Hometown: Wellington, Fla. Birthday: 8/25/1987 Sport/Disciplines: Para-Equestrian Paralympic Years: 2020, 2024
Shoemaker has become a staple for the U.S. Dressage program, helping the team begin to earn medals on the international stage. Kate Shoemaker was selected to her first FEI World Equestrian Games™ for the U.S. Para Dressage Team with Solitaer 40 for Tryon 2018, which marked her first international championship selection. Shoemaker then made her Paralympic debut as part of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics aboard Solitaer 40. Aboard Quiana, she helped the U.S. Para Dressage Team earn bronze at the 2022 FEI Para Dressage World Championships in Herning, Denmark, where she also earned her first individual international championship medal, taking silver in the FEI Grand Prix Para Grade IV Freestyle.
In 2024, Shoemaker debuted a new mount in Vianne, a 2016 Hanoverian mare (Vitalis x Ramiro’s Bube), with whom she partnered with in Doha that February. The pair never placed outside of the top three internationally in Grade IV competition in the run-up to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, where they represented the U.S. Para Dressage Team. Shoemaker and Vianne finished fifth individually after the FEI Para Grand Prix Test A, then rebounded to take home an individual bronze medal in the FEI Para Grand Prix Freestyle for Grade IV. The Paris Paralympic Games marked Shoemaker’s second Paralympic appearance and first Paralympic individual medal.
Carrying the momentum into 2025, Shoemaker took on full ownership of Vianne. The pair anchored the U.S. Para Dressage Team to three straight CPEDI3* victories at AGDF, TerraNova, and Hagen, while Shoemaker herself notched a string of personal best scores. Early in the season, Shoemaker introduced a new mount, Supreme, her own 2016 Westphalian gelding (Sezuan 2 x De Niro 6), who went on to earn the title of 2025 USEF/Adequan Para Dressage National Champion in Grade IV at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions in St. Charles, Ill.
Now campaigning both Vianne and Supreme, as well as a new mount, Ghandi, her own 2011 KWPN gelding (Bojengel x Tushinski), Shoemaker has continued to build her own international resume throughout the season, with top results in Aachen (GER), Aalborg (DEN), and Hagen (GER).
Most recently, Shoemaker and Vianne notched another personal best, representing the U.S. Para Dressage Team at the Hagen CPEDI3*, helping the team earn gold amongst a competitive international field and topping the podium individually in each of their Grade IV classes.