The jet-setting World and Congress Champion who made her mark in both the US and Europe as an AQHA Non Pro will proudly open Gutmann Performance Horses in October 2024.

By Delores Kuhlwein

Once Cathrin Gutmann of Austria fell in love with the American Quarter Horse when she was a teenager, her life was changed forever.  “A Quarter Horse that is well-trained in Hunter Under Saddle also has a snap and elegance to its movement that no other breed can offer. They are also very trainable, and their movement can be so beautifully exact,” she told The Equine Chronicle back in 2014.

When her journey began with those beloved Quarter Horses, she was also determined to advance their presence in Europe. Her strategy was wide-ranging – not only did she actively show in the U.S. from 2011 to 2019 as a Non Pro, but she also made her mark in Europe.

Cathrin is a Congress, World, and Reserve World Champion who has won some of the most prestigious Futurity and Maturity Championship titles out there, and she also holds multiple European and Austrian Championship titles in several different disciplines aboard horses like Blue Couture, Onlyafraid Inthedark, Bleu Ivy, Boys Move Over, Al Be Graceful, A Natural Sensation, IE Chrome N Details and Hot Boy Gone Lazy, among others.

She explains, “Last time I showed in the U.S. was in 2019 at the NSBA World Show. I thought about turning pro back in 2018, but it wasn’t the right time then. I took some time off to take care of other aspects of my life, and now I have the perfect conditions; I’m surrounded by the right people and I‘m very excited to be back. Horses have been my biggest passion ever since I was little, so it only makes sense- there’s nothing else I’d rather do.”

She has also bred and trained many of her horses herself as a Non Pro, and her breeding success speaks for itself with World and Congress Champions, Futurity Champions, multiple World Show Top Tens, like the just recently crowned AQHYA World Champions “Glo Inthedark” or “Hoo I Am.”

Now she has advanced her approach to elevating the Quarter Horse in Europe by sharing her experience with others, “stepping out with a whole new project,” she explains.

“As of October 2024, I’ll switch to the Open division and focus on building up my new training and showing operation, Gutmann Performance Horses,” she says, “focusing on Hunter Under Saddle, Western Pleasure, and All Around Horses.”

The beauty of her plan involves her focus on continuing a close relationship with her mentors from the U.S.  “Throughout the years,” she

reveals, “I’ve worked with people like Michael Colvin, Allison Clarke, Amanda Ringer, Nancy Sue Ryan, Rusty and Katie Green, Jay and Kristy Starnes, Gil and Becky Galyean, Blake Weis, Highpoint Performance Horses, Beth Case, Chuck Briggs, and Adam Wainscott, just to name a few.”

“Each of them influenced me and my riding in a huge way.  I want to bring all the knowledge I gained over the years to my future clients and will also be present by showing in the US again, as well as connecting people and facilitating horse sales across the pond.”

Her success in past projects is indicative of what her future holds as trainer at Gutmann Performance Horses, which will be operating out of a brand new, state-of-the-art facility close to Salzburg/Austria. It offers everything elite equine athletes need, from a big indoor arena with pristine footing to a round pen and walker, as well as spacious stalls with individual paddocks and an aqua treadmill, she explains. “Everything’s ready to go and I’m excited for what the future will bring.”

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Congratulations to Cathrin on this amazing new journey!

For more information, contact: Cathrin at gutmannperformancehorses@gmail.com, or find Gutmann Performance Horses on Facebook, and on Instagram @gutmannperformancehorses.  The barn website will be live in October: www.gutmannperformancehorses.com.